"Men are overwhelmingly described as either villains, aggressors, perverts, philanderers, or, in rare positive stories, as metrosexuals, a study into news and current affairs stories about men reveals." from "Media the real villains in battle of the sexes"

This particular study focused on Australia. However, the United States has more than its share of stereotyped characters. Seems this TV battle of the sexes is an international spectacle.

Don't watch TV to boost your ego

The first obvious conclusion from this is that if you are looking for an ego boost, whether you are a man or a woman, don't turn on the TV. On TV men are villains; women are victims. Both are nasty disempowering stereotypes. Whether you are a man or woman, you will not likely feel very positive about yourself after a good dose of the standard TV diet.

Studies confirm that the TV makes you feel relaxed while you watch. The TV also has the ability to make your problems seem to vanish for a while. However, it can send you some nasty messages that can color your perception of the world and yourself.

Don't watch TV to understand the opposite sex

Obviously, most men and women don't fit the negative stereotypes. If you are away from TV and interacting frequently with real people, you know that. But if you are spending the majority of your time plugged into your tube, and into your computer, and into your video games, you can get sucked into a nasty, false reality.

Your brain does not process the information it receives from the television set in a normal way. The flicker on the screen and the fast-paced images lull your brain into a hypnotic, alpha brainwave state. The left side of your brain--the side that critically analyzes everything--shuts down. This is why you feel relaxed--but look like a zombie--when you watch TV. Your brain is not in a state where it can reject the images and messages it is receiving very easily.

Turn off the TV to "reprogram" these negative stereotypes

After the television if turned OFF, your brain can go back, take a second look at the messages, and put them in the trash file, where they belong. That takes conscious effort, however. Unfortunately, most people are unaware of this effect and thus do not take corrective action.

It's scary to think how this may have affected you and all the people around you over the long term, coloring your perceptions of the opposite sex...of yourself. TV is a rather pernicious purveyor of stereotypes. It has this power because of its unique ability to hypnotize you and bypass your brain's critical systems, which might otherwise question the TV messages' validity.

If you are one of those people who think all men are jerks, you may wish to take a moment to consider how much of that belief may be due to the TV shows you watch. Once you are aware of these effects, you can do some "reprogramming."

Sources:
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/media-the-real-villains-in-battle-of-the-sexes/2006/12/08/1165081157695.html Mander, Jerry. Four Arguments for the Elimination of Television Morrrow Quill Paperbacks: New York. p. 210