Posted: Mon May 17, 2010 5:03 am Post subject: Class Dismissed
Compose a forum post of at least two paragraphs responding to the movie "Class Dismissed" that we watched on Thursday and Friday. Please use the questions you circled on Thursday as a guide for your post.
When I think about the word “frame”, the first image that comes to my mind is a photo frame. or picture frames which are hung in the art museum. There are so many different meanings to the word "frame" and this is what I have found in the dictionary: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/frame . So… I guess the expression of “TV frames the working class” means, through what are shown in television and media, people are closely influenced to the perception of class. For instance, the role of women and men, working class, upper and middle class, dysfunctional family roles and work values, education, American dream, and much more.
In the video class was divided into three, major categories: economic (wealth), political (power to influence), and cultural class (education). Also, people can be categorized into various classes by their occupation, lifestyle, expectation, and income.
Class-consciousness is having the knowledge of understanding yourself and realizing where you are classified in a group. In the filmed, it talked about having the sense of “what happens to you happens to many other people”. And therefore, sharing common experience and fitted into some kind of a group.
I think, some characteristics of a “worst” job are working in poor condition (example: unsafe and dirty environment), getting paid less than a minimum wage, and overworking hours w/o any rest.
1) think about the word "framing" in the subtitle of the film. what are some different meanings of the word "frame"? what does it mean to say that TV frames the working class?
3)how is class variously defined in the video?
7)what is class-consciousness and how does it exert itself?
9) people of color tend to have the worst jobs. what characteristics would define a job that could be classified as one of the "worst"?
Class is absolutely taboo subject in the US. And I think it makes it even more taboo because people pretend it isn’t! I don’t think I realized how taboo it was in the USA until I was in France where it was common for people to ask me what kind of car I had. That question always made me extremely uncomfortable, which is when I realized that that question is while that question considered rude here, it isn’t in other places. I think there are many reasons class is a touchy subject here, but the examples Class Dismissed gave where the biggest. Television plays an incredibly influential role in mainstream media. The images we see on the TV are constantly based off of stereotypes and generalizations because they are made to appeal to the largest audience possible. In the beginning, TV reflected the majority of America, working class Americans but as companies started to control the shows by advertising during the episodes, TV began to reflect an ideal.
It was no longer a relatable, accessible reality, and became a lifestyle that people wished they could attain. This is why the majority of normal life shows went off the air and where replaced with unattainable…suburbia. Or, the shows that where about the working class redirected their morals. Instead of being a show that reflected a hard working, working class family it portrayed those families as stupid. They where working class because they didn’t try hard enough, or that they deserved to be in the working class. Which propels the (ridiculous) American Dream: if you work hard enough, you’ll succeed. This concept makes it seem like the class based society we live in is not as much class based…and more…intellectual ability based. Which is just false.
I'm going to use we and us in this just because I'm not sure what other pronouns to use in some cases.
I think class is a taboo subject only if it pertains to your class or a class below you. At least in my experience people have very little problem talking about the rich and their life styles. For example I find it significantly easier to talk about the rich and obnoxious BU students, than I do the man who walks around Brookline with his grocery cart picking up bottles. I think it’s a taboo subject partially because it makes us so uncomfortable. Maybe we just don’t like to think about how much we have compared to this man or maybe deep down there is a sort of superiority we feel but acknowledge that it’s not a “politically correct” feeling and awkwardly suppress it.
In terms of the media playing a role in this taboo, you don’t even have to go as far as the TV shows to find examples of their involvement. Look at any commercial that comes on and right away the need/desire to negate a class issue is apparent. Especially if it’s a car commercial or even better a minivan add. I mean there you have the perfect family in their Honda Odyssey or Dodge Grand Caravan. There, sitting in the car together is a mother and her two children or half of the soccer team. The company is not trying to sell you a car in that moment they are selling a lifestyle where class is no longer a problem and all you have to worry about is whether or not your trunk has enough space to fit all your stuff
"Frame" has two meanings for me, pertaining to this movie. One is 'to frame someone', as in to blame someone for something they didn't do; the other is 'to place in a certain context that directs the thoughts of the viewer'. I think both have possibly negative implications. The first was brought up multiple times during Class Dismissed, particularly in the segments that dealt with portrayals of the working class as generally lazy, sloppy, and uninterested in bettering themselves. Shows like Jerry Springer and aspects of shows like The King of Queens clearly sent the message that if you are lazy or otherwise flawed, you will not get ahead and, therefore, poor people have "made their beds" and thus any complains they have are invalid. Such a sentiment clearly "frames" the working class as the perpetrators, rather than the victims, of their circumstances.
The other meaning, to place in a certain context, is something TV does all the time. By taking the stereotypical "working class image" and assigning it to all kinds of people in all kinds of situations, TV can give us any impression it wants of these people, simply by showing how they react to their surroundings and situations.
Julie outlined the film's definitions of class completely, so I'll move on...
Class-consciousness also has two meanings for me. I think on one hand, it connotes self-awareness, seeing and addressing social issues, and an open conversation about our various roles in society. On the other, to be "class-conscious" can be to have an obsession with social hierarchy, and have fixed ideas about who is (or should be) ruling society and who should be at the bottom. Unfortunately, I feel that this country, as Ziz mentioned, tends to ignore the former meaning and subconsciously embrace the latter.
Having the "worst job", in my opinion, is not just working the hardest, but also getting the least recognition (monetary and/or social) for that work. I remember the day after Obama was elected, The Onion had a headline "Black man given the worst job in America". It has so far turned out be incredibly accurate. Of course, Obama is still President, no matter his difficult political situation. Most people of color who find themselves with some of the worst jobs in this country have much more to complain about; sewage workers, garbage people, janitors, slaughterhouse workers and factory workers not only work demanding jobs with long hours for often impossible wages, they get spit on by society for doing those jobs, the very jobs that hold society together. That, to me, is the definition of a terrible job, and something no one should have to devote their life to.
Joined: 24 Nov 2009 Posts: 15 Location: undisclosed, MA.
Posted: Mon May 17, 2010 7:05 am Post subject:
One time i was doing some work for a church that provided meals for the poor (to get community service) and i talked to these little kids there and they kept asking me about what kind of house i lived in and all that. I felt really bad, saying things like "yeah, my family has three cars" and the like. But they didn't care, because they were kids. One of them said they were poor, and then his mother told him not to say that, and that they were blessed (this was a church, i remind you.) That's all kind of off topic, but I think that we avoid the subject of class more when it makes it's presence felt.
About the show 'class dismissed'; i thought the message was true, but i'm not sure how big of a 'social responsibility' these sitcoms should have. Escapism is a part of sitcoms, television and a large part of art in general. I don't think they can be expected to take up arms against the important issues of our time, unless they want to. Maybe they should stop portraying the working class at all, if they're going to skirt around the subject of poverty, but i don't expect or want to see any 'serious, topical sitcoms' any time soon.
I think that in this video class was defined compleatly by occupation, this is because when the video described the working class they defined it by people who work long rigid hours foing repetitive tasks for low wages. such as janitors and people who work in factories. I found this interesting beause in class we mafde large distinctions based on were your parents come from, and how you act.
The video made it seem as though the media was afraid to make shows that depict the workingclass. While this may be true i do not think that it is the whole story. becauming a writer for telivision shows is extreamly competitive, and it is often only people with deggrees in writing and prior writing experiances. because of this the majority of thee writers for telivision programs are from wealthyer families and may not have experiance with the working class.
Class is variously defined by color, race, and who you are in the family. For instance in the movie it showed that a working class father in most shows is usually less intelligent than his children. This idea ties into the idea of the TV "framing" the working class, meaning that they make them out to be someone who they are not. Although the TV makes it seem like working class fathers are lazy bums who sit on the couch and drink beer out of the brown bottle all day, if this were true they probably wouldn't be in the working class they would probably be broke.
Class consciousness is when you knowingly categorize yourself in a class. For instance, rich people who know they're rich might act snobby not because that is who they are, but because they feel like they should act a certain way. Just as working class people (as said before) might act like they are uneducated and lazy.
As it was mentioned before the word "framing" has two definitions and both have a negative implication. I think the movie was trying to imply that the TV or the media has great influence towards our perception of the working class. The media has been a powerful force in persuading the public since its introduction and the film touched in detail only its distorting effect towards our views of the working class.
Class, as stated in the video, is divided into three categories, economic, political, and cultural. These three types were what affects our view of an individual's or family's class. Class-consciousness is how an individual acts after they understand or classify themselves into a class. Having the knowledge to know where they "belong", the individual tries to fit in into what is the norm in that class. They first classify themselves through the three categories mentioned before. The "worst" job would be one where the worker gets no benefits such as cheaper health care and get working through a minimum wage at the end of the day. The condition of the environment they work in is also one of the major things which distinguishes the "good" job from the "bad".
I totally agree with Lily that it is difficult to speak about class. I find it very difficult to think about people who have less than I do. I have some friends who do not have a lot of money and I don't like doing anything that costs money with them.
I believe that a reason that sitcoms portray people from the lower classes as being dumb and unmotivated is because it is politically expedient. The media can not just talks about the real lives of poor people or it would be depressing. The media plays an important role in the crafting the American dream. Life would be very depressing for people without this American dream (You should all read Neatherland)
I was taken back by the subject in the movie that poor people have bad taste. I identify with this feeling that poor people have less sophisticated tastes. This really challenges my thinking and made me feel like a schuck. I hope this movie will change my mind about the relationship between taste and class.
I believe that generally the media (Even though Class Dismissed solely focuses on Television) frames the working class as culpable for their own economic and social position, meaning for example that Joe the Plumber is neither as wealthy nor does he have the social status of Donald Trump because there is something wrong with Joe (whether it be poor work ethic, intelligence, bad taste, etc...) and not because Joe probably didn't have equal opportunity (comparable schools, money to afford college, etc...) ,to be as "successful" (he could've always wanted to be a plumber, so its hard for me to judge, so I am basing success off of how society views it) as Mr. Trump. Therefore the media wants us to believe that Joe could've attained the "success" or "American Dream" of that of Donald Trump but it was his choice or something inherently wrong with him that he didn't. Once the media and elite have Americans thinking that the problem is with the individual rather than the system, there is no need for welfare programs or a more progressive distribution of wealth b/c "your economic class is self-imposed and you can transcend your own personal obstacles and can gain social mobility if you want." In my opinion, the working class, often, believes in these ideas perpetrated from the media and therefore it doesn't put pressure on the elite who is in power to change the system b/c they believe that "when I am rich I don't want my money going back to those lazy stupid workers."
From the posts I have read and in my view, it is unanimous that we believe that class is a taboo subject in the U.S. What might be the reason for this? Well, because the elite & therefore the media want the subject of class to be taboo. The upper class doesn't want the working class to start talking about class because then they might realize some of the dominant ideas accepted by Americans today are wrong and than they might organize and act against the upper classes. Therefore making class a taboo subject eliminates people talking about common struggles and from acting for a more equitable system.
Posted: Mon May 17, 2010 9:25 am Post subject: question 4
I don't think Class is a Taboo as much as it is just a feared subject in the US. I think people are afraid to speak about class or personal finances because we're afraid of bad feelings. There's a connotation that comes with being in a class that makes other classes feel certain ways. Like if a rich person and a poor person start talking about how much money they have and what class they might fall under, the rich person might feel like the poor person wants money or work from the rich person. Maybe they even want to steal from them. And the poor person might feel like they are less deserving than the rich person, or somehow stupid in comparison. Many work places for example advise against speaking to co workers about paychecks or raises. American society has developed a cultural and in some cases systematic "allergy" to speaking about class so that people don't feel like they need to give.
This environment is helpful for capitalism because business owners aren't urged to give back....
I don't feel like I'm making any sense at all.
What I really meant to say is, Class is a taboo in American culture because the Rich find it uncomfortable to want to give money away. Such as when we walk by the homeless or even sometimes lie about having money.
Posted: Mon May 17, 2010 9:43 am Post subject: question 3
I don't think the video variously defined class. The upper class for example is described in a very floaty transparent way with examples like Will Smith's extended Family and the Huxtables. I think this was done on purpose however, as it is somewhat unclear who goes into what class (especially on television, where characters aren't real people with concrete "stats" that allow them to be classified.)
However, they provided three categories class is usually defined by in real life. Economic, Political, and Cultural.
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