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Effects of media on culture and society
Effects of media on culture and society
Movies with gender stereotypes
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TV shows have always played a big part of our lives. With such influence on modern society, television shows have the power to shape our culture. On television, the traditional idea of an American family has changed considerably over time. The traditions and values portrayed on the television show Modern Family reinforce a dysfunctional family by discussing issues never spoken about in our modern society and attempting to represent a modern view on the traditional American Family. However, despite their attempts, the show still accentuates stereotypes and unfairly represents our modern society. The show Modern Family criticizes the traditional family by portraying stereotypical characters in three families with children who form a large extended …show more content…
Both Jay’s family and Mitchell 's family seem to be modern and liberal, compared to the Dunphy family. Nevertheless, all of the families are full of stereotypes. In the show gender stereotypes are predominant. Women are depicted as sensitive, illogical and unintelligent. This impression is brought up in the episode “Play dates” when Phil and Claire are talking about a couple they met in Cabo. Phil describes Tom as being a hugely successful investment banker who flies his own helicopter and does a lot of charity work. As Claire began to speak about Tom’s wife Lisa, Phil cuts her off and says she’s a lucky …show more content…
There are numerous innovative aspects to these families, such as homosexual family lifestyle in the Pritchett-Tuckers with adopted Vietnamese baby and a divorced father who has a mixed marriage, with a woman that’s almost half his age. Yet, the title "Modern Family" isn 't precise. The fundamentals from each of the families help the audiences look into each family structure deeper; the show proves the title of the show is deceptive. Modern Family promotes stereotypes of women, gender, and
The differences in family values are shown in modern sitcoms. "Gilmore Girls" is a sitcom that demonstrates values of gender and children roles that are significantly different to those in 1950s. From Lorelei and Rory, they show that family organization is not always the father working, mother looking after children. Through the plot of each episode, financial, racial, other general problems such as Rory's school and relationship are actually shown and realistically too. Every family is different, different race and classes have different families. Today, we do not watch shows to copy their ways of living and we do often share the same values. Therefore this shows significant changes in family values from the 1950s sitcoms to today's sitcoms.
In the article “TV’s Callous Neglect of Working- Class America” written by Noel Murray explains the modern day TV shows un-relatable plots to Americans today. Murray describes how shows in the ‘50s through the ‘90s were relatable to Americans and how they lived their lives. The TV shows then were able to get such great reviews because the jobs the actors had in the shows were average money making jobs. The characters are meticulously when it came to how they used the money they earned. However, as the years have passed, the shows that are on today are not as relatable to Americans. The shows express the fantasy, perfect life that everyone strives to have, but in reality, it is not possible for every family. The programs on today do not convey the difficulties that average Americans face each day, causing the shows to become more and more relatable to average TV viewers.
In modern society, the average nuclear family is considered to be the mother, father, and 2.5 children. That is exactly what the Simpson’s has. Maggie has not aged one bit even though the show has been on since 1987. The average American family can be explained as the mother being the caretaker and the father as the head of the household. The mother and children are dependent on the father to provide for their family. The Simpson Family does display this but they aren’t a perfect white picket fence family. Lisa is the smartest in the family and she is only a child, she has more intelligence then her mother and father combined. “The Simpsons: Atomistic Politics and the Nuclear Family” was written by Paul A. Cantor. Cantor is the Clifton Waller Barrett Professor at the University of Virginia. He is also an American literary and media critic. Cantor is well known for his writings about popular culture. He is considered a preeminent scholar in the subject of American popular culture studies. This article fro...
The main social issue the Brady Bunch really tackled was the idea of blended families after a divorce. While the show may have focused on Carol and Mike Brady bringing their six children together, it was inspired by a statistic in The Los Angeles Times that 30% of marriages in the US at the time had a child from a previous marriage (Merritt). Mike Brady “was one of TV’s first stepfathers, and his blended family of six kids was a far cry from mom, dad, 2.5 kids and a dog” (Goudreau). Modern Family also tackles the issue of divorces and blended families but with its own twist. The family’s patriarch, Jay Pritchett, remarries despite the fact that his children from his first marriage are grown. Except instead of the family blending together seamlessly as the Bradys do, they struggle with the fact that Jay’s new wife is the same age as his own children and his new step son is the age of his grandchildren. Modern Family also showcases many other modern day issues, such as biracial couples, as Jay’s second wife is Colombian, and homosexual couples in Jay’s son, Mitchell, and his husband Cameron. Modern Family reflects many of the social movements of the current day. As feminism builds, TV moms have began “overshadowing TV dads, who [play] the part of the well-meaning idiot” (Goudreau). With the way TV explores social trends in society, “there's a family for just about everyone on TV today”
One definition is “a significant social group in society typically consisting of one or two parents and their children.” While such definition is a good starting point, some modern family structures are excluded by such definition. In her essay, “Family: Idea, Institution, and Controversy,” Betty Farrell apparently assumes that the traditional family has dramatically changed, and the dynamics of change—altered the definition of a “family.” A family is no longer a picture of a particular image of the mythic past, referring to the golden days of the “1950s.” It is no longer a father, mother and their biological children living together under one roof (and certainly not with the a breadwinner father and a stay-at-home mother). In today 's modern society, it is now common to see women raising their children by themselves without their husbands’ help; unmarried couples living together; and gay and lesbian couples—while far from being universally accepted—adopting and raising children to complete their families. Therefore, despite the children living in one-parent households, or they do not live with their “married-heterosexual-biological-parents” under the same roof—does not necessarily mean they are not families. Farrell states that “a family is defined not so much by a particular set of people as by the quality of relationships that bind them together.” In other words, Farrell believes that a “family” is more than just a collection
American families depicted in television comedy shows outwardly appear as stereotypical characters. Extreme contrasting types are used to exaggerate real life: wealthy or poor, urban or rural, and sophisticated or naïve. This is not only for entertainment value, it seems: the characteristics of these families can represent the diversity within the families across our nation. As a show develops it can reach out to the audience by touching on more realistic values. A demonstration of how a television family deals with an issue can make that family appear to be even more similar to each other and comparable to real American families as well. In this paper, the Cosby show and Rosanne will be compared.
As gender roles were enhanced, the nuclear family was birthed. This ideal family, mainly portrayed in popular culture, had a working father, homemaking mother, and children. Television shows depicting this type of household, Leave it to Beaver, and I Love Lucy, were not representative of the reality of America. Not all of Americans were white, and not all women were happy living as housewives (Boyer 101). Although most did not fit the mold
After reading the show actively, I realized that many of their family values don’t appear to be as one would expect. Paul Sr. and Paul Jr. continuously fight about features to add to a certain bike or how to go about adding them. Mikey, son of Paul Sr. and brother of Paul Jr., is always energetic and joking around. These contrasting personalities make for a great show but don’t represent your typical American family.
I never realized the impact television has had on my family until recently. My parents divorced eleven years ago, resulting in my sisters and I being raised in a single parent household. My mom decided to go back to school and get her degree; soon after she met the man she would marry and become our stepdad. Our family transformed from a nuclear family, to a single parent family to a mixed family. My mom had made a career for herself instead of being the stay at home mom like we saw in the traditional nuclear families. I was truly shocked to see how closely television shows resembles my own family. It is safe to say that television has progressed the culture of American families everywhere, even our
Throughout the evolution of television shows, one thing that is evident in them is that the families follow some sort of sociological theory. By observing these shows, it is easy to perceive what the struggles and achievements these families may experience. Specific examples of television families that display a sociological theory is: Switched at Birth showing conflict theory, Full House presenting symbolic interactionalism, and finally, The 100 which showcases feminist theory. In all of these shows, the families involved each go through their own issues with themselves and each other as well as barriers that may get in the way of their success. Analyzing families through the sociological perspectives open up opportunity for people to better
Modern Family is an American family-comedy sitcom which follows the lives of the patriarch Jay Pritchett and his family. This includes his second wife and her son, and his two children, Claire Dunphy (nee Pritchett) and Mitchell Pritchett and their significant others and children. Set in suburban Los Angeles, Modern Family depicts many different styles of parenting and demonstrates a learning experience through the usage of its characters in how to raise children and live with family. In the second episode of season: The Bicycle Thief, focuses enormously on parenting styles. Jay tries to show his stepson, Manny that he can be a good father; Phil, Claire’s husband, tries to teach their youngest child Luke a lesson about responsibility by stealing
Media plays a significant role in determining the perception students have on attending school. For instance, if the media portrays the environment in a junior high to be harsh and ruthless, the students will assume a similar situation will occur. The media can change our perception on various levels of issues therefore, we must stay vigilant on the types of programs we allow our youths to watch. From the types of clothing TV actors/actresses wear could be a factor on the type of clothes a student wears to school as well as the stereotypes placed on race and ethnicity based on what the media portrays.
Television families nowadays are usually portrayed as happy, open-minded and the typical family. They attempt to represent the lifestyle and situations that real-life families go through; however, their depictions are not always accurate. An example would be the Duncan family and the Lee family. The Duncan family plays on the children’s television show, “Good Luck Charlie”, in which it focuses on their life as they adjust to the births of their fourth and fifth children. The Duncan family consists of seven household members including the mother and father. On the other side, the Lee family is a real-life family that has an average income and consists of four household members. The Lee family can be considered a typical nuclear family. The similarities and differences of these two families can be distinguished under family roles, social interaction, and behavior.
Effective parenting is an example of how positive attitudes and interactions attribute to the future behavior of children. For example, Jay’s interactions with his sons, Manny and Joe, can be significant in socializing them and making them aware of what society values are expected so each family member can be a functional role in society. Jay and Gloria’s marriage is also another example of how family structure is diversified and the symbolic meaning of how a married couple behaves and interact. Although this is Jay and Gloria’s second marriages, they still hold positive attitudes towards the symbolism of marriage and commitment to one another. Their love is portrayed on the show as a romantic, partnership that includes trust, family, and respect. The individual within the marriage and both individuals as a couple undertake purposive actions to determine each person’s social
The television sitcom Modern Family produced by Steven Levitan and Christopher Lloyd shows the many different types of a modern American family. According to Andrew Hampp, “The show is among the most-viewed scripted programs in prime time in its second season, averaging 11 million viewers during original airings and often ranked as the most DVRed program most weeks” (2). The television show is a frequently watched show and is liked by many viewers. Modern Family's storyline helps the families of viewers by being an influential and relatable show to different types of families. The show is about the lives of three different families that are all related. In the show there are Jay and Gloria, an intergenerational couple with two sons-- Manny (from Gloria’s previous relationship) and Joe, their new baby. Jay’s adult son Cameron is married to his gay partner Mitchell, and they adopted Lily from Vietnam. Finally, Jay’s daughter Claire is married to her heterosexual partner named Phil and they have three children. The show is influential to our culture today because it shows these different types of families and addresses controversial themes such as gay adoption, the different family connections and communications, intergenerational coupling, and acceptance of diversity within an extended family. The family is easy to relate to while watching because it is based off of real family situations.