Feminism in The Hunting Trip on Parks and Recreation

Feminism in "The Hunting Trip"
Parks and Recreation -- Season 2 Episode

Parks and Recreation was a hit comedy TV show that debuted in 2009 and ran 125 episodes until its finale in 2015. The show focused on a bureaucratic organization tasked to run a local Park Department in a fictional town in Illinois. The show based upon the main character, Leslie Knope, who undertakes a series of projects and mingles with a range of different types a characters in a dynamic and humorous way. Leslie is a feminist and finds herself in a position that is far more progressive than many of the characters that live in the fictional town. The "Hunting Trip" show is an interesting episode for many reasons. First, despite being female, Leslie proves that she is just as good a hunting as the men in the show.

However, she actually uses the stereotypes that are commonly held towards women, to cover for her friend Tom after an accident happens in which Ron gets shot. Not only does she play off the existing stereotypes, but after she realizes that they seem to be working, she throws out a barrage of exaggerated ones in one of the most comical exchanges in the season. Not only did I find this rather humorous, but it also portrays the idea that when females uphold the stereotype and the types of behaviors expected of them by society in general, then they often receive positive reinforcement from those they interact with. However, if a woman is more aggressive and does not fit this mold then she will likely face a great deal of resistance on many levels. In this brief essay I will look at some of the research that has been conducted in regards to criminality and gender and relate this information back to the show and draw a few conclusions from the research.

Feminism and Acceptance

The perceptions of gender norms are something that I feel is largely misunderstood. There are many contrary views on any of the inherent or substantive differences between men and women. There are at least some biological differences that are indisputable. However, it is not clear how these differences manifest into behavior naturally and what are socially conditioned. For example, researchers have compiled data through various studies that have looked at the roles of hormones and other biological differences in men and women have been thought to contribute to predispositions based on gender for various criminal activities. For example, it is commonly assumed that women are less aggressive based on these biological differences. I believe that the science is important since many people attempt to justify their views based on evidence such as this.

The hormonal differences that exist between genders is thought to cause significant differences in behaviors based on the biological characteristics of each gender. For example, men on average have far more testosterone which has been correlated with certain types of behaviors such as aggression and competitiveness. As a result, many people have used the biological perspective to explain why the different gender norms have developed and researchers have tried to find evidence for such a correlation in the amount of testosterone in men and the rates of criminal behavior in prison populations that have committed violent crimes believed to be at least partly fueled by hormone levels (Wright, Tibbetts and Daigle). This perception seems to be evident in the criminal justice system as many assume women are less prone to crimes, such as illustrated clearly in the episode.

Yet women have higher levels of estrogen and different biological compositions that fluctuate in healthy females with their menstrual cycles. Other studies have also shown that women are more likely to commit crimes during their premenstrual cycle (PMS) during times in which these hormones are present. But these beliefs are also supported by popular culture and aggression is constantly being associated with low levels of estrogen coupled with higher levels of progesterone. But it isn't entirely clear is these chemicals truly cause the onset of such behaviors. There are also socio-cultural underpinnings of how gender stereotypes may have emerged, and there is also interesting evidence to suggest that the role of hormones many not be the responsible factor.

Researchers have also studied female sex offenders and have compared them with their male counterparts' and have found that "female sexual abusers' cognition is inherently different to that presented by male sexual abusers, despite surface-level semantic similarities" (Forbes and Harris). Even though it is generally accepted that males commit crimes on average at much higher rate than women, there are also some more specific examples in which women are more prone to have higher rates of crimes than males such as in the case of shoplifting and murder with poisonous substances. In the episode, the Sheriff cannot even seem to fathom that Leslie could have consciously committed such an act (even though she didn't). He seems to look for any other possible explanation to make her story make sense.

Conclusion

After the shooting accident occurs in the show, Leslie is interrogated by a local officer about the accident. The officer seemed to believe that Leslie was incapable of intentionally committing such an act due to his gender biases and doesn't follow through with an investigation. Leslie basically mocks him by pretending to have been influenced by extreme examples of such biasness to help her friend despite clearly demonstrating that she was adept at hunting earlier in the show. Although the show is meant to be funny, it is also based on research. Females are less likely to receive the same as harsh a sentence for the same crime a man carries out, has roughly the same biological capabilities as a man in terms of aggression and competitiveness, and much of the influences are socially based; all cleverly illustrated by Leslie in "The Hunting Trip." In my opinion, the show clearly portrays the gender perceptions that are commonly found in an entertaining way that can help people to understand these issues.

Works Cited

Forbes, S. and M. Harris. "Female Sex Offenders: Observed Trends in Wisconsin." Corrections Today (2014): 58-61.

Wright, J., S. Tibbetts and L. Daigle. "Chapter &." Criminals in the Making. Sage Publications, 2008.