Gone are the days when the media could be expected to lionize "traditional" fathers. Instead of the wise patriarchs encountered in programs such as "Father Knows Best" and "Bonanza," we mostly get ignorant goofs in "Married, with Children," "Family Guy," and "The Simpsons." When was the last time you saw a TV dad who wasn't the constant butt of jokes for his ineptitude? The Cosby Show's solid, if imperfect, Cliff Huxtable seems like a quaint anachronism now.

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