How I Met Your Mother Co-Creator Defends Barney's Portrayal As "A Parody Of Toxic Masculinity"

How I Met Your Mother

Summary

How I Met Your Motherco - creator Craig Thomas responds to a recent clause critiquing the fictitious character of Barney Stinson . Portrayed by Neil Patrick Harris across the show ’s nine season , Barney is the fifth member of Ted Mosby ’s ( Josh Radnor ) friend group who frequently set out to hook up with women through several tricks and " play . " The womanizer farm throughout the show ’s run , slowly get word the errors of his way and becoming a creditworthy Padre by the timeHow I Met Your Motherended with time of year 9 .

posit that"Barney was always written as a parody of toxic masculinity"rather than an endorsement of those behaviors , the co - creator explained late seasons saw other characters challenge his worldview and saw him evolve to become a dependable person .

Thomas keep his argument , say that other characters challenge his views about 83 % of the prison term .

The co - creator also explain that it drive nine seasons to show Barney ’s growth to become a better person and mention how this intellection cognitive process seems to be overlook by " think piece . "

He then concluded his argument by give chase Harris and praise his carrying into action as Barney .

Was The Character Of Barney Stinson Lost In Translation?

How I Met Your Motherdid show Barney becoming a better man via his views on relationships , parenting , and attitudes towards women . The sequel seriesHow I Met Your Fatheremphasizes Barney ’s alteration in a prospect meeting with Hilary Duff ’s conduce character , Sophie . While Thomas stated that Barney was called out many times by Ted and the other members of their group , there are also occasions where the grouping share his derogatory views on the charwoman he set about to seduce . There were also moments where Ted sought to emulate Barney to relieve his own troubled love life life story . As such , while the series does n’t instantly validate Barney ’s worldview , there are instances where it can be read as give some credence to his shallow , callous beliefs .

The comedy ’s expansion into a franchise and merchandise also likely muddy up with how the show set out to depict Barney . As the biggest breakout character , he was the topic of numerous tie - in books , includingBro CodeandPlaybook , which include conquest legerdemain and techniques cite throughout the show . These books expanded and explain these construct as if they were written by the quality himself . While it is n’t unusual for a media attribute to take advantage on morally incorrect character , Barney ’s status as the show ’s breakout character and oversaturation in selling made him the font of the series , further pushing his action to the forefront of the sitcom ’s legacy .

Barney Stinson ’s Playbook contained all the fashion he found womanhood in How I Met Your Mother , and each ludicrous play is more outrageous than the last .

Barney having a drink at the bar with Robin and Ted in How I Met Your Mother