#which is just as inaccurate and unfair a portrayal for then as for the Middle Ages

[isfjmel-phleg]

Some of the takes in the notes on that T S G-related post are wild. I am going to have some Things To Say this spring.

[tuf56299]

Social class as seen on TV

The documentary, “class dismissed” did a good job in addressing the inaccurate representation of class on American television. The way class is portrayed on American television is very problematic. I argue that American television blatantly disguises economic injustice and advertently reinforces the myth of meritocracy.

The idea that hard-work is the only requirement to be successful in America is a common misconception. This misconception has prevailed partly due to its prolonged presence on television combined with the under-representation of the working class. Television erases the struggles of minorities or normalizes them in such a way that minorities seem happy amidst the unfairness and inequality. When television does showcase the struggles of the lower-class and or minorities, TV mostly blames minorities’ lack of success on their lack of skills, lack of intelligence or their bad judgement and poor decision making. Television never seems to regard the lack of job opportunities for people of color, the high unemployment rate in the country, immigration issues or the fact that when minorities get jobs, they are not paid well. Basically, television disregards reality and audiences do not get to see what is really happening. Television indirectly implies that affirmative action is not necessary and supports the opinion that social class inequality can be removed if people just work harder or are more educated like on the TV show Black-ish.

Furthermore, TV shows and advertisers make the public believe that class can be bought, they convince consumers that buying certain products will associate them with success as is the case on the TV show “Black-ish”. They compel average everyday working class people to pursue a consumer lifestyle that is insatiable. TV shows like gossip girl depict rich people as idealistically happy due to their wealth and possessions and poor or lower-middle class people as the “wannabes” who aspire to own what the rich people have so they try to buy it. Television instills the concept that owning ostentatious products parallels the standard of living of the upper class. Television has people chasing the “American dream”

In addition, according to the article, class and how it is represented on television, working-class representation within sitcoms is rarely depicted. When the working class is represented, its portrayal is through individuals rather than family representations. These shows inaccurately depict these individuals as characters who can have anything they want as an escape from the daily struggles and tribulations of the working class. For example, the TV show 2 Broke girls, which is about two females who are both waitresses as well as owners of a cupcake business and are struggling with their finances. These girls are supposedly broke yet they live in a fairly large apartment in New York City and they own a lot of nice things which is impractical for people in their economic situation. In each episode they make a little more money than they previously has or lose some money which leaves their net income fairly the same over a period of time but this does not seem to have an effect on their luxuries, they also do not seem to suffer from not being able to afford basic needs like health care or insurance, instead, their lives seem pretty fun as they have comedic adventures and go to lavish events and do other things that people in their economic class would not normally have the opportunity to do.

In conclusion, the influence of television and mainstream culture shapes the perceptions individuals have about social class. By inaccurately representing class, television continually reinforces stereotypes of working class and lower-middle class and the notion that their lack of success is due to their faults as opposed to an unjust economic system powerfully structured by social forces. Also, television should stop selling the idea that class can be bought because for social mobility to be easily accessible and for people to be able to change their social class, the economic system must be radically changed.