Watch one of the three 1980s television episodes linked below and write 400 words on the representations of class within Roseanne, LA Law, or COPS. This post will count as two blog posts.
LA LAW, s.1, ep.1
Roseanne, s.1, ep. 1
COPS, pilot (please watch all of the parts on youtube)
The show COPS has a strong imbalance in its representations of class, in the crimes it features in the course of the pilot episode. The violence and crime that goes on is immediately, explicitly and consistently linked to membership in a lower class. COPS immediately opens with a claim to how "real" it is, in that it features actual cops investigating actual crimes and arresting and questioning actual suspects. The suspects show are all linked to lower class, in their shabby dress, and lack of fancy cars. Particularly, this is shown through all of the locations where the police investigate crimes, which are shabby, run-down, filthy and set in the out-skirts of society. The squalor is not linked to lack of socioeconomic status that was there before the drugs came into play. Rather it is explicitly linked to degradation as a consequence of engaging in drug crime, such as when the sheriff shows the room where the occupants did crack, even calling it the "crack alter", and detailing how this is typical of crack users' homes and a reason why crack use must be stopped. This ignores the possibility of drug usage and dealing going on in the lives and environments of apparently successful members of society, rather painting a picture of drugs as dealt only in back alleys by 'low-life' dealers and users, their lives reduced to a sad dependence on the drugs and money from selling them, reducing them to skeletons of their former selves. Drug dealings could be going on behind closed doors among the wealthy. They have the money to buy them, and cover up the effects of them, to get treatment and therapy for overdosing. The upper class citizens are doing this behind office doors, hiding in "plain sight" of their membership in upper class groups, but none of this is shown or even hinted at by COPS. Instead, the show goes further into preserving this dichotomy of lower class perpetrators and upper class law-abiding citizens with its representations of the sheriff. He was shown at home with his wife, enjoying a comfortable environment. He pushes his wife off the phone, but then uses it to check up on a fire crisis, and apologizes right after hanging up. This puts someone who is fundamentally against the crime and drugs as someone who is in the upper class, and enjoys that life in opposition to one that is a result of the degradation of crime.
Class is displayed in the pilot episode of Roseanne through many different facets of the Conner family’s working class lifestyle. Foremost, Roseanne works long hours at a factory and seems to get paid by the hour; even if she even takes half hour off of work it comes out of her pay check. Additionally, Roseanne is responsible for the household chores and of taking care of the children, shown in this episode by the fact that she makes all of the meals and goes on errands for the kids. Roseanne is therefore representative of the modern day working class woman, as she is expected to earn money, while also being the quintessential mother figure. Furthermore, Dan Conner portrays a working class man, as he is a construction worker who seems to have an unstable working situation. He must fight for work and is often in between jobs, as shown through the fact that in this episode he was in the running to gain a client but ended up losing the opportunity and just relaxing with his friends the whole day. Besides presenting the low paying and unstable jobs that Dan and Roseanne hold, this pilot episode of Roseanne shows the Conner’s as part of the working class through the kind of entertainment that the family engages in. What I thought to be extremely telling of their class was when Darlene hurt her finger and is told to reminisce of the demolition derby that she went to. At first, her father asks to her think about a flower—something sweet and feminine that a little girl usually enjoys—but this tactic doesn’t work; instead she gains pleasure about thinking about cars getting crushed and slammed, an event that seems of low brow taste similar to NASCAR or monster trucks. Additionally, the family dynamics in the Conner household demonstrated, to me, that they might be of lower class, considering that in the pilot episode Dan and Roseanne put more effort into discussing how they were going to earn money rather than how to rear their children; it always seems too hectic for the children to learn lesson. For example, the children always bicker with one another but when it gets out of hand, Roseanne simply tells them to “shut up” rather than sitting them down and telling them how to behave better. Additionally, when they do something bad such as D.J lying about eating the pie and Darlene barking in class, Roseanne seems to get distracted with something more pressing just in time to tell them that their actions are wrong. Because of the fact that Dan and Roseanne don’t have enough time to discipline their kids properly, I got the impression that they were of lower class.
The pilot episode of Roseanne depicts the Conner family as a working middle class family characterized by their struggles for money and family unity.
Early in the episode, Becky comments she needs canned food for a “food drive for poor people”, which Roseanne counters by asking Becky to “tell them to drive some of that over here”. Despite this implication that the Conner family lacks food due to financial difficulties, the scene cuts to the kitchen table which is covered with a tall stack of toast, fresh fruit, a newly opened box of cereal, butter, and a coffee mug, undermining this notion that the Conner family struggles to put food on the table. Shortly after, Roseanne asks Dan to cut coupons from the newspaper, suggesting that the family is money conscious and by no means lavish. Additionally, when Roseanne complains about their broken sink, the Conner’s solution is to rely on Dan instead of a professional plumber, implying that saving money is a priority. Thus, the early moments of the show characterize the Conner’s as a middle class family who are able to provide beyond the necessities of life; however, the family is most definitely not well-off, as evidenced by their frequent attempts to save money.
In terms of their working habits, the Conner’s family is depicted as a working class family whose jobs frequently conflict with their parental roles. Roseanne works eight hour shifts as a blue collar laborer at a small, local factory, suggesting she likely makes around minimum wage. Dan works as a contractor and thus, is reliant on others for contracts, meaning his wage is not guaranteed. Throughout the episode, a major source of conflict is the time restrictions placed on the parents by their jobs. For instance, Roseanne is forced to surrender an hour’s wage to attend Darlene’s teacher conference and rejects the teacher’s suggestion to spend more quality time with Darlene, citing her busy work schedule as an excuse. Both of these examples point to the notion that the parent’s careers frequently prevent them from acting as perfect parents, a struggle for the working middle class family.
The final interesting association with the middle class is the desire to escape their lifestyles. Throughout the episode, Roseanne and Dan frequently joke about abandoning their kids, subtly suggesting the children are an economic burden. Similarly, Jackie, Roseanne’s sister, discusses attending seminars that will provide her the ‘abilities’ to attain a new car, suggesting her desire to climb the class rankings. Finally, the last scene of the episode concludes with Roseanne and Dan fantasizing about their retired life on a boat, further suggesting this desire to escape a middle class lifestyle.
Overall, the pilot of Roseanne depicts the Conner family as a middle class working family that is capable of providing the basics of life; however, despite this, the family is money conscious, struggles to balance time between family and work, and exhibits underlying desires to escape the struggles of their lifestyle.
As Roseanne begins, the viewer is already presented with a pretty good idea of the class that is being depicted in the show. The opening credits in the first minute of the show rounds a dinner table, showing each main character, and giving a feel for the main setting of the show- the Conner home. From looking at the characters and the state of the house, one can assume that this family is your average, middle class family. They are overweight, sitting around a dinner table full of pre-packaged food, the walls surrounding them covered in cheap wallpaper. Darlene is eating with her hands and pushing her brother, Roseanne is yelling at her kids, but the family is laughing and happy the whole time.
Throughout the episode, the family and the parents never slow down. The house is extremely chaotic, with Roseanne solving most of the conflicts thrown her way. Whether it’s getting Becky a new backpack (after just buying one), pouring oatmeal for DJ, or making coffee for Dan, Roseanne takes care of it. While doing all of these things, however, Roseanne manages to laugh. Their lives are extremely busy, they can’t get by easily, but they make their lifestyle look enjoyable. The show appeals to the average middle class folks struggling a bit to make a living, but making the most of what they have.
A short portion of one of the first scenes shows Becky gathering cans of food from the pantry to go to poor people. “Tell ‘em to drive some of that food over here…[you can take] two cans, that’s it,” says Roseanne. This is a common scenario the middle class person can relate to. There are definitely people worse off than them that don’t have food, but they still don’t have such an abundance of resources that they can give all of their food away. Also, the sialogue used in this show is very low brow. Saying “’em” instead of “them” and, as Roseanne says later, “you can’t go no place for the rest of your life,” emphasizes that these people aren’t extremely educated, just enough to have a job that supports their family.
On the show, Roseanne has a job, not just Dan. Unlike older TV shows with stay at home moms, Roseanne is forced to work a job in a factory in order to make ends meet. She’s in the break room with multiple other women as they talk about men and their flaws. This is something that isn’t normally seen in shows that are directed toward or depict the upper class. Women helping support their family and all the while, talking negatively about men, is uncommon.
In the end of the episode, Roseanne and Dan get in a fight over who does work in the house. Roseanne gets upset with Dan for not doing any errands for her in the day, even though he didn’t really have to do any work at his real job. They fight over who helps the children more, who does the housework, and who cooks the meals. They stop talking for one second when Darlene asks for scissors, then picks right back up. Their fight is ultimately disrupted by both of them helping Darlene with a hurt finger, which they both fix easily and genuinely, using teamwork. They get in a fight over very simple things that the everyday middle class person can relate to, and when a family problem comes towards them, they calmly fix it, without hesitation. Roseanne is a great depiction of a middle class family that focuses on making ends meet, fixing their problems in simple ways, and not sweating the small things.
Also, Clooney is in this episode, so overall, Roseanne is a great show.
The introduction of Roseanne, her family, and any issue or accomplishments with her family almost served as a sort of "breath of fresh air" for viewers with similar households. After living through the era of the picture perfect nuclear family, "Roseanne" brings to life a realistic depiction of family and their values that rings true to many people living during the 1980s.
Roseanne's family fits well into the category of a working class family, in many aspects, as some qualities of the working class are that the adults work lower tier jobs for an average wage, they have enough commodities to live comfortably yet can't afford to lose any source of income, and they work for others because they do no have the means to generate income independently (e.g. startups/entrepreneurship). Roseanne Connor is shown working a blue-collar job in plastics manufacturing working with her fellow females, whereas Dan Connor is a construction worker who seems to struggle to keep a steady work flow and source of income. Both jobs combined allude to the fact that the family is able to live in a way that is free of worry of going poor, but still stressed in thinking of ways to keep that standard of living stable.
This comfortable yet economically aware sense is seen when Roseanne's daughter, Becky, is rummaging through their cabinets to find food to for the food drive held at her school. In typical Roseanne fashion, her response is a snarky "Tell them to drive some of that food over here". By her making this statement, it insinuates that she might think of the family as lower in class than they actually appear. This is harder to believe since the cabinets Becky is looking through are quite full of food and they don't seem to be struggling to put food on the table. In fact, right off the bat viewers see Roseanne's "big happy family" surrounding the dining room table enjoying laughs, good company, and plenty of food. One wouldn't be so quick to classify the family members as struggling to eat seeing as they have food in the house at all times, and Roseanne always fulfills the stereotypical duties as a wife of cooking meals for everyone.
Coupling Roseanne's "wifely duties" with her "tough as nails" exterior gives the audience a portrayal of a completely different woman than what is typically shown on family sitcoms. Although she is burdened by the duties of playing the role of a good wife and a mother, Roseanne does so in a way that almost seems to mock the nuclear families portrayed on TV in the 1950s. When her husband asks her if she is ever sorry they got married, she responds by saying "every second of my life" in a sarcastic tone. Also, after poking fun at the little work that her husband does in comparison, she says that she will "do everything else, like I always do" in a witty, almost resentful tone. These two examples are polar opposites of the nuclear wife who would never be shown complaining about her duties, and certainly not mocking how much more important she is to the family than her husband.
Overall, "Roseanne" is a TV show that truly helped bring to light how different family life changed from the 1950s to 1980s--at least what was put on camera. "Roseanne" was very relatable during its run because it showed authentic portrayals of family members who are not always perfect and oftentimes struggle to achieve certain things. The show set the tone for other family sitcoms to let the veil down and show the world what really goes on in family life, which is now especially portrayed in shows like "Modern Family".
The family in Roseanne is very clearly depicted as working class during the first five minutes through their setting, stories, and relationships with material goods. The scene opens with a family setting up for breakfast of coffee, toast, and off-brand Oaties – all modest, inexpensive, and simple foods – in a modest kitchen. When the daughter walks in and asks for food for the food drive, she is very clearly told by her mother that she can only take two cans (and she goes on to say that the food drive should deliver some extra food to their house too). This interplay suggests that the family runs on a budget and doesn’t have an extremely flexible disposable income. Later, the daughter’s bag breaks, implying that it wasn’t very high quality in the first place, probably from a multi-purpose or value store rather than a specific band name, thereby displaying the family’s income bracket. Lastly, when the sink gets clogged, Roseanne asks her husband to fix it rather than calling a plumber, which is a sign that the family takes the frugal try-to-do-it-yourself route before calling in a professional.
Throughout the rest of the episode, class is also depicted by the character’s jobs and general behavior. Roseanne and her husband both have working class jobs – he works in construction, while she works in a factory. Taking time off to go to their son’s school proves to be a hassle for both of them, as their schedules and the nature of their jobs don’t leave much flexible time for errands. And when Roseanne does try to get time off, the interplay between her and her boss (who I freaked out about when I realized it was George Clooney), the interplay between their demeanors and personalities reflects the class differences between the two of them. The boss wears a tie and slacks, pencil in hair, always on the go managing the inner workings of the factory. He speaks clearly, quickly, and concisely, with an air of a manager controlling the people below him. Even the sports metaphor that he uses elevates his status – when he speaks of a team and its important players, it’s as if he’s nodding to himself as the coach. Conversely, Roseanne, as a factory worker, appears much less authoritative and affluent, speaking slower and with a working-class Southern American drawl. The distance between these two characters is heightened when Roseanne offers up her own metaphor to explain the situation – the Quilting Bee. By mentioning an activity that is built upon using hard labor and community building to keep families warm during the winter, Roseanne clearly articulates her connection with the working class and further separates herself and her boss.
The pilot episode of Roseanne is effective in introducing audiences to the working class Conner family. In this episode, we quickly learn that this show isn’t like other comedic tv representations of a white American family. In Rosanne, the titular matriarch of the family, Roseanne is a mother of three married to Dan. They are a working class family; both parents need to work in order to pay the bills. Roseanne works at a plastics factory on the factory floor, earning an hourly wage, and Dan has a less reliable job as a carpenter. This is atypical of past American tv shows representing white families for a number of reasons: both of the parents are required to work because they are a working class family living in a working class area, a strong female lead, and a more realistic looking cast. Both parents need to work simply because the family can’t afford for Roseanne to be a full time mom (even when she does have three kids all in school, elementary through junior high). Roseanne is also atypical of most maternal figures from tv (especially 50’s and 60’s tv) in how she relates to her husband Dan. She takes a stand when she learns that Dan just hung out with friends the whole day after he failed to get a carpentry job and didn’t fix the kitchen sink. Her hands are always tied with work at the factory, housework, the kids, errands and that it’s time for Dan to start pulling his weight. She’s not afraid to confront him it, and even though Roseanne ends up cooking the dinner at the end of the episode after she and Dan dealt with an injured child, she does so because she was reminded that they’re a team (Dan redeems himself a little by attempting to fix the sink while she cooks). The Conner’s may be atypical in the canon of American comedies focused on white families, but within the diegesis of their world (and America’s 1980’s, Midwest, working class family) they are typical. The show portrays the struggles of the working class in a time of Reagonomics and economic uncertainty. Roseanne mocks early tv notions of the American nuclear family by saying joking that she visualizes having a clean house, obedient kids, and a doting husband. Her life has none of those elements. Time for housework is a luxury, the kids are all over the place, and her husband isn’t as attentive as he used to be because life happens and it’s okay.
The pilot episode of “LA Law”, introduces class as a social construct that serves as a means to end to some and an obstructive force to others who are portrayed as less privileged. The opening sequence of the series presents audiences with a customized “Litig8tr” license plate on a convertible sports car giving an understanding of the world in which the main characters live in. However, as the episode progresses it is clear that the show’s creators intended to use their characters and their socioeconomic status as a sort of satire and critique not only of social hierarchy within the United States but also in regards to the role of social hierarchy in relation to things such as justice and the justice system. The episode revolves around a number of cases but highlights a rape trial where the alleged attacker is of privilege or of higher social status while the victim is of color and of lower socioeconomic status. When Michael Kuzak is questioning his client, the defendant, before the trial the client makes it very clear that it does not matter whether or not he did commit the crime, it is all about who he knows and what his money can buy. Although he and his lawyer are of similar class, the defendant who is assumed to be born into his class barks at his lawyer, “Call Judge Thorson, he knows my father...” insinuating that he could buy his way out of this law suit. In the Leon Croner v. Celia Robinson case, the partners of the firm make it clear that profit is what is driving the law firm and that pro bono cases are not a priority. One of the managing partners exclaims, “You’ve seen those ads on television, lawyers in polyester suits soliciting for clients? Those lawyers handle $750 collection cases. McKenzie, Brackman, Chaney, and Kuzak do not handle $750 collection cases.” Although money and socioeconomic class is explicitly discussed throughout the program, the show furthers this understanding of class differentiation through inclusion and exclusion of clients and cases as well as the types of workers they allow within the firm. Those of higher socioeconomic class are illustrated as unaware or ignorant of consequences for their actions as seen not only with the clients but as well with Kuzak’s excuses for coming into court late, his confusion when held in a holding cell for his unpaid parking tickets, and especially during his later conversation with the rape victim. Despite the benefits of higher social standings based on class, “LA Law” makes the point that being of a higher class does not make you a better, more well rounded person.
The pilot of Roseanne primarily uses humor as a tool to address issues of socioeconomic class. In order to create humor around the issue of class, a lot of the conversations include self-deprecating humor surrounded around the joke of money – or lack thereof. What’s so funny about these jokes is not that they aren’t living in luxury, but that they are aware of their financial status and able to joke about it sarcastically. For example, when the son cannot find his book for school, Roseanne says “I sold it!” or when her boss tells her she will lose an hour of pay at the Plastics factory to leave early, she says “There goes my Porsche.” And when her daughter wants to donate to the canned food drive at her school, Roseanne asks if they can have some of the donations jokingly, but then seriously tells her daughter she can donate “2 cans. That is it.” But more than the content of their conversations, the Conner family in Roseanne also exhibits different behaviors of the “typical” family shown on television. While they may be Caucasian, they are not depicted as high class (as most television families are). Instead, they don’t always use proper grammar, they find humor out of inappropriate topics like body humor, when Roseanne and her husband talk to each other they jokingly talk like hillbillies at one moment, and they openly discuss money and their working class jobs. It is notable that the show follows Roseanne into her factory job in the pilot of the series to show her interactions with her fellow working class friends. In addition, while the end of the episode shows more of an argument that could take place between any couple regardless of class, Roseanne does really want what other families on TV were portrayed as. She jokes that she wants a clean house, obedient kids, and a doting husband and she makes humor out of this, but in reality, she really does want these things. But instead of doing them for herself, she displays that to achieve those goals must be a family effort with contributions from both her husband and children. While Roseanne does depict a family that is not of upper class, inherent in its jokes and storylines are still that they want those things upper class families have. While they may be aware that they cannot have them, there is still a large part of the show that displays a desire for what they cannot have rather than being content with what they do have, thus reinforcing the importance of wealth in American society in the 1980s.
The concept of class is something that may not have originally been noticed by other people in the tv show Cops. Within the first half of the show, there seemed to be a big division between the classes of the time period. It seems that in the intro of this show, most of the crimes that the show take place in lower class neighborhoods. During the television episode, the cops were in Florida in the year 1987 looking for drug lords and distributors. It seems like the crack house that they had found was in a very low class neighborhood, or at least a very low class house. The house didn’t seem to have much running electricity, it possibly had running water, but it did not even have enough beds or a toilet. The basic necessities were greatly lacking within the household, although I am not sure if this was an abandoned house the crack addicts decided to use for their drugs, or if this was legitimately the home to one or all of them. Class did not really seem like much of an issue in this show until it goes back and shows the home of the chief of the police officer in the end of the clip. The police officer seemed to be in middle to possibly middle-upper class. It was just very interesting to see that he was in his nice and safe home and relaxing with his wife after he was just working in a home that was lacking the basic necessitates for living. After the officer returned home, he was watching the news on the fire with his wife and dog. It seems like class could possibly be portrayed as the higher class you are, the less you have to worry about the real world and the dangers coming to touch you. It seemed lie the fire was not near the house and they were not worried about any of the danger as they calmly watched the news coverage unless somebody down working in the field calls the officer. He also seemed like he was not worried at all about his next meal or running water or anything, he was just living in a nice little paradise compared to the rest of the world around him. Another thing that I do agree on is what Kate’s post above that states the crack addicts and how this show portrays drug users as a very low class and those who do not use illegal substances as a higher class. Rarely on the show, if at all, when you see a drug bust is the bust in a nicer neighborhood, or a nice non-stolen car, or in a house from a family or person of a high class. Many of the crimes recorded are in the lower class neighborhoods and areas of a city with dirt, and being run down.
The show COPS has a strong imbalance in its representations of class, in the crimes it features in the course of the pilot episode. The violence and crime that goes on is immediately, explicitly and consistently linked to membership in a lower class. COPS immediately opens with a claim to how "real" it is, in that it features actual cops investigating actual crimes and arresting and questioning actual suspects. The suspects show are all linked to lower class, in their shabby dress, and lack of fancy cars. Particularly, this is shown through all of the locations where the police investigate crimes, which are shabby, run-down, filthy and set in the out-skirts of society. The squalor is not linked to lack of socioeconomic status that was there before the drugs came into play. Rather it is explicitly linked to degradation as a consequence of engaging in drug crime, such as when the sheriff shows the room where the occupants did crack, even calling it the "crack alter", and detailing how this is typical of crack users' homes and a reason why crack use must be stopped. This ignores the possibility of drug usage and dealing going on in the lives and environments of apparently successful members of society, rather painting a picture of drugs as dealt only in back alleys by 'low-life' dealers and users, their lives reduced to a sad dependence on the drugs and money from selling them, reducing them to skeletons of their former selves. Drug dealings could be going on behind closed doors among the wealthy. They have the money to buy them, and cover up the effects of them, to get treatment and therapy for overdosing. The upper class citizens are doing this behind office doors, hiding in "plain sight" of their membership in upper class groups, but none of this is shown or even hinted at by COPS. Instead, the show goes further into preserving this dichotomy of lower class perpetrators and upper class law-abiding citizens with its representations of the sheriff. He was shown at home with his wife, enjoying a comfortable environment. He pushes his wife off the phone, but then uses it to check up on a fire crisis, and apologizes right after hanging up. This puts someone who is fundamentally against the crime and drugs as someone who is in the upper class, and enjoys that life in opposition to one that is a result of the degradation of crime.
ReplyDeleteClass is displayed in the pilot episode of Roseanne through many different facets of the Conner family’s working class lifestyle. Foremost, Roseanne works long hours at a factory and seems to get paid by the hour; even if she even takes half hour off of work it comes out of her pay check. Additionally, Roseanne is responsible for the household chores and of taking care of the children, shown in this episode by the fact that she makes all of the meals and goes on errands for the kids. Roseanne is therefore representative of the modern day working class woman, as she is expected to earn money, while also being the quintessential mother figure. Furthermore, Dan Conner portrays a working class man, as he is a construction worker who seems to have an unstable working situation. He must fight for work and is often in between jobs, as shown through the fact that in this episode he was in the running to gain a client but ended up losing the opportunity and just relaxing with his friends the whole day.
ReplyDeleteBesides presenting the low paying and unstable jobs that Dan and Roseanne hold, this pilot episode of Roseanne shows the Conner’s as part of the working class through the kind of entertainment that the family engages in. What I thought to be extremely telling of their class was when Darlene hurt her finger and is told to reminisce of the demolition derby that she went to. At first, her father asks to her think about a flower—something sweet and feminine that a little girl usually enjoys—but this tactic doesn’t work; instead she gains pleasure about thinking about cars getting crushed and slammed, an event that seems of low brow taste similar to NASCAR or monster trucks.
Additionally, the family dynamics in the Conner household demonstrated, to me, that they might be of lower class, considering that in the pilot episode Dan and Roseanne put more effort into discussing how they were going to earn money rather than how to rear their children; it always seems too hectic for the children to learn lesson. For example, the children always bicker with one another but when it gets out of hand, Roseanne simply tells them to “shut up” rather than sitting them down and telling them how to behave better. Additionally, when they do something bad such as D.J lying about eating the pie and Darlene barking in class, Roseanne seems to get distracted with something more pressing just in time to tell them that their actions are wrong. Because of the fact that Dan and Roseanne don’t have enough time to discipline their kids properly, I got the impression that they were of lower class.
The pilot episode of Roseanne depicts the Conner family as a working middle class family characterized by their struggles for money and family unity.
ReplyDeleteEarly in the episode, Becky comments she needs canned food for a “food drive for poor people”, which Roseanne counters by asking Becky to “tell them to drive some of that over here”. Despite this implication that the Conner family lacks food due to financial difficulties, the scene cuts to the kitchen table which is covered with a tall stack of toast, fresh fruit, a newly opened box of cereal, butter, and a coffee mug, undermining this notion that the Conner family struggles to put food on the table. Shortly after, Roseanne asks Dan to cut coupons from the newspaper, suggesting that the family is money conscious and by no means lavish. Additionally, when Roseanne complains about their broken sink, the Conner’s solution is to rely on Dan instead of a professional plumber, implying that saving money is a priority. Thus, the early moments of the show characterize the Conner’s as a middle class family who are able to provide beyond the necessities of life; however, the family is most definitely not well-off, as evidenced by their frequent attempts to save money.
In terms of their working habits, the Conner’s family is depicted as a working class family whose jobs frequently conflict with their parental roles. Roseanne works eight hour shifts as a blue collar laborer at a small, local factory, suggesting she likely makes around minimum wage. Dan works as a contractor and thus, is reliant on others for contracts, meaning his wage is not guaranteed. Throughout the episode, a major source of conflict is the time restrictions placed on the parents by their jobs. For instance, Roseanne is forced to surrender an hour’s wage to attend Darlene’s teacher conference and rejects the teacher’s suggestion to spend more quality time with Darlene, citing her busy work schedule as an excuse. Both of these examples point to the notion that the parent’s careers frequently prevent them from acting as perfect parents, a struggle for the working middle class family.
The final interesting association with the middle class is the desire to escape their lifestyles. Throughout the episode, Roseanne and Dan frequently joke about abandoning their kids, subtly suggesting the children are an economic burden. Similarly, Jackie, Roseanne’s sister, discusses attending seminars that will provide her the ‘abilities’ to attain a new car, suggesting her desire to climb the class rankings. Finally, the last scene of the episode concludes with Roseanne and Dan fantasizing about their retired life on a boat, further suggesting this desire to escape a middle class lifestyle.
Overall, the pilot of Roseanne depicts the Conner family as a middle class working family that is capable of providing the basics of life; however, despite this, the family is money conscious, struggles to balance time between family and work, and exhibits underlying desires to escape the struggles of their lifestyle.
As Roseanne begins, the viewer is already presented with a pretty good idea of the class that is being depicted in the show. The opening credits in the first minute of the show rounds a dinner table, showing each main character, and giving a feel for the main setting of the show- the Conner home. From looking at the characters and the state of the house, one can assume that this family is your average, middle class family. They are overweight, sitting around a dinner table full of pre-packaged food, the walls surrounding them covered in cheap wallpaper. Darlene is eating with her hands and pushing her brother, Roseanne is yelling at her kids, but the family is laughing and happy the whole time.
ReplyDeleteThroughout the episode, the family and the parents never slow down. The house is extremely chaotic, with Roseanne solving most of the conflicts thrown her way. Whether it’s getting Becky a new backpack (after just buying one), pouring oatmeal for DJ, or making coffee for Dan, Roseanne takes care of it. While doing all of these things, however, Roseanne manages to laugh. Their lives are extremely busy, they can’t get by easily, but they make their lifestyle look enjoyable. The show appeals to the average middle class folks struggling a bit to make a living, but making the most of what they have.
A short portion of one of the first scenes shows Becky gathering cans of food from the pantry to go to poor people. “Tell ‘em to drive some of that food over here…[you can take] two cans, that’s it,” says Roseanne. This is a common scenario the middle class person can relate to. There are definitely people worse off than them that don’t have food, but they still don’t have such an abundance of resources that they can give all of their food away. Also, the sialogue used in this show is very low brow. Saying “’em” instead of “them” and, as Roseanne says later, “you can’t go no place for the rest of your life,” emphasizes that these people aren’t extremely educated, just enough to have a job that supports their family.
On the show, Roseanne has a job, not just Dan. Unlike older TV shows with stay at home moms, Roseanne is forced to work a job in a factory in order to make ends meet. She’s in the break room with multiple other women as they talk about men and their flaws. This is something that isn’t normally seen in shows that are directed toward or depict the upper class. Women helping support their family and all the while, talking negatively about men, is uncommon.
In the end of the episode, Roseanne and Dan get in a fight over who does work in the house. Roseanne gets upset with Dan for not doing any errands for her in the day, even though he didn’t really have to do any work at his real job. They fight over who helps the children more, who does the housework, and who cooks the meals. They stop talking for one second when Darlene asks for scissors, then picks right back up. Their fight is ultimately disrupted by both of them helping Darlene with a hurt finger, which they both fix easily and genuinely, using teamwork. They get in a fight over very simple things that the everyday middle class person can relate to, and when a family problem comes towards them, they calmly fix it, without hesitation. Roseanne is a great depiction of a middle class family that focuses on making ends meet, fixing their problems in simple ways, and not sweating the small things.
Also, Clooney is in this episode, so overall, Roseanne is a great show.
The introduction of Roseanne, her family, and any issue or accomplishments with her family almost served as a sort of "breath of fresh air" for viewers with similar households. After living through the era of the picture perfect nuclear family, "Roseanne" brings to life a realistic depiction of family and their values that rings true to many people living during the 1980s.
ReplyDeleteRoseanne's family fits well into the category of a working class family, in many aspects, as some qualities of the working class are that the adults work lower tier jobs for an average wage, they have enough commodities to live comfortably yet can't afford to lose any source of income, and they work for others because they do no have the means to generate income independently (e.g. startups/entrepreneurship). Roseanne Connor is shown working a blue-collar job in plastics manufacturing working with her fellow females, whereas Dan Connor is a construction worker who seems to struggle to keep a steady work flow and source of income. Both jobs combined allude to the fact that the family is able to live in a way that is free of worry of going poor, but still stressed in thinking of ways to keep that standard of living stable.
This comfortable yet economically aware sense is seen when Roseanne's daughter, Becky, is rummaging through their cabinets to find food to for the food drive held at her school. In typical Roseanne fashion, her response is a snarky "Tell them to drive some of that food over here". By her making this statement, it insinuates that she might think of the family as lower in class than they actually appear. This is harder to believe since the cabinets Becky is looking through are quite full of food and they don't seem to be struggling to put food on the table. In fact, right off the bat viewers see Roseanne's "big happy family" surrounding the dining room table enjoying laughs, good company, and plenty of food. One wouldn't be so quick to classify the family members as struggling to eat seeing as they have food in the house at all times, and Roseanne always fulfills the stereotypical duties as a wife of cooking meals for everyone.
Coupling Roseanne's "wifely duties" with her "tough as nails" exterior gives the audience a portrayal of a completely different woman than what is typically shown on family sitcoms. Although she is burdened by the duties of playing the role of a good wife and a mother, Roseanne does so in a way that almost seems to mock the nuclear families portrayed on TV in the 1950s. When her husband asks her if she is ever sorry they got married, she responds by saying "every second of my life" in a sarcastic tone. Also, after poking fun at the little work that her husband does in comparison, she says that she will "do everything else, like I always do" in a witty, almost resentful tone. These two examples are polar opposites of the nuclear wife who would never be shown complaining about her duties, and certainly not mocking how much more important she is to the family than her husband.
Overall, "Roseanne" is a TV show that truly helped bring to light how different family life changed from the 1950s to 1980s--at least what was put on camera. "Roseanne" was very relatable during its run because it showed authentic portrayals of family members who are not always perfect and oftentimes struggle to achieve certain things. The show set the tone for other family sitcoms to let the veil down and show the world what really goes on in family life, which is now especially portrayed in shows like "Modern Family".
The family in Roseanne is very clearly depicted as working class during the first five minutes through their setting, stories, and relationships with material goods. The scene opens with a family setting up for breakfast of coffee, toast, and off-brand Oaties – all modest, inexpensive, and simple foods – in a modest kitchen. When the daughter walks in and asks for food for the food drive, she is very clearly told by her mother that she can only take two cans (and she goes on to say that the food drive should deliver some extra food to their house too). This interplay suggests that the family runs on a budget and doesn’t have an extremely flexible disposable income. Later, the daughter’s bag breaks, implying that it wasn’t very high quality in the first place, probably from a multi-purpose or value store rather than a specific band name, thereby displaying the family’s income bracket. Lastly, when the sink gets clogged, Roseanne asks her husband to fix it rather than calling a plumber, which is a sign that the family takes the frugal try-to-do-it-yourself route before calling in a professional.
ReplyDeleteThroughout the rest of the episode, class is also depicted by the character’s jobs and general behavior. Roseanne and her husband both have working class jobs – he works in construction, while she works in a factory. Taking time off to go to their son’s school proves to be a hassle for both of them, as their schedules and the nature of their jobs don’t leave much flexible time for errands. And when Roseanne does try to get time off, the interplay between her and her boss (who I freaked out about when I realized it was George Clooney), the interplay between their demeanors and personalities reflects the class differences between the two of them. The boss wears a tie and slacks, pencil in hair, always on the go managing the inner workings of the factory. He speaks clearly, quickly, and concisely, with an air of a manager controlling the people below him. Even the sports metaphor that he uses elevates his status – when he speaks of a team and its important players, it’s as if he’s nodding to himself as the coach. Conversely, Roseanne, as a factory worker, appears much less authoritative and affluent, speaking slower and with a working-class Southern American drawl. The distance between these two characters is heightened when Roseanne offers up her own metaphor to explain the situation – the Quilting Bee. By mentioning an activity that is built upon using hard labor and community building to keep families warm during the winter, Roseanne clearly articulates her connection with the working class and further separates herself and her boss.
The pilot episode of Roseanne is effective in introducing audiences to the working class Conner family. In this episode, we quickly learn that this show isn’t like other comedic tv representations of a white American family. In Rosanne, the titular matriarch of the family, Roseanne is a mother of three married to Dan. They are a working class family; both parents need to work in order to pay the bills. Roseanne works at a plastics factory on the factory floor, earning an hourly wage, and Dan has a less reliable job as a carpenter. This is atypical of past American tv shows representing white families for a number of reasons: both of the parents are required to work because they are a working class family living in a working class area, a strong female lead, and a more realistic looking cast. Both parents need to work simply because the family can’t afford for Roseanne to be a full time mom (even when she does have three kids all in school, elementary through junior high).
ReplyDeleteRoseanne is also atypical of most maternal figures from tv (especially 50’s and 60’s tv) in how she relates to her husband Dan. She takes a stand when she learns that Dan just hung out with friends the whole day after he failed to get a carpentry job and didn’t fix the kitchen sink. Her hands are always tied with work at the factory, housework, the kids, errands and that it’s time for Dan to start pulling his weight. She’s not afraid to confront him it, and even though Roseanne ends up cooking the dinner at the end of the episode after she and Dan dealt with an injured child, she does so because she was reminded that they’re a team (Dan redeems himself a little by attempting to fix the sink while she cooks).
The Conner’s may be atypical in the canon of American comedies focused on white families, but within the diegesis of their world (and America’s 1980’s, Midwest, working class family) they are typical. The show portrays the struggles of the working class in a time of Reagonomics and economic uncertainty. Roseanne mocks early tv notions of the American nuclear family by saying joking that she visualizes having a clean house, obedient kids, and a doting husband. Her life has none of those elements. Time for housework is a luxury, the kids are all over the place, and her husband isn’t as attentive as he used to be because life happens and it’s okay.
The pilot episode of “LA Law”, introduces class as a social construct that serves as a means to end to some and an obstructive force to others who are portrayed as less privileged. The opening sequence of the series presents audiences with a customized “Litig8tr” license plate on a convertible sports car giving an understanding of the world in which the main characters live in. However, as the episode progresses it is clear that the show’s creators intended to use their characters and their socioeconomic status as a sort of satire and critique not only of social hierarchy within the United States but also in regards to the role of social hierarchy in relation to things such as justice and the justice system.
ReplyDeleteThe episode revolves around a number of cases but highlights a rape trial where the alleged attacker is of privilege or of higher social status while the victim is of color and of lower socioeconomic status. When Michael Kuzak is questioning his client, the defendant, before the trial the client makes it very clear that it does not matter whether or not he did commit the crime, it is all about who he knows and what his money can buy. Although he and his lawyer are of similar class, the defendant who is assumed to be born into his class barks at his lawyer, “Call Judge Thorson, he knows my father...” insinuating that he could buy his way out of this law suit.
In the Leon Croner v. Celia Robinson case, the partners of the firm make it clear that profit is what is driving the law firm and that pro bono cases are not a priority. One of the managing partners exclaims, “You’ve seen those ads on television, lawyers in polyester suits soliciting for clients? Those lawyers handle $750 collection cases. McKenzie, Brackman, Chaney, and Kuzak do not handle $750 collection cases.”
Although money and socioeconomic class is explicitly discussed throughout the program, the show furthers this understanding of class differentiation through inclusion and exclusion of clients and cases as well as the types of workers they allow within the firm. Those of higher socioeconomic class are illustrated as unaware or ignorant of consequences for their actions as seen not only with the clients but as well with Kuzak’s excuses for coming into court late, his confusion when held in a holding cell for his unpaid parking tickets, and especially during his later conversation with the rape victim. Despite the benefits of higher social standings based on class, “LA Law” makes the point that being of a higher class does not make you a better, more well rounded person.
The pilot of Roseanne primarily uses humor as a tool to address issues of socioeconomic class. In order to create humor around the issue of class, a lot of the conversations include self-deprecating humor surrounded around the joke of money – or lack thereof. What’s so funny about these jokes is not that they aren’t living in luxury, but that they are aware of their financial status and able to joke about it sarcastically. For example, when the son cannot find his book for school, Roseanne says “I sold it!” or when her boss tells her she will lose an hour of pay at the Plastics factory to leave early, she says “There goes my Porsche.” And when her daughter wants to donate to the canned food drive at her school, Roseanne asks if they can have some of the donations jokingly, but then seriously tells her daughter she can donate “2 cans. That is it.”
ReplyDeleteBut more than the content of their conversations, the Conner family in Roseanne also exhibits different behaviors of the “typical” family shown on television. While they may be Caucasian, they are not depicted as high class (as most television families are). Instead, they don’t always use proper grammar, they find humor out of inappropriate topics like body humor, when Roseanne and her husband talk to each other they jokingly talk like hillbillies at one moment, and they openly discuss money and their working class jobs. It is notable that the show follows Roseanne into her factory job in the pilot of the series to show her interactions with her fellow working class friends.
In addition, while the end of the episode shows more of an argument that could take place between any couple regardless of class, Roseanne does really want what other families on TV were portrayed as. She jokes that she wants a clean house, obedient kids, and a doting husband and she makes humor out of this, but in reality, she really does want these things. But instead of doing them for herself, she displays that to achieve those goals must be a family effort with contributions from both her husband and children.
While Roseanne does depict a family that is not of upper class, inherent in its jokes and storylines are still that they want those things upper class families have. While they may be aware that they cannot have them, there is still a large part of the show that displays a desire for what they cannot have rather than being content with what they do have, thus reinforcing the importance of wealth in American society in the 1980s.
The concept of class is something that may not have originally been noticed by other people in the tv show Cops. Within the first half of the show, there seemed to be a big division between the classes of the time period. It seems that in the intro of this show, most of the crimes that the show take place in lower class neighborhoods.
ReplyDeleteDuring the television episode, the cops were in Florida in the year 1987 looking for drug lords and distributors. It seems like the crack house that they had found was in a very low class neighborhood, or at least a very low class house. The house didn’t seem to have much running electricity, it possibly had running water, but it did not even have enough beds or a toilet. The basic necessities were greatly lacking within the household, although I am not sure if this was an abandoned house the crack addicts decided to use for their drugs, or if this was legitimately the home to one or all of them.
Class did not really seem like much of an issue in this show until it goes back and shows the home of the chief of the police officer in the end of the clip. The police officer seemed to be in middle to possibly middle-upper class. It was just very interesting to see that he was in his nice and safe home and relaxing with his wife after he was just working in a home that was lacking the basic necessitates for living. After the officer returned home, he was watching the news on the fire with his wife and dog. It seems like class could possibly be portrayed as the higher class you are, the less you have to worry about the real world and the dangers coming to touch you. It seemed lie the fire was not near the house and they were not worried about any of the danger as they calmly watched the news coverage unless somebody down working in the field calls the officer. He also seemed like he was not worried at all about his next meal or running water or anything, he was just living in a nice little paradise compared to the rest of the world around him.
Another thing that I do agree on is what Kate’s post above that states the crack addicts and how this show portrays drug users as a very low class and those who do not use illegal substances as a higher class. Rarely on the show, if at all, when you see a drug bust is the bust in a nicer neighborhood, or a nice non-stolen car, or in a house from a family or person of a high class. Many of the crimes recorded are in the lower class neighborhoods and areas of a city with dirt, and being run down.