My (26f) boyfriend (27m) and I have known each other for years and have been dating for a couple years now. We’re in a long distance relationship so we don’t see each other in person often.

Growing up, 20 years ago, my parents would watch Everybody Loves Raymond and The King of Queens and I would watch those shows with them. I always think they’re so funny and off and on I’d watch them every time they’d come on tv. For the past couple years, I’ve been having them both play while I do chores or work and they still make me laugh.

Tonight, I shared a clip from Everybody Loves Raymond to my boyfriend and made a joke about it regarding him and it turned into a lecture. He was talking about how he has always felt offended and emasculated by these sitcoms because it brands the husband as stupid, lying, lazy, bad people and wives are mean. He said that he’d feel offended for his dad when he was a kid when he’d see his dad I assume watch sitcoms like these too.

I don’t see what the deal is, I really think he’s looking too far into it. He said, “I’m criticizing all family sitcoms. They all share this theme and I was able to pick up that pattern even never deep diving into any of them. You can see it just flipping through channels. You see it in the clips on the tvs in waiting rooms and restaurants. So I learned a long time ago I’m not the target audience. In fact I’m the punchline. As a kid I felt offended for my dad seeing these bad dads on tv because bad dads are funny. The kids disrespect their parents, the women always yell at their husbands. The whole thing just screams, “disrespect men. They’re lazy, bad fathers, drinkers, fat, and not present in their families lives anyway. Yell at your husbands and put them in their place. Moms rule the world. Hey kids, don’t obey your parents, that’s not cool” if any of it was ever funny I don’t find it funny anymore.”

I like these shows not just from nostalgia, but the way he describes the bad dads is exactly what my dad is. My parents’ marriage is like the marriages you’d see in these shows, yelling and often insane. He knows that too.

I’ve never given him opinions on anything he likes or does, but this isn’t the first time he’s lectured me on something I like or have an opinion on.