Dumb Guy Syndrome
My posts on Top Sites Tuesday have tended to be humorous, but this week there’s a serious matter on my mind. One of my most important posts ever was Dumb Guy Chic, in which I complained that modern media tends to portray being dumb as essential to being a Man’s Man. This is especially true of sports programming and male-oriented commercials. Attitudes that wives are simply pests who keep men away from watching football, beer is more important than family and doing anything cultural is for sissies are part of the regular fare radiating from our TVs and radios. And just as I did back in 2011, when I posted Dumb Guy Chic, I’d contend that … Thought Number One: Even when it’s done humorously, such attitudes send entirely the wrong message to impressionable boys and adolescents.
In the two years since I posted Dumb Guy Chic, the trend in the media has became even more pervasive. Psychologists have begun to recognize an epidemic of what’s come to be called Dumb Guy Syndrome, in which men of perfectly adequate
intelligence begin acting less so without knowing it. And until now, there’s been no way for a concerned male to determine if he’s been seduced by Dumb Guy Chic … or for a woman to determine if the man she is about to bring into her life suffers from the dreaded Syndrome. But in the spirit of public service and our national penchant for standardized testing in the schools, Older Eyes – Bud’s Blog is pleased to present the first Standardized Test for Dumb Guy Syndrome. This simple test measures Guy-Q, the standard metric for Guy Dumbness. You start with a score of 120, watch a few videos, then answer a few questions … that’s all there is to it. Here are the videos:
Video Number 1
Video Number 2
Now, the questions. For Questions 1-4, subtract 25 from your score for each question you answer Yes.
Question 1: Did you think Video Number 1 was funny?
Question 2: Are you more likely to drink Dr. Pepper 10 after watching Video Number 1?
Question 3: Did you think Video Number 2 was funny?
Question 4: After watching Video Number 2, are you more likely to switch from cable?
Finally, add 40 to your score if you found both videos annoying. Your resulting final score is your Guy-Q. Just as with the more well known IQ, 100 is average and 160 makes you a Guyenius. If you finished with a low score, don’t despair. Unlike IQ, Guy-Q can be easily increased. Take a sports hiatus or at least Tivo the games and skip the beer commercials. Listen to a little Beethoven or some jazz. See a film with no explosions or try live theater. Take your wife or girlfriend to a nice restaurant (not a sports bar) while the Packers are playing. Read something not ghost-written for a former jock or a coach. Take your wife antiquing and don’t wait outside. Or watch a guy-commercial and do the opposite. There is hope for Dumb Guy Syndrome.
Just remember Thought Number Two: Just Say No to Dumb Guy Chic. You don’t have to be a Dumb Guy to be a man. Older Eyes says so. He also says if you enjoyed this little rant (and didn’t take it too seriously), push my button … gently … to make me Number One on Top Sites Tuesday #222. Thanks for stopping by.
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Tags: curmudgeonly rants, dumb guys, humor, memes, postaday, satire, Top Sites Tuesday
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Older Eyes 
September 24, 2013 at 4:23 pm
I went back to read the first post and I agree that not much has changed in terms of how men are being portrayed in commercials.
Thank goodness, I am not qualified to take your test (as I can’t be a dumb guy, chic or not) I qualify to be dumb just not a guy.
The commercials you posted, at least aren’t woman bossing men around and treating them as children with the intent of making it appear that men can’t think for themselves.
I much prefer ads like the Folgers commercial where the wife brings out a cup of coffee because her husband has camped out with their little sons. Cute..parents that are partners raising children.
Click
September 24, 2013 at 11:14 pm
Somehow I think you’d pass the test with flying colors. I haven’t seen the Folger’s commercial but it sounds nice. Maybe I’ll switch to Folgers. Truthfully, more often commercials keep me away from products instead of convincing me to try them. But 69 year old guys aren’t many company’s target demographic.
September 24, 2013 at 7:08 pm
Those have to be the cheesiest commercials I have ever seen. The Dr. Pepper commercial, yes dumb guy chic, but really? That’s supposed to make men want one? And What in the heck was the lightning bolt/lightning bolt lady in that commercial?
Commercials, another reason to take a nice walk….
Clicks!
–Trina
September 24, 2013 at 11:15 pm
Cheesiest is a perfect description. Yet I bet if you ask a lot of guys in the 20-30 demographic, they think they’re funny.
September 24, 2013 at 7:15 pm
Hi Bud,
I agree with your first thought. There’s nothing wrong with having a little culture in our lives.
After watching the Dr. Pepper commercial, I never really liked it anyway, I definitely won’t be buying one.
And I scored 160 on my guy-que!
Great Thoughts,
Wolf
September 24, 2013 at 11:16 pm
Oh, I knew you would, Wolf. You have too interesting a life to have Dumb Guy Syndrome.
September 28, 2013 at 1:02 pm
I think my husband has dumb-guy syndrome. Is there some sort of immersion program that can turn him around quickly???
September 28, 2013 at 1:54 pm
Have him read Older Eyes – Bud’s Blog every day for three months 🙂