Mike Baxter Patriarchy

Many families still hold the archaic belief that a man must lead their family. Many fathers do believe that a patriarchy must be established in order for their families to flourish. Usually, the man in the family has the last say on most matters and wants his children to hold those same views and follow and the same footsteps. The television show, Last Man Standing, revolves around Mike Baxter who lives with his wife Vanessa and their three daughters Kristen, Mandy, and Eve. Mike Baxter can be described as a man who holds traditional American values and is politically conservative.

In the episode titled “Voting”, it is election time as each adult member of the family will be casting their vote, either supporting Barack Obama or Mitt Romney. Mike is in favor of Romney, but his eldest daughter contrasts him politically as she will be voting Obama. His middle daughter, Mandy,

In the beginning of the episode Kristen puts up a sign in support of Obama in the front lawn which Mike immediately rids of. This is the first instance where we see Mike shut down any beliefs that counter his own. Mike is essentially preventing his daughter from expressing her own values. From this we can see that Mike will do whatever he can stop the beliefs he does not hold from spreading. Essentially, Mike’s believes his words are what reign supreme in the household. We can also infer that he is somewhat disappointed that his own daughters do not share the same beliefs as him. As a father, Mike probably wants to see a reflection of himself in his daughters, but he does not realize that this prevents them from developing their own individuality. When parents try to censor what their kids can and cannot express, they strip them of their own identity as they see they must conform to their own ideals. If this notion persists, a child will be compelled into thinking whatever their parents do or say is the right