Media's Portrayal of Class

What sort of class related issues should I be concerned about teaching my children?

Let’s face it; no one really likes to talk about class. It is an incredibly taboo subject here in America. We don’t like to talk about how much we make, how much our house costs, how much we spent on our family vacation, and so forth. We like to think of America as a “classless society,” where everyone is in the middle. Unfortunately, this is not the truth. We all come from different economic and cultural situations and it is important to realize this. So why is it important to teach our children about?

As a parent, it is extremely important to help your children understand class in society. Media's representation of class is often times inaccurate. Children learn many things by observation and the TV is a conduit to what they expect real life to be like. Here are three important subjects that you can talk to your children about on how class is represented by the media, espeically prime time TV:

• The working class are not represented on TV.
• There are more "prestigious and exciting" jobs shown on TV than in reality
• When the working class are shown on TV, they are misrepresented.

These 3 topics will be covered in more detail in the forthcoming paragraphs, but first, lets get some common definitions down before we go forward:

1. Class- Is based on three characteristics: Economic, which is based on income and wealth; Political, which is based on power to influence the public or others around you; and Culture, which is based on education level and lifestyle.
2. Working Class- Refers to the class in society that work in "non-glamorous" jobs, often factory and manual labor jobs, that pay relatively low wages.

The working class are not represented on TV

Even though millions of Americans are part of the working class, TV does not portray them in any manner. Instead, prime time TV focuses on upper middle to upper class individuals that live lavish lifestyles and live in amazing expense and beautiful homes. These people on TV spend ridiculous amounts of money on cars, vacations, jewelry, and other items. In reality, this depiction shown on TV is few and far between what happens in real life. If children see this expensive lifestyle on TV, there is a chance that they may believe this is reality and expect life to be full of nice toys and huge houses. Without proper education, children, when they get older and into adulthood will pursue a lifestyle that is not attainable, go into severe debt in order to buy these idealized items shown on TV and spend a long time paying off the debts. However, there are ways to let your kids know that what is on TV is not the same in real life.

1. Help your kids understand how money works and that it has to be earned, it simply doesn't come off trees.
2. Help your kids understand that not everyone lives in really nice houses and drives really nice cars and has all the toys they want. Show them that people come from all types of backgrounds live in all different sizes of houses.

There are more "prestigious and exciting" jobs shown on TV than in reality.

Lets get this straight. By prestigious and exciting jobs, I mean jobs that TV loves to glamorize. Doctors, lawyers, politicians, High level business executives, and law enforcement all fit mode. By all means, these really are excellent types of occupations that usually require a lot of education and time to attain. However, in real life, not everyone is a doctor or a lawyer and everyone doesn't need to be one either. Unfortunately, prime time TV would have you think otherwise. The first 4 jobs I mentioned are usually associated with lots of money, meaning once again that the class that is shown on TV is usually mid to upper. Children need to be educated that while these are great professions, they are not the only ones. They are also not the only jobs that are important. Teachers, engineers, scientists, and a boat load of other occupations are fun and important.

1. Help your children understand that the media only show a handful of jobs and that there are plenty of options out there. Help them look for a career that will give them fulfillment in their life, whatever that might be.
2. Go to a career fair with them and show them all of the options that are out there as they pursue on occupation.

When the working class are represented, they are misrepresented

As mentioned before, the working class are rarely shown on TV. However, when they are, they are often depicted as people who haven't made it, they just couldn't get out of the working class. The reason why? They are too lazy, dumb, and incapable to do so. Think of shows like "The Simpsons," or "Married with Children." Homer Simpson is the epitome of what an individual in the working class is like on TV. Sadly, this is not the case in real life. Many in the working class, are hard working, smart, and ambitious people. There are a variety of circumstances that go into people "moving up" through the classes, not just the sheer will to do so. For every person that makes it by working hard, there are several who are working just as hard or harder, but fail to do so. This chapter in "Class Dismissed" does a good job at analyzing how the media portrays the working class.

1. Help your children understand that in real life there are people in the working class who are hard working, ambitious, and smart.
2. Take your children to a factory or other site where manual labor is required if possible. This will allow them to see people in the working class working hard at their profession.

In summary, class is a touchy subject, however, it needs to be discussed so children can have a real idea of how class works and not fall subject to the stereotypes media portray on TV. Be creative, help your kids understand that there is more to life than what is depicted on TV.