The one show that immediately comes to mind is The Middle. If you're not familiar with the show, it focuses on a working-class family that's struggling to get by. The father, Mike (played by Neil Flynn), is a good, hard-working man who loses his job. He later takes a last-resort job as a truck driver. Meanwhile, the mom, Frankie (played by Patricia Heaton), works as a car salesman (or saleswoman rather). Obviously not the greatest job nowadays.
While the parents are working, they're also supporting three kids, Axl, Sue, & Brick, who's school activities consume almost all of the time off that they have.
Another show that relates to the economy (& gender roles) is Desperate Housewives. In the past, the female characters on the show have been portrayed mostly as the 'moochers'. Having the husband who works & the wife who stays home tending to the kids.
One change that has occurred in the newest season is that Tom & Lynette's roles have changed. Having five kids already, Lynette finds out she's pregnant, again, with twins, again. She had established a well-paying job and is the main bread-winner for their household. When her boss finds out that she's pregnant, he fires her, wrongfully, and Tom must take over as provider for the family.
Unfortunately even though the media is shinning some light on the down turn of the economy it still doesn't change the fact that men always appear more powerful than women in the media. In the series The Middle,although both genders are working together the man still is the bread winner. Then in Desperate Housewives, the woman is being fired just because she is pregnant. Its like okay for instance men can't give birth but they still have just as much responsibilities as women when they're becoming parents. So why wasn't the man fired? Its gender stereotyping and lowering women standards. Then the wife goes back to being the second place bread winner again. Its like nothing has changed since the 1950's, as if woman can work but she should never be better or establish more than a man.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to see correlations between the reality of the current economy and content in media. I think it's also a good marketing scheme. Many people will want to watch shows that they can relate to, and since unemployement is lingering around 10% in our country- it's a good time to capture that audience. I think the reality presented in the shows also is a positive thing because it is a reminder to viewers that this is a time where money is tight and we need to remember to make sacrafices and live within our means. During the great depression movie going was at an all time high and most of the movies presented high glamor and fancy settings. Many people saw this as an escape from their current economic situations. That was probably well deserved and needed at the time- but I think currently showing realistic representations of our economy in the media will be a good reminder for people and keep us grounded.
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