Roseanne and Sociology

2024 Words5 Pages

Roseanne was a hit sitcom that debuted in the late 80s and continued into the late 90s. It was one of the most watched shows of its time despite the controversy that surrounded it. The series still airs on popular television networks today but, because it functionally paved the way, it is not considered questionable in today’s society. Although the show had its share of controversial issues and what was then thought to be “inappropriate” dialogue, the America population continued to tune-in to Roseanne and empathized with the weekly problems the Conner’s would face. The show depicted life much like people actually experienced it (and still do) and therefore captured the hearts of America, which translated to a better acceptance of the material folks found inappropriate or unacceptable. Over time, as people were more often exposed to the matters that Roseanne felt were pertinent, the disputes became fewer and the issues surrounding them became irrelevant. Dealing with issues such as sex, homosexuality, and a not so functional family, Roseanne proved to be very functional to society as a whole.
First titled Life and Stuff, Roseanne aired its first season in 1988 and its last season in 1997. The show starred Roseanne Barr and John Goodman as Roseanne and Dan Conner. They lived in Lanford, Illinois with their three children Becky, Darlene, and D.J. The Conner’s were a blue-collar, working-class family with both parents working outside of the home. In the first of its nine seasons, Roseanne (Barr) worked at Wellman Plastics, along with her sister Jackie (Laurie Metcalf) and friend Crystal (Natalie West). Dan (Goodman) worked as a self-employed drywall contractor for his company, Four Aces Construction. Roseanne's parents, Beverly (Este...

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...sexual people if it was wrong, would she. Seeing how comfortable the characters of the show were with this “issue”, other people may have started reconsidering their stance. The show also did a fantastic job of teaching people things they could do within their own families to strengthen their bonds. Just because you disagree with something someone does or says does not mean that you cannot still be close. Even when major life problems occurred, such as Becky eloping at 17, the family overcame this obstacle. It took time, but they were a family and love won. This is a great show to watch and learn some family values. Many people wish their family were more like the Conner family. Roseanne was and is functional to society because although some bad things happened along the way, society had the chance to learn from the Conner’s mistakes and from their accomplishments.

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