Freaks And Geeks Sociology

Not many classes have topics of which students can relate to easily and can find something to help them understand the ideas better. In our class we watch the show Freaks and Geeks to help us better understand sociology. At first, I wasn’t quite sure how this show set back in the 1980s would help me understand what we were discussing in class, but it turned out to really be a valuable asset in helping the class. The show perfectly displays the themes of the self, the looking-glass self, and in and out groups which we confered about.
Lindsey is the main character of the show and she is currently struggling with understanding who she is. She constantly tries to fit in with the “freak” crowd which consists of the likes of Daniel and Kim Kelly. Lindsey wants to assimilate into their social group, but sometimes she still finds herself drawn back to her family and her old friend Millie. Right now, Lindsey is struggling with the idea of the self. We

Sam serves as the secondary protagonist of the show, and fits into the “geek” side of the cast. Sam does not fight with his identity as his older sister does, but he does grapple with his self-confidence. This eventually leads him to want to change his looks. After going to a store and being told by an employee that a jumpsuit is going to be the new trend and Sam looks fashionable in it, Sam purchases it and wears it to school. This perfectly demonstrates the concept of the looking-glass self. The looking-glass self is what we see ourselves as based upon what we think others think of us. Sam struts into school in the jumpsuit believing he looks good because the man told him he did. However, it looks terrible on him, and Sam gets made fun of for the whole day at school. Sam fell into the the salesman’s trap and paid the price for thinking too highly of himself just from a simple compliment from someone