FOX 6 Tuesday 3/30/2011 (7-9pm)
At first glance FOX 6 has a Tuesday night line-up that comes off as endearing and comical- and not to mention entertaining. Their primetime lineup kicks off with Glee (a show responsible for more Billboard Hot 100 songs than Elvis), picks up with the quirky but palatable Raising Hope, and concludes with a dramedy entitled Traffic Light. A segment of television akin to this one will always prove to be easily digestible, but a close analysis reveals the aims and goals set forth by dominant society. Through the casting, advertisements, and discourse of each program a viewer can decipher the racial hierarchy and ideals of an American patriarchal society.
Jeremy Butler states that, “A segment of televisual flow… may be though of as a televisual text- offering a multiplicity of meanings or polysemy.” This portion of broadcasting is no exception. The programs and commercials are both instilled with contradicting ideals polysemic approaches- a tactic employed by a commercial industry in an attempt to appease and appeal to the broadest possible audience base. Glee’s diegesis demonstrates an understated yet clearly defined dichotomy between teamwork and individuality, as well as heterosexual vs. homosexual relationships. High school glee club “New Directions” is preparing for show choir sectionals when club director and Spanish teacher Will Schuester (Matthew Morrison) decides to give the lead vocal parts to Quinn and Sam while Finn and Rachel are (The normal leads and co-captains) left supporting roles. From the moment this conflict is established it becomes evident that teamwork, and the advocating thereof, will become a dominant theme throughout the episode. As a result of Rachel’s selfishness and anger the choir becomes less tolerant of her as group unity seems to concurrently disintegrate. Their unifying moment comes during a performance at sectionals where they have been inspired to perform by Schuester’s pre-show “teamwork” speech. Just a few scenes prior to this moment there was a segment between Rachel and Kurt in which individuality is championed with her telling him that, “singing is personal. It’s about you.” From one end of the spectrum Glee comes across as a fairly liberal show with the incorporation of a gay male protagonist in a lead role. Alternative viewing and closer inspection reveals a relegation of Kurt’s character and subsequently a quiet repudiation of his sexual preference. Kurt’s efforts to be recognized as an individual- his suggested use of Duran Duran’s Rio and audition for sectionals- are continually denied. After his solo audition a character remarks, “it’s about being part of a team… you’ll fit in soon enough,” a utilization of dialogue that engenders a dominant Christian view of gays as an “inferior breed.” The fact that there is clear sexual tension between Kurt and another male character (expressed predominantly through character gaze) but it remains ignored while every possible heterosexual coupling is being explored helps to solidify this claim. So while homosexual characters may take on a lead role they are still function on a comparatively dismissive level.
Commercial “interruptions” are also littered with a “multiplicity of meaning.” What Butler’s quote does not bring to light however, is the prevalence of certain ideals. Throughout the two-hour segment there was a singular commercial that promoted the use of public transit. Apparently in the interest of the environment and consumer bank accounts the advert promoted city bus lines as an alternative and superlative means of transportation. Though it may be a valiant effort and a worthwhile cause the message is lost amongst auto industry giants and high production value spots. Every commercial break contains at least one add (and in most cases multiple) for new automobiles: Toyota, Ford, Jeep, Chrysler, Volkswagen, and the list goes on. The purchase, or promise of purchase, easily becomes the cardinal objective and it becomes clear that the main purpose of not only advertisements, but also the programs themselves, is the gaining of capital. Another example that remains consistent with the polysemic nature of the televisual text is the alteration between unhealthy fast food plugs and images of strikingly beautiful, slim individuals. Programming almost always includes a juxtaposition of themes and ideals to appeal to more diverse group of viewers but proclivity towards certain types of advertising remain ever-present.
Main targets of these time slots are most obviously working class Caucasians. The majority of integral relationships and characters of all three shows were occupied almost exclusively by good looking white’s while less significant parts were given to over-assimilated and often stereotyped blacks and Asians. Each show centers itself around difficult but loving relationships between a white male and female, which induces a fantasized notion of the familial nucleus and conventional Christian marriage ideals- something perpetuated by race representation and hierarchy within the advertising sphere. Taking note of diversity in these advertisements reveals quite an astounding lack of any minority group, while extremely beautiful or familial figures retain the spotlight. An overwhelming number of these commercials so blatantly dismissive of ethnic/ racial diversity seems to contradict the principal of cross-platform marketing alluded to earlier, but rather it is most likely an attempt to further cultural assimilation; it is the dominant white society’s subterfuge via free televisual entertainment.
With few exceptions this two-hour segment of television reveals itself to be one giant advertisement for the classic “American dream,” an illusory aspiration that has to be one of the biggest and most successful cultural facades to date. We are asked to find a significant other, get a home, buy a car, pay for insurance, eat out, and spend money on whatever new phone or fashion is on the market, but who is persuading us to do this? Who is the on-screen surrogate for the couch spectator? At least in this instance it appears to be patriarchal white society, spoon-feeding the public morals and ideals that are nothing but self-serving and monetarily motivated.
Fourth Wall Writing 