Anti-wife commercials

When did all men become sad, broken creatures and all women become controlling taskmasters?

That’s what a lot of the commercials during Sunday’s Superbowl seemed to insinuate, anyway. I couldn’t believe the number of ads that showed a broken-down man who had lost his dreams because of his domineering wife.

For example, a Chrysler advertisement for the new Dodge Charger had the head shots of several men and a voice-over narrating their thoughts about their relationships. The last man’s thoughts: “I will put the seat down. I will separate the recycling. I will carry your lip balm. I will watch your vampire TV shows with you … And because I do this, I will drive the car I want to drive.” The scene then switches to the new Charger – “Man’s Last Stand.”

A Docker commercial likewise showed a group of men who had taken back control of their lives by going pants-less through a field. The ad ends with this slogan, “Wear the Pants.”

And a less-than-subtle FloTV commercial featured a man helping his wife shop for underwear while the announcer said, “”His girlfriend has removed his spine, rendering him incapable of watching the game.” The commercial ends with, “Change out of that skirt, Jason.”

I know this is true in many marriages: the women take control and the men assume the fetal position in hopes of avoiding a conflict and making the woman stop nagging. But guess what, guys? A spineless mate is really not that attractive and gets old after a while.

What women really want is a partner, not a lapdog. And from what I can gather, men want to feel in control of their own lives. So, why is it that husbands and wives have so much trouble reaching that happy meeting point?

Do men really feel like these sad portrayals on the commercials? Are women totally to blame, or is it a two-way street?

What do you think — why do husbands and wives tend to fall into this pattern and is there a way to break the cycle?