This clip of the TV show Intervention, a show about addition, was sent in by Molly McL. It is an example of the way that mothers get blamed for their (adult) childrens’ problems when they stray from mothering according to conventional gendered expectations.
Notice how the mother, an Art History Professor, blames herself, how the father calls her behavior unnatural, and the way in which the editing provides the viewer with the revelation that the son attempted suicide immediately after the mother says that: “It’s not what did this do to me, it’s what did it do to them.” There is a direct causal relationship drawn between the mother’s letting her son down and his video game addiction. He explains, more or less, that the control over the video game makes up for the lack of control over his mother. No other possible contributing factor is discussed.
Molly writes:
I just thought it was really interesting considering how frequently fathers do this, but of course the “unnatural” card is swiftly pulled with a mother.
The relevant part of the clip is from 4 minutes 40 seconds to six minutes 21 seconds:
