One of my favorite contemporary, family-based sitcoms, although it recently went off-air, is "Everybody Loves Raymond." After watching the 1970s hit, "All in the Family" in class last Thursday, I immediately noticed similarities and differences between the two very popular sitcoms.
One similarity I found between "Everybody Loves Raymond" and "All in the Family" is the way in which both shows use insults to get a laugh from their audience. In "Everybody Loves Raymond," the family members trade insults about each other's intelligence, cooking, way of living, and way of raising their children throughout each episode of their show. In fact, the realistic depiction of a typical sarcastic, Italian-American family is what made the show successful. Similarly, the characters in "All in the Family" continually trade insults about each other's race, way of living and appearance. "All in the Family" became notable specifically due to the daring script writing which included crude remarks and comments between its characters.
One difference I found between both TV sit-com hits was the specific words chosen to insult the characters on the show. "Everybody Loves Raymond" used words such as "idiot," "moron," "stupid" and "ugly", just to name a few. While "All in the Family" used racial slurs such as "fag", "spic", "jap" and "gook". Even though the words that "Everybody Loves Raymond" are definitely offensive, they are hardly as controversial as the words the characters in "All in the Family" used to trade insults. In other words, "Everybody Loves Raymond" playfully pokes fun at its characters, while "All in the Family" pushed the boundaries by having a discriminatory and racist script.
In my opinion, "All in the Family" dared to represent a group of Americans who are generally left out of many contemporary sit-coms today. Today, networks are concerned with being politically correct. As a result, a lot of controversial content regarding race, in particular, has been played down in family-based sitcoms. "Everybody Loves Raymond" is a perfect example of how family-based sitcoms have significantly toned down controversial content in its show. Racism is a topic that is generally left out of prime-time family based sitcoms. However, I do feel the need to mention that many dramas, particularly dramas on networks such as FX, HBO and Showtime continue to push the envelope when it comes to racism and its role in society. To be more specific, I recently began watching the hit drama "Rescue Me," on FX. "Rescue Me" addresses racism head-on during many episodes of the show and uses similar racist terms that "All in the Family" did in the 1970s. In conclusion, I think that family-based sitcoms have either tried to avoid racism in its scripts, or to tone it down. However, racial slurs and discriminatory behavior are still represented on certain networks.
Below I have attached clips of both "All in the Family" and "Everybody Loves Raymond" and how each show represents family in their scripts.
"Everybody Loves Raymond:"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2RHkpi0QYTs
"All in the Family"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dKpHtc9F9M
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Technological Change and its Large Impact on the Radio Industry
After discussing the various forces that impacted the diffusion of the radio industry in the 1920s in lecture on Wednesday, I have come to the conclusion that technological change had the largest impact on the rise and fall of the radio industry, beginning in the 1920s. Technological change created a large demand for the radio in homes all across the United States and remained a large part of society for several years until technology continued to improve, which ultimately lead to the fall of the industry.
Technological change has been a driving force behind countless industries in the United States for several years. One large theory behind technological change is the idea of cultural determinism or SST. Cultural determinism is the idea that technology and society effect each other in a two-way relationship. Technology is influenced by social necessities and by society at large. Meanwhile, society is influenced by new technologies and the effect that they have on society as a whole. This theory is contrary to the also popular theory of technological determinism. Technological determinism is the claim that there is a one way relationship between technology and society. Technology is viewed as the dominant factor and society is powerless to its influence and society.
In my opinion, the diffusion of the radio industry is largely based on the idea of cultural determinism, rather than technological determinism. In the 1920s, there was a large demand for society to receive information at a very high speed. In addition, there was a social demand for entertainment in homes. On one hand, the demand for a technology such as the radio created the rapid diffusion of the technology. On the other hand, as we saw in "Radio Days", the spread of the use of the radio deeply effected society. The radio provided a new way for families to come together. It effected the way that stay-at-home moms spent their days. The radio was constantly playing in the background of homes. It was not only a news source for families, but also a new source of entertainment by playing soap operas, musicals and dramas over the airwaves. Essentially, family members, particularly the women, were living vicariously through the stories they heard through the radio. Ultimately, however, technological change lead to the fall of the radio industry as the demand for new technologies, such as the TV and the internet, began to replace the prominent role that the radio played in homes across the US.
Technological change has been a driving force behind countless industries in the United States for several years. One large theory behind technological change is the idea of cultural determinism or SST. Cultural determinism is the idea that technology and society effect each other in a two-way relationship. Technology is influenced by social necessities and by society at large. Meanwhile, society is influenced by new technologies and the effect that they have on society as a whole. This theory is contrary to the also popular theory of technological determinism. Technological determinism is the claim that there is a one way relationship between technology and society. Technology is viewed as the dominant factor and society is powerless to its influence and society.
In my opinion, the diffusion of the radio industry is largely based on the idea of cultural determinism, rather than technological determinism. In the 1920s, there was a large demand for society to receive information at a very high speed. In addition, there was a social demand for entertainment in homes. On one hand, the demand for a technology such as the radio created the rapid diffusion of the technology. On the other hand, as we saw in "Radio Days", the spread of the use of the radio deeply effected society. The radio provided a new way for families to come together. It effected the way that stay-at-home moms spent their days. The radio was constantly playing in the background of homes. It was not only a news source for families, but also a new source of entertainment by playing soap operas, musicals and dramas over the airwaves. Essentially, family members, particularly the women, were living vicariously through the stories they heard through the radio. Ultimately, however, technological change lead to the fall of the radio industry as the demand for new technologies, such as the TV and the internet, began to replace the prominent role that the radio played in homes across the US.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Elle Magazine Takes Photo Re-Touching Too Far
After studying the idea of Social Learning in lecture last Monday, I think that the article regarding if Elle magazine lightened Gabourey Sidibe's skin on their cover helps me further understand how the images we continually see in the mass media are not reality.
Social learning is the idea that users imitate or model attitudes and behaviors observed in the mass media on a regular basis. When media viewers see continual violence, sexual behaviors and examples of stereotypical gender roles over and over again, they begin to imitate the actions they view on various levels. For example, men are continually reminded through the media that in order to be considered "manly" they must be fearless, strong and aggressive. Children who see continual violence on television shows and in movies are more likely to be violent towards other children over time. Women are constantly bombarded by images of light skinned, skinny and tall woman who are supposed to represent what a "beautiful" woman looks like. As a result, women take all sorts of measures to fit that particular image.
This week, Elle Magazine caused gigantic controversy when they put "Precious" actress, Gabourey Sidibe, on their cover. The issue was dedicated to the "Most Notable Women Under 25" and the magazine ran four different covers with four different influential actresses. Three out of the four women chosen for the covers were skinny, white actresses and were pictured from head to toe on the cover. Gabourey Sidibe, on the other hand, is a heavy set, dark skinned, African-American woman. Not only was she the only actress to not have a full body shot on the cover, the color of her skin was significantly lightened. People are outraged with Elle's decision to retouch the color of her skin. One must wonder, what was the reasoning behind the excessive retouching? This article immediately reminded me of the movie we watched in class, "Killing Us Softly 3." The woman in the film directly addressed the issue of race and women in the media. By putting the same type of woman on covers of magazines time after time, the media is sending a message that people who do not resemble that type of woman is not attractive. Elle Magazine made the decision to put a woman who does not fit the stereotypical image of beauty on their magazine cover, but instead of embracing her different look, they drastically changed the way she looks in order to make her resemble the typical image of beauty that they promote. This article definitely helped me further understand the concept of social learning by giving me a current example of how the media promotes one particular image as beautiful, and as a result, women try to change the way they naturally look.
I have attached the link to the article below.
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-31749_162-20016677-10391698.html
Social learning is the idea that users imitate or model attitudes and behaviors observed in the mass media on a regular basis. When media viewers see continual violence, sexual behaviors and examples of stereotypical gender roles over and over again, they begin to imitate the actions they view on various levels. For example, men are continually reminded through the media that in order to be considered "manly" they must be fearless, strong and aggressive. Children who see continual violence on television shows and in movies are more likely to be violent towards other children over time. Women are constantly bombarded by images of light skinned, skinny and tall woman who are supposed to represent what a "beautiful" woman looks like. As a result, women take all sorts of measures to fit that particular image.
This week, Elle Magazine caused gigantic controversy when they put "Precious" actress, Gabourey Sidibe, on their cover. The issue was dedicated to the "Most Notable Women Under 25" and the magazine ran four different covers with four different influential actresses. Three out of the four women chosen for the covers were skinny, white actresses and were pictured from head to toe on the cover. Gabourey Sidibe, on the other hand, is a heavy set, dark skinned, African-American woman. Not only was she the only actress to not have a full body shot on the cover, the color of her skin was significantly lightened. People are outraged with Elle's decision to retouch the color of her skin. One must wonder, what was the reasoning behind the excessive retouching? This article immediately reminded me of the movie we watched in class, "Killing Us Softly 3." The woman in the film directly addressed the issue of race and women in the media. By putting the same type of woman on covers of magazines time after time, the media is sending a message that people who do not resemble that type of woman is not attractive. Elle Magazine made the decision to put a woman who does not fit the stereotypical image of beauty on their magazine cover, but instead of embracing her different look, they drastically changed the way she looks in order to make her resemble the typical image of beauty that they promote. This article definitely helped me further understand the concept of social learning by giving me a current example of how the media promotes one particular image as beautiful, and as a result, women try to change the way they naturally look.
I have attached the link to the article below.
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-31749_162-20016677-10391698.html
Friday, September 10, 2010
Hegemony and the Portrayal of Women in the Media Today
After studying hegemony in lecture and the assigned texts, I can better understand the "Evolution" commercial for Dove products by realizing that the women who are plastered on billboards, star in feature films and promote different consumer products are not a realistic image for a woman in today's world.
Hegemony is the ability for a group in power of the media to stay in power and continually promote its ideology on its viewers. However, hegemony is not a one way relationship between those in power and the audience. The audience, in fact, consents to the groups ideology due to the fact that the audience is so used to hearing and seeing the ideology of the most powerful groups that the audience now considers the groups' beliefs to be common sense. The most dominant ideology is perceived as natural over the course of time. However, Hegemony is in no way permanent. Different ideologies are continually contested and changed by the ruling groups.
We learned in lecture that media is one of the most prominent tools through which hegemony is reinforced and contested. While I watched the screening of "Killing Us Softly 3" on Thursday evening, I immediately remembered a commercial I saw on youtube.com for Dove products. In the past few years, Dove has launched a campaign promoting "real" beauty. Dove's campaign clearly contests the accepted ideology of what a beautiful woman is in today's society. The woman in "Killing Us Softly 3" gave many examples of how the small percentage of women with supermodel looks are the only ones that we see in most ads. She also provided proof of how a magazine re-touched Michelle Pfiefers' looks when she was booked to be on the cover. The ad that Dove created, titled "Evolution", is a perfect example of how the women who are on billboards and magazine covers do not look the same way in real life as they do in advertisements. In fact, they look drastically different. As a result of promoting one body type and facial structure as beautiful, women in today's world are striving to be an image of something that is not real.
I believe that the commercial, attached below, is a perfect example of a big company contesting the ideology that has been reinforced for years by the media companies with the most power.
Hegemony is the ability for a group in power of the media to stay in power and continually promote its ideology on its viewers. However, hegemony is not a one way relationship between those in power and the audience. The audience, in fact, consents to the groups ideology due to the fact that the audience is so used to hearing and seeing the ideology of the most powerful groups that the audience now considers the groups' beliefs to be common sense. The most dominant ideology is perceived as natural over the course of time. However, Hegemony is in no way permanent. Different ideologies are continually contested and changed by the ruling groups.
We learned in lecture that media is one of the most prominent tools through which hegemony is reinforced and contested. While I watched the screening of "Killing Us Softly 3" on Thursday evening, I immediately remembered a commercial I saw on youtube.com for Dove products. In the past few years, Dove has launched a campaign promoting "real" beauty. Dove's campaign clearly contests the accepted ideology of what a beautiful woman is in today's society. The woman in "Killing Us Softly 3" gave many examples of how the small percentage of women with supermodel looks are the only ones that we see in most ads. She also provided proof of how a magazine re-touched Michelle Pfiefers' looks when she was booked to be on the cover. The ad that Dove created, titled "Evolution", is a perfect example of how the women who are on billboards and magazine covers do not look the same way in real life as they do in advertisements. In fact, they look drastically different. As a result of promoting one body type and facial structure as beautiful, women in today's world are striving to be an image of something that is not real.
I believe that the commercial, attached below, is a perfect example of a big company contesting the ideology that has been reinforced for years by the media companies with the most power.
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