Social class concepts and effects

¶ … Dismissed: How TV Frames the Working Class directed by Loretta Alper. Specifically it will evaluate how work and social class is perceived in this documentary film and other television shows. The working class always seems to be the brunt of negative humor and satire on television and this documentary explores that phenomenon, from the 1940s to the present day. If a person bases their opinions about the working class only on television, they will come to see an uneducated, group of buffoons who are entertaining but certainly not enlightening. Instead of poking fun at the working class, the media should acknowledge the contribution most working class families make to the American culture.

The film opens with the statistic that about 62% of Americans are members of the working class, and that means they are the average people you might meet on the street, stroll a shopping mall with, or dine with in a restaurant. They are the "average Joes" who form the backbone of the working force. So why does the media portray them so negatively? One, most of these shows that feature working class families and situations are comedies, so they are meant to make others laugh. Viewers, watching a dysfunction family like the Simpsons or the Bundys in "Married With Children" feel better about themselves because they are not nearly as "bad" or "dysfunctional" as these fictional families. The subtle messages being sent by these shows is that the working class is woefully inadequate as mothers and fathers, their families are laughable, and they have no hope whatsoever of bettering themselves, and somehow, they are responsible for their own misfortunes because of ignorance or laziness. Think of characters like Ralph Crandon in "The Honeymooners," Archie Bunker in "All in the Family," or Ted Bundy in "Married With Children." Each man is a clown who is loud, often bigoted, and laughable, with a long-suffering spouse who does not take them seriously. These represent decades of television shows that view the working class as something "less" than the middle class, and that makes them laughable and "beneath" the viewers in some way.

Oddly, I think the working class is the audience, because they do not see themselves as the "working class," and, as noted before, somehow they feel like they are better than these fictional characters, and they have more "class" than these people do. It helps them feel better about themselves and their work. Look at the "Jerry Springer Show," which often showcases "trailer trash" working class people with spectacular problems, and they often interact with the audience, which all seems to be working class people, too. This audience is interested in the guest's sex lives, personal lives, and problems and they seem to identify with them, even when they condemn them.

Language is quite different in these shows and these situations. In Jerry Springer, for example, the audience and the guests often swear and are bleeped out, indicating to the viewer that they have few communication skills, and could not possibly belong to the middle class. Language is also manipulated to be funny and amusing, even at the expense of the characters and their intellect. Think about the puns and pokes of "Married With Children," or the language in "The Simpsons," or "Bevis and Butthead" which is elementary and unintelligent at best. These characters do not read books or magazines, do not seek out entertainment other than television, they drink beer, burp, and their language skills are rudimentary at best. They use this elementary language to represent the educational levels and understanding of the working class, which again, could not possibly match the levels of middle and upper class families.

The lifestyles of these characters are seen as relatively comfortable, even though they are clearly poor. "Married With Children" portrays a family that does not struggle to feed themselves, but has no taste or "class," and has no desire to better themselves. Many of these characters drink, smoke, and/or overeat (this Roseanne and Dan in "Roseanne" and Ralph in "The Honeymooners"), and their lifestyle and point-of-view is portrayed as not as strong and capable as middle class families. Often, these people feel exploited by others, like whites or their bosses, and they all seem to always need more money. However, these families have televisions, they have cars and homes, and they have enough money to feed and clothe their families. In reality, these shows do not represent the reality of the poorest members of the working class, who rarely enjoy the luxuries of cars, home ownership, enough food and clothes, and appliances like televisions. That is another problem with these shows and films. They portray working class people in a negative way, but they do not portray the real conditions of many working class families, and they do that at the expense of the audience and the real American working class.