The Media's Conflict with Class

These are presently the top ten most popular shows on television:

1. NCIS
2. Dancing with the Stars
3. The Game
4. Biggest Loser
5. American Idol
6. Grey’s Anatomy
7. Criminal Minds
8. Sons of Anarchy
9. House
10. V

(www.tvguide.com)
As I look at the various shows in the list, I see little to indicate the patterns of class misrepresentation cited by Class Dismissed and Mantsios’s essay. I am familiar with most of these television series, and I must say that socioeconomic class is not a significant focus in any of them. With shows like NCIS, Dancing with the Stars, and The Biggest Loser, I only see shows that allow people to escape from everyday life. Overall, I fail to see any confirmation that the aforementioned shows typify or cultivate the class perversions posited by Mantsios and Class Dismissed.

On the whole, this may indicate a radical shift in the ideas and goals of mass media. Instead of focusing on the opulence and excessive luxury of the upper class, I believe that television has begun to concentrate on providing escapist entertainment. No longer do the middle and working classes want to see the excesses of the upper crust, but rather the demand is for shows that take them away from the hardships of work and life in general.
The passages also indicate that working class people respond well to the reinforcement of the American Dream. More specifically, blue collar workers enjoy television shows that reinforce the idea of a meritocracy (American Idol, Biggest Loser). By subscribing to this mindset, many of the working class are led to believe in the opportunities for advancement for both them and their children. Rather than rebel against these ideas, I believe the lower classes relish the idea that the labor they put into society will someday reward them or their children. Shows such as these act as an affirmation of a meritocratic society that rewards expertise and determination.

Now, whether such a meritocratic society exists today is debatable. Such sources like Polyestra’s memoir will say otherwise. However, as I have said before, I believe the American Dream is alive and well. Moreover, I feel that shows like those in the top ten above do not indicate the media’s penchant for skewing class lines, but instead act in a manner that inspires those in the lower echelons of society to climb upwards with new effort and zeal.