Television Sitcoms Influence on the American Dream
The American Dream: Whose dream is it?
Images of families and friends are blasted into our homes through the television sitcom market that sells the American dream not only to Americans themselves but to other countries watching in this global market. So what are we watching and more importantly what is the message we’re receiving? Are there really families like the Brady’s next door smiling and living happily ever after in their suburban dream home or are we being deceived by a dream that doesn’t exist?
Ever since the event of television itself the theme of the American dream has been interwoven into our sitcoms reinforcing a lifestyle of individual liberty, wealth and successful relationships. The American dream was first described in James Turslow Adams’ book the Epic of America 1931 as “the dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement.” Perhaps what was intended by the sitcom market to reassure the attainment of the dream unintentionally stalled the dream for those diverse communities marginalized, either by being represented as stereotypical or not represented at all to the nightly TV audience.
A typical example of the stereotypical family is ‘The Brady Bunch’ who showed us how two separate families could come together as one caring for each other and having a home that was sparkling clean with a housekeeper to help the eternal stressed mother, Carol. Mike, the father, came home after a long day to a three course meal with his beaming wife and children gathered around the table. Was this what Americans perceived as ‘normal’?
Outside TV land, divorce was beginning to infiltrate families with children shuffling back and forth to Mum or Dad’s while arguments over finance and child support may have been the only time the two sparring spouses came together.
Then there was ‘The Cosby Show’, the first middle class African American family gaining
Images of families and friends are blasted into our homes through the television sitcom market that sells the American dream not only to Americans themselves but to other countries watching in this global market. So what are we watching and more importantly what is the message we’re receiving? Are there really families like the Brady’s next door smiling and living happily ever after in their suburban dream home or are we being deceived by a dream that doesn’t exist?
Ever since the event of television itself the theme of the American dream has been interwoven into our sitcoms reinforcing a lifestyle of individual liberty, wealth and successful relationships. The American dream was first described in James Turslow Adams’ book the Epic of America 1931 as “the dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement.” Perhaps what was intended by the sitcom market to reassure the attainment of the dream unintentionally stalled the dream for those diverse communities marginalized, either by being represented as stereotypical or not represented at all to the nightly TV audience.
A typical example of the stereotypical family is ‘The Brady Bunch’ who showed us how two separate families could come together as one caring for each other and having a home that was sparkling clean with a housekeeper to help the eternal stressed mother, Carol. Mike, the father, came home after a long day to a three course meal with his beaming wife and children gathered around the table. Was this what Americans perceived as ‘normal’?
Outside TV land, divorce was beginning to infiltrate families with children shuffling back and forth to Mum or Dad’s while arguments over finance and child support may have been the only time the two sparring spouses came together.
Then there was ‘The Cosby Show’, the first middle class African American family gaining