Citation

Sternheimer K. Contexts 2008; 7(4): 44-48.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2008, American Sociological Association, Publisher SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1525/ctx.2008.7.4.44

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

In 1992, then-Vice President Dan Quayle charged that Murphy Brown, a fictional character on the CBS sitcom of the same name, glamorized single motherhood by having a child outside marriage. His comment ignited a national debate about not just single parenthood, but the influence Hollywood and celebrities have over the choices Americans make in their lives. In a speech about civil unrest in Los Angeles, Quayle charged that characters like Brown indirectly contribute to central city problems by “mocking the importance of fathers.”