Representation of Family Life in Contemporary Television Programs

(name of student)
(professor)
(course)
(date of submission)
Representation of Family Life in Contemporary Television Programs
In a report published by MSN ADDIN Mendeley Citation{4bb725d6-8efd-49fc-b0fa-04155bb9b18e} CSL_CITATION { "citationItems" : [ { "id" : "ITEM-1", "itemData" : { "author" : [ { "family" : "Mark Trumbull", "given" : "" } ], "container-title" : "Christian Science Monitor", "id" : "ITEM-1", "title" : "Poverty now comes with a color TV", "type" : "article-newspaper" }, "uris" : [ "/documents/?uuid=4bb725d6-8efd-49fc-b0fa-04155bb9b18e" ] } ], "mendeley" : { "previouslyFormattedCitation" : "(Mark Trumbull)" }, "properties" : { "noteIndex" : 0 }, "schema" : "https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json" } (Mark Trumbull), it said that even the poorest of American families owned a colored TV. In another study ADDIN Mendeley Citation{c65f8a08-da88-4fb0-803c-292efed779a1} CSL_CITATION { "citationItems" : [ { "id" : "ITEM-1", "itemData" : { "author" : [ { "family" : "The Nielsen Company", "given" : "" } ], "id" : "ITEM-1", "issued" : { "date-parts" : [ [ "2009" ] ] }, "title" : "Television Audience 2008", "type" : "report" }, "uris" : [ "/documents/?uuid=c65f8a08-da88-4fb0-803c-292efed779a1" ] } ], "mendeley" : { "previouslyFormattedCitation" : "(The Nielsen Company)" }, "properties" : { "noteIndex" : 0 }, "schema" : "https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json" } (The Nielsen Company), survey shows that the number of television owners has grown by 43% since the 1990s and that more than 50% of US homes have three or more televisions. From these statistics alone, one can already have an idea on the impact of television on the lives of Americans. It affects not only the private sphere, but also, public policy, gender roles, the family, the community and many others.
Because of its scope, many scholars have started to take interest in television and how it portrays or shapes the American society. The television is like a mirror of the American life and experiences ADDIN Mendeley Citation{fe8194fd-5c94-4a8a-a729-9b5ec7d60ae2} CSL_CITATION { "citationItems" : [ { "id" : "ITEM-1", "itemData" : { "author" : [ { "family" : "Katzman", "given" : "David M." } ], "container-title" : "American Studies", "id" : "ITEM-1", "issue" : "2", "issued" : { "date-parts" : [ [ "1998" ] ] }, "page" : "5-12", "title" : "TV and American Culture", "type" : "article-journal", "volume" : "39" }, "uris" : [ "/documents/?uuid=fe8194fd-5c94-4a8a-a729-9b5ec7d60ae2" ] } ], "mendeley" : { "previouslyFormattedCitation" : "(Katzman)" }, "properties" : { "noteIndex" : 0 }, "schema" : "https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json" } (Katzman). Television programs typically had the same values and norms which characterized the society. For example, in the 1950s, shows like I Love Lucy and Dick Van Dyke Show show closely knit families where moms were happy to stay at home to clean and took care of the family. Meanwhile, The Brady Bunch of the 1970s showed the perfect (and relatively well off) American family where disagreements were resolved before the day ended. The 1980s became more realistic with Bill of The Cosby Show who gave punished his children who misbehaved. The 1990s delved into the taboos with Roseanne, a loud-mouthed mother who had to deal with teenage kids and their innumerable problems by herself. Then came the new millennium and what we call contemporary TV programming, with its new family-oriented shows like The Family Guy, Two and a Half Men and the Desperate Housewives.
The American family as portrayed by The Family Guy
While The Family Guy is a cartoon, it is considered accurate in its portrayal of the American family ADDIN Mendeley Citation{b2c40c09-a3dd-42ca-ae9d-93e22f64ddb2} CSL_CITATION { "citationItems" : [ { "id" : "ITEM-1", "itemData" : { "URL" : "/article/54476/from_the_brady_bunch_to_family_guy_pg3.html?cat=25", "accessed" : { "date-parts" : [ [ "2011", "9", "30" ] ] }, "author" : [ { "family" : "Lindholm", "given" : "Jason" } ], "container-title" : "Associated Content from Yahoo!", "id" : "ITEM-1", "issued" : { "date-parts" : [ [ "2006" ] ] }, "title" : "From The Brady Bunch to Family Guy: The American Family on TV", "type" : "webpage" }, "uris" : [ "/documents/?uuid=b2c40c09-a3dd-42ca-ae9d-93e22f64ddb2" ] } ], "mendeley" : { "previouslyFormattedCitation" : "(Lindholm)" }, "properties" : { "noteIndex" : 0 }, "schema" : "https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json" } (Lindholm). It shows that despite the differences in socioeconomic status, all families are similar in that their children experience the same "temptations" as sex and drugs. Unlike its predecessors, The Family Guy openly talks about these issues - children ask their parents advice on sex, and the issue of drugs is no longer regarded as taboo.
The Family Guy shows that kids know more than the teenagers of the 1950s and that family concerns are becoming complex because of the diversity of opportunities opening for parents and their children. The show acknowledges that there kids are no longer just innocent children. Their exposure to society has allowed them to overcome some of its norms and in their way, impart knowledge to their peers as well as their parents. The Family Guy shows that the parents no longer have the monopoly of wisdom and that parents must not only understand this, but they must also find a...