Why the Hate?

I have been wondering this for a while, but am just now getting around to writing about it, but... does Eddie Murphy hate women?

This question arose in my head upon the release of his latest movie, Norbit. While I have not seen this movie (nor will I), the previews are telling. The main woman, played by Eddie, is an overweight harpy (at least in the previews) who chases him into submission. I am really bothered by this image, as it is compounded by the way Murphy has portrayed women in other movies. Take Dr. Doolittle, where he plays another fat, loud woman.

Is this funny? Is laughing at fat women funny? Is it ok to show a small man being crushed by a larger woman? I don't think so. I think it sends a bad message to people struggling with their weight, and to women at large. And to me, it makes Murphy look like a huge misogynist.

I realize the joke is that Murphy is playing all these women, and of course they would have to make them funny looking for him to pass as one. But he has started a trend that is unsettling (see: Martin Lawrence in Big Momma's House I & II).