Ian Beale – what can we learn from him?

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Let me start by stating that I hate Eastenders intently.  However it would be remiss of me to allow my personal prejudices get in the way of sparking some debate about Ian Beale.  Now when doing so, forgive me for not getting details absolute.  My writings are informed by snapshots, enforced when I’ve been ganged up on by the women in my life.

However this is my take. Ian Beale represents a man who works hard to provide for his family, suffers with a ‘keeping up with the Jones’ mentality, and is often validated by others misery. Please correct me if I’m wrong. But it’s Ian Beale as a dad we need to look at and especially his relationship with Lucy.  Too say that Lucy is hard work would be an understatement. Rebellious & rude, yet hurting and desperately seeking love.  Would it be fair to say that this is simply the Beale DNA?

If you were a child, could you take Ian Beale seriously as a father? Did his words carry any authority? Or would it be fair to say that wishy-washy can only lead to confusion and therefore children having to define their own realities. 

To have your daughter simply vanish is hell on earth.  For even the most “I hate Ian Beale” fanatic, one cannot fail to feel the pain of a father broken.  Could he have done anything to prevent such pain?  There was a really significant moment, when Ian was sitting with his daughter Lucy and trying to make things right. He promised to take her shopping.   However within minutes a catering job came up and the opportunity to “earn a buck” presented itself.  With a calculating excuse and easing of conscience he was able to shift his focus to making money. 

Now I don’t write this without blame myself, because I’ve been accused of preferring work to spending time with the family.  This cut, but I had to examine whether there was a tinge of truth to their accusation.

So returning to Ian, is this a man who is simply driven by a personal agenda, or is he someone who’s had his values and habits twisted? I often accuse the British population of having a tabloid mentality, in which they find gratitude in others pain. However with close inspection I think that Ian Beale could potentially represent the wishy-washy father that many of us become, because we have often reacted to situations without having a real understanding of the big picture for our family.