The three comparison exercises which compared white women to women of color, man and woman, and a straight character and an LGBT character in a cultural text helped me to draw some very interesting conclusions based on the media that I consume. The Fresh Prince of Bel Air was an interesting text to draw from because it isn’t the “typical” formula of family based shows. This show is based on an upper-middle class African American family, whereas most shows in this genre are based on white families.
My first conclusion came from the comparison of white women to women of color. This was difficult because the show does not have a primary character that is white. So I decided to draw from other female characters in shows of the same genre. My conclusion was that Aunt Vivian acts the same as all other middle aged female characters in this type of situation drama. She was living her life like anyone else. This may however be due to the pluralist theory. This is where blacks are shown in a black world but live the same lifestyles as white characters. There are only minor differences of habit and perspective. The perspective of the plot still comes from a white, middle class which makes sense with the dominant ideology. It does not raise the issues of dealing with social struggles.
Another conclusion I drew from the comparison of men and women is that men are typically treated with more respect and allowed to goof off. In the Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Will gets respect from his peers and his family, but he is still used as a funny characters. Uncle Phil is the same way. He is a respected lawyer but still adds a comedic touch. The same goes for Carlton. Carlton is a very polished and well-respected student, but he does his “Carlton Dance” On the other hand, the women of the family are either used one way or the other. Hillary is a funny character who people laugh at and doesn’t really bring anything other and that to the table. And Vivian is always a serious character.
My final conclusion comes for the caparison of a straight character to an LGBT character. The Fresh Prince of Bel Air does not have an openly LGBT character but Carlton does exhibit some characteristics that could be thought of as gay. Television has made it ok to give straight characters stereotypical gay characteristics in order to get the desired result from the audience.
Shelly Oberstein
December 4, 2007 at 4:38 am
I totally agree with Shelly, especially the ideologies of masculinity in the show and the fact that Will and Carlton are completey goofy characters but still have a serious side to them and recieves respect from other characters and the audience. Shelly makes a good point when she says that Hillary is also a goofy character but no body including the audience takes her seriously and thus does not recieve respect from anyone. As for Carlton, his “gay” dance could be a sign of “gay winking”?
December 4, 2007 at 2:38 pm
[...] Question 8By shellyobersteinThe three comparison exercises which compared white women to women of color, man and woman, and a straight character and an LGBT character in a cultural text helped me to draw some very interesting conclusions based on the media that I …The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air – http://com489group8.wordpress.com [...]