1. Examine class representations from American television's beginnings to today's sitcoms, reality shows, police dramas and daytime talk shows.During the old days of american television, only the 'white' american will be portrayed. Eventually, the races in american television became more diverse, most notably with the addition of asians and africans as actors and actresses. However, the whites will usually be portrayed as the hero, the macho man and all the cliché dream guy traits whereas the africans will either be depicted as an antagonist or as a protagonist but will probably die first in films. Fast forward to today, africans are viewed in a enlightened manner with them playing roles as vital as other races, even the whites. A good example would be the actor Will Smith in movies such as Men in Black and I am Legend.
2. What is the American Dream and how has it been portrayed on television? Who has it excluded and why?
Taken from the World English Dictionary, the American Dream is defined as the notion that the American social,economic, and political system makes success possible for every individual.
It is where the capitalist system brings joy, perfect health and wealth to every American. It is the thought of having perfection in reality such as a married couple having one son and one daughter. It is shown by the media that to make the American Dream a reality, one must simply work and dedicate themselves to their work as well as their country. If that is achieved then time is the only factor left.
It has excluded the minorities such as the African-Americans probably because during the time the American Dream concept was created, they deemed the minorities as having little to no importance in the country and as of now, it all depends on how people view the minorities.
3. How do media representations of class reflect the larger social system and social inequality?
The media representations of class as a reflection of the larger social system and social inequality is somewhat true. The only difference is that media tends to over-exaggerate certain points but that is how they make things clear. However, there are times when they portray a form of biasness, such as having the white men having all the power and the minorities and having little to no power.
Furthermore, media representations of class happen to be encouraging their portrayals in real-life situations rather than spreading awareness regarding it.
4. How is the working class portrayed when it has been represented?
The working class are often shown to be struggling not only in their work life but also their social life. They seem as if they are really having trouble making ends meet.
Strangely enough, even the bosses portrayed in the media can be considered a stereotype. Regardless of their gender, races and beliefs, they are often shown to be very demanding, unrealistic, cruel, sadistic and etc.
It is very rare to see the media portray kind hearted bosses unless the characters are to be killed during the early parts of films.
5. What are the struggles faced in trying to get a show about working class people on TV?
Generally, the idea about portraying real people and real work situations can be very tough not only because of timing issues but as well as not wanting to portray their true selves. One way or another, what you see in reality televisions are somewhat of a fabrication of what they truly are and that is a fact. No one wants to be seen in a bad light, especially on nationwide television broadcasts.
Some companies might even have policies against being recorded to avoid having their company secrets out in the air. In other words, no matter how well you manage to capture the work life situation, it can never be 100% accurate, especially since everyone experiences things differently.
6. How are race and gender intertwined with class on TV?
As for race, the white people are often shown to be rich, high integrity and classy kind of people where as the minorities are often shown to be poor, the evil person and the trashy kind of people.
As for gender, the men are often shown to be the breadwinners, the heroes, the ones in power basically. The women are often shown to be weak, similar functions to a maid and belong in the kitchen. A good example for this would be the TV show 'Justice League'. Despite having women like Wonder Woman and Hawk Girl as superheroes, the spotlight usually falls on the male superheroes such as Superman. When women appear to be taking control, they are often shown to be bitchy and manipulative.
