ºÙºÙÊÓƵ

Amid an ongoing public debate about fatherhood in the United States and whether it is on the decline, ºÙºÙÊÓƵ American studies professor Jay Mechling says models of fatherhood from the television season now ending offer interesting perspectives. Fathers, in fact, were prominent in the season lineup. Mechling points out that among the highest rated shows are HBO's "The Sopranos" and Fox's "Malcolm in the Middle." Fox's Sunday night programming provided three sorts of fathers in a row: the animated Hank of "King of the Hill," the animated Homer of "The Simpsons" and Hal of "Malcolm in the Middle." Considering these four shows and a few others, Mechling speculates that their story lines portray real dilemmas facing fathers in 2001, and that "King of the Hill" probably presents the best, most complex portrayal of fatherhood. Mechling writes and teaches about the construction of masculinity in the United States, from the socialization of boys in family and organizations to the mass-mediated images of masculinity in film and television. His book, "On My Honor: The Boy Scouts and American Youth," will be published in the fall of 2001 by the University of Chicago Press.