This essay will talk about the representation of the American suburbs in cinema that reveal contemporary attitudes to the myths of the suburban utopia promoted in the 1950s, it will be looking at the racial myths, the gender myth, attack on gender roles. The essay will also look at films and TV shows that represent these myths but at the same time challenge the myths, films such as Pleasantville (1998), American beauty (1999), Blue Velvet (1986) and Happiness (1998). The television shows that address these myths are Leave it to Beaver (1957 – 1963), Father Knows Best (1954 – 1960), The Donna Reed Show (1958 – 1966), this essay will mainly discourse the film Pleasantville.
During the 1950s the American dream started to become more prominent
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The most popular programs depicting these neighbourhoods, such as Father Knows Best, Leave it to Beaver and The Donna Reed Show, had no significant black character roles. Overall, portrayals of people of color were few and far between during the early years of television programming, particularly rare was the depiction of non-white families.”
In Pleasantville the lack of diversity is prominent in the film as they are no black people in the film, which supports the fact that the myth of a suburban utopia was only aimed at middle-classed white families, it secludes non-white
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The father would be outside of the house working typically in another city while the mother would stay inside cooking, cleaning and looking after the children when they are home from school. Pleasantville is only possible through the suppression of any form of individualism and segregation of those who lean against the authoritarian power of the mayor, the beginning of the emancipation of the females citizen reminds the audiences of the sexual revolution that took place between the 1960s and the 1980s with the rise of hippie culture, drug culture and the women’s rights movements. The revolutions went against the suburban utopian myths, the rise of hippie culture saw the growth in homosexual behaviour between men and women gave them the right to be free to express their feelings. Along with the rise of homosexual behaviour, the use of drugs grew as well. Teenager were starting to experiment more with drugs, hippie culture brought about the belief that everyone should live the life and be happy and not to think about what other thought you should be. The hippie culture rejected the middle class values, they “championed free love and sexual liberation particularly for women” the rise of
This essay will discuss how national attitudes towards the working-class and the impoverished are represented in American Television. The purpose of this paper is to comprehend that television shows are not solely designed to entertain consumers but also contain a hidden agenda whose task is to protect certain ideological perspectives and therefore constant framing strategies take place. The paper will commence the analysis by discussing how males and females are represented in the television show Friday Night Lights, secondly it will look at the
Several works we have read thus far have criticized the prosperity of American suburbia. Jack Kerouac's The Dharma Bums, Philip Roth's Goodbye, Columbus, and an excerpt from Lawrence Ferlinghetti's poem "A Coney Island of the Mind" all pass judgement on the denizens of the middle-class and the materialism in which they surround themselves. However, each work does not make the same analysis, as the stories are told from different viewpoints.
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.
Sexuality in Pleasantville was no existence as the relationships between female and male were only the creation of family. Sex before marriage in the 1950 was a sin at one point the movie is viewed promoting promiscuity in Pleasantville. The duty of the family was clearly strict and sex before marriage was a no. In Pleasantville males, would work outside the home while females took care of the household chores and the children. Furthermore, teenager relationships were pure and innocent, then change was introduced by Mary Sue, who was unhappy with this dull life. What begins to develop in Pleasantville is the ideal that the colorless world is becoming to be coloured. The Introduction of color represented in Pleasantville was the pluralization of society and the freedom of self-determination of people in the future that brings meaning such as happiness and pleasure. The pluralization of Pleasantville included sex, pleasure art, books and lust. Sexuality began changes and a revolution of sex has begun with a symbolized by a striking red rose. It also made Skip introduce sex to the basketball team thus it was described as an infection and others lose their innocence. As infectious as it was it made the players unable to score perfect
In Pleasantville, people like the things the way they are. The way that is being discussed here is in which women are inferior to men. This is sexism. Sexism “refers to a system of beliefs that assert the inferiority of one sex and that justify discrimination based on gender” (Newman, 2012). The town fathers and more specifically the men try to keep their dominance over women by giving them orders. For example, Bud’s father, George Parker, tells his wife, Betty Parker, that he wants her home by 6 and wants dinner ready on time. This happens after he has a meeting with the town fathers and Mayor Big Bob at the bowling alley. During this meeting, Big Bob discussed how George didn’t receive his dinner and how Burt’s shirt got burned. He stated that the values that once made Pleasantville need to be kept and stay unchanged. The town fathers notice that something is changing about Pleasantville and that this change is unwelcomed. It is unwelcomed by men because they feel like they are the ones who are losing their power. Some even go on riots to prevent this unwanted change. At the soda fountain, there is a nude painting of Betty Parker. The uncolored individuals throw materials at it and as a result, break it. They destroy and damage the soda fountain shop. This is an action of how men try to institutionalize gender roles. By doing this, they are stating that this is wrong and women should not do this. Also uncolored
Portrayal of African Americans on television is frequently a controversial topic. Throughout its rather brief history, television, in its programming, has skewed predominantly white, (Pringozy, 2007). This was clearer in the 1950s and early 1960s, and it even remained true throughout the 1970s, when television shows with mainly all African American casts became hits, (Strausbaugh, 2006). The success of The Cosby Show in the 1980s helped to improve race relations somewhat, or at least on television, (McNeil, 1996). Still, controversy continued, and still does to this day, as to which shows present negative stereotypes of African Americans and which ones do not, (Strausbaugh, 2006). Therefore, when talking about the history of African Americans on television, it is best to begin with the show that is widely considered to be the epitome of negative stereotypes of African Americans on television: The Amos and Andy Show, (McNeil, 1996). This paper will examine the portrayal of African Americans through two shows from two generations and the impacts both shows had on Black America; The Amos and Andy Show (1928) and The Cosby Show (1984).
“Leave it to Beaver” was a popular sitcom about a traditional nuclear family played out through the perspective of an adolescent boy whose curiosity and antics often got him into trouble (TV.com). Despite the show promoting positive family values, it also inadvertently shed light on a historically dark period of time in American history. One such instance was the lack of diversity on the show. Nearly 100% of the show’s characters were white throughout the six-season, 234 episode series. In the single episode that depicted an African-American, the character was a servant, further a reflection of the times when African-Americans where predominantly seen and treated as second-class citizens (Leaveittobeaver.org). However, this 1950’s ideal serves as a reference point to what typical families looked like and how vastly different they look now.
“When the Movies Moved to the Suburbs.” The New York Times. Janet Maslin, 29 Oct. 2011.
Since its start, the television industry has been criticized for perpetuating myths and stereotypes about African-Americans through characterizations, story lines, and plots. The situation comedy has been the area that has seemed to draw the most criticism, analysis, and disapproval for stereotyping. From Sanford and Son and The Jefferson’s in the 1970s to The Cosby Show (1984) and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air in the 1990s, sitcoms featuring black casts and characters have always been controversial. However, their significance upon our American culture cannot be disregarded. During the 1950s and 1960s, 97% of the families were Caucasian. In the first five years of the 1990s, nearly 14% of the television families were African-American (Bryant 2001). These statistics obviously show the substantial impact our American culture has had on African-American television families.
For example, on the television sitcom ‘Good Times’ viewers observed a black family living in a Chicago housing project in poverty. Sitcoms of African Americans who did not live in poverty were uncommon until the 80’s. The Huxtables introduced me and everyone else to a new image of living as an African American. ‘‘The Cosby Show’’ enlightened me to a new sense of self-confidence and pride. Throughout its broadcasting years, the Huxtable family candidly crushed the stereotypical images of the African-American family.
Marlon T. Riggs’ video, Color Adjustment, offers the viewer an exciting trip though the history of television, focusing on the representation, or lack thereof, of African-Americans. A perfectly chosen combination of television producers, actors, sociologists, and cultural critics join forces to offer insight and professional opinion about the status of African-Americans in television since the inception of television itself. As Color Adjustment traces the history of television shows from Amos n’ Andy and Julia to "ghetto sitcoms" and The Cosby Show, the cast of television professionals and cultural critics discuss the impacts those representations have on both the African-American community and our society as a whole. Color Adjustment continually asks the question: "Are these images positive?" This video raises the viewer’s awareness about issues of positive images for African-Americans on television.
The early days of television held great optimism and hope for this new form of media as an avenue for African Americans to assimilate into white American culture. However, a pattern became evident, a pattern of type casting African Americans in roles which did not accurately and wholly portray the individual. A misrepresentation of African Americans became the common image on television. Variety shows initially promoted the new media as an opportunity for equal representation and communication between the races. However, a trend developed with African Americans often being “portrayed as custodians, maids, servants, clowns, or buffoons” (Crenshaw). The negative image, which was developed by these stereotypes, was perpetuated in the Amos and Andy Show. This television show began as a radio show featuring two white men
This is evident when Mrs. Parker goes to visit Mr. Johnson. Just through expressions, it's clear to the audience that they have not seen each other in years. Moreover, Pleasantville was an automobile dependent society. This reliance on a vehicle to take you from one place to another ultimately led to the mentality of gender roles. This sprung the idea that women should stay home and be housewives and the men would go off to work.
Woll, Allen L and Randall M Miller. Ethnic and Racial Images in American Film and Television: Historical Essays and Bibliography. n.d. Print.
The human species is qualified as a man and women. Categorically, gender roles relative to the identifying role are characterized as being either masculine or feminine. In the article “Becoming Members Of Society: Learning The Social Meanings Of Gender by Aaron H. Devor, says that “children begin to settle into a gender identity between the age of eighteen months and two years (Devor 387). The intricate workings of the masculine and feminine gender roles are very multifaceted and at the same time, very delicate. They are intertwined into our personalities and give us our gender identities (Devor 390). Our society is maintained by social norms that as individuals, we are consciously unaware of but knowingly understand they are necessary to get along out in the public eye which is our “generalized other” and in our inner circle of family and friends which is our “significant others” (Devor 390). Our learned behaviors signify whether our gender