Denmark starts a children’s series about a man with a large and ‘uncontrollable’ penis | Abroad

John Dillermand, the main character, has the largest genitalia on Earth. In addition, he can draw with it, hoist a flag, perform rescue missions and steal ice cream from children. It is difficult for him to control his penis.

The TV series about Dillermand (literally ‘penis man’ in Danish) has stirred up the mood and sparked a sharp debate about what good children’s television is all about. “Is this really what we should give children?” Asks author Anne Lise Marstrand-Jørgensen. The program is broadcast on the public channel.

Misconduct

Critics also point to a recent MeToo riot in Denmark. “This reinforces the standard patriarchal idea. And it adopts the culture of canteen talk. The latter is always used to condone male misconduct, ”says Christian Groes of Roskilde University. “It’s meant to be funny. So it is considered harmless. But that’s not it. We teach this to our children. ”

Others think the series is innocent. “It’s about an impulsive man who makes mistakes – just like children. But crucially, he restores them. When a woman tells him to keep his penis in his pants, he listens. So that’s great, ”says psychologist Erla Heinesen Højsted, who often works with children.

Yet many professors, including behavioral expert Asmus Leth Olsen from the University of Copenhagen, have reacted cynically or misunderstood to the TV series. The public broadcaster DR says the most important thing is that ‘children like the series’. About the criticism surrounding references to MeToo, the company says that it could just as easily have made a series about ‘a woman with an uncontrollable vagina’.

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