Critical Media Analysis of "Home Improvement" - Page 2

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Page 2

Jul 7, 2000

By having these kind of characteristics, Home Improvement reinforces the act of male dominance by showing such things as Tim grunting while standing next to his new and improved tool or motor. Tim has a show called Tool Time in which he and his companion Al Borland give advice on how to do things around the house such as installing new linoleum in the kitchen and properly cleaning the surface once finished. After the linoleum is in place, Al makes an attempt to polish the surface with a standard drill with a buffing pad on it. Tim tops it all off when he walks out with his Binford 2000 polishing drill which he can barely support. The motor is over three times the size of Al's machine and Tim feels that he even has power over Al, not to mention all the audience members and viewers across the nation. The program promotes power as a need in Tim's life in order to sustain supremacy in his mind. If he falls short, he might receive harassment from Jill, his kids, any of his millions of viewers, and especially his colleague Al.

On the other hand, the show resists the idea that you have to be strong and muscular in order to be dominant. Tim is the last person that you would see in a body building contest. He does not feel more influential by looking in the mirror. But when he looks at himself in the mirror holding his newly reformed and most powerful saw on the market, he feels like he could dictate the world. Home Improvement reassures viewers that we do not have to be strong in order to succeed and be dominant. We can use our minds instead of our muscles to create bigger and better items, which give us a sense of power. In the overall scheme of things, that incomparable engine or drill with twice the torque might not actually give us power to rule over someone, but rather just the mere thought gives us that sense of security.

So why not just sit at home and accept everything your wife or society tells you? Honey, I think your car has plenty of power, or, just leave it the way it is because that is how they designated it to be. If this were the case, life in itself would be dull. People need to be different and unique. Another reason this would not be good is because men would not have that dominating status that society has laid upon us. From the beginning of time, the man has ruled the house and has been responsible for providing and keeping the family safe. It is our inherited human nature that we must be on top. In one episode, Tim decided to quit his job at Tool Time and look for something new. That didn't last long. He was right back at it within a few days. He couldn't stand not being able to make fun of Al while out-performing him.

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