In fact, one of my favorite shows in particular premiered its fourth season Wednesday. With all the promotions its been receiving for the creepy freak show theme this season, I couldn't wait for American Horror Story to start. We're only one episode in, but I'm excited to see where the season goes and was delighted to see such amazing portrayals of a characters whose live revolve around being a spectacle of entertainment.
Speaking of "freak show" spectacles...let's focus on a much different kind of television show that exposes eccentricities of a group of people: Here Comes Honey Boo Boo.
My assumption is you've heard of Honey Boo Boo. But if you've somehow been lucky enough not to watch this piece of pop culture in all its glory.
What you just witnessed was the introduction of Honey Boo Boo child to America and the start of her family in the pop culture spotlight. In 2012, TLC gave the Thompson/Shannon family they're own show Here Come Honey Boo Boo, which is still on the air today.
Now, I enjoy my fair share of reality television but I personally can't stand this show. Because I feel almost guilty watching it knowing the family is only receiving television time so that Americans everywhere can sit and laugh at them and judge their oddities...just like a circus freak show.
Hank Stuever of The Washington Post most notably praised the show for being real and depicting "solid-if unorthodox- family values." In some cases this may be true. I'm not an adament watcher of the program but I've heard Mama June, as she is called, is a very loving mother to her children.
Thus, I don't think the problem I have with the show is the family but rather how the family is looked down upon as "white trash", that very ugly phrase we pin on white Americans who are oddities to the dominant culture. Poor, redneck, hillbillies who are given this label and who we compare ourselves to in order to reassure we are middle class.
The Thompson/Shannon family is depicted similarly to how a lot of working class families have been portrayed in the past. First off, they have bad taste- their clothes are from WalMart and often too tight and don't match. This also applies to their food options- tuna casserole is a fine dinner dish to them. Mama June's choice of wedding attire may also be seen as "strange and tacky" seeing as she chose to marry in a hunting camo gown. Secondly, their lack of intelligence is a huge source of entertainment for viewers that want a laugh. This one is the most prominent, with mispronunciations and completely off-the-wall things they say.
Thirdly, the family members are portrayed a lot as being lazy, implying that this is why they are overweight/obese. These people aren't interested in advancing a career, physical activity, or improving intellectually. Instead, they are perfectly content with sitting around, eating and sleeping
Lastly, the family is seen as dysfunctional and thus a stark contrast for traditional values. Mama June refers to her three other children affectionately as Pumpkin, Chubbs, and Chickadee. Chickadee, who was pregnant in the first season, gave birth at the end. This story line of teen pregnancy is realistic...but plays into the stereotype that poorer white folks get pregnant young, have a bunch of hillbilly children, and stay poor because of this to collect a welfare check.
As I stated previously, my problem doesn't lie with the family on Here Comes Honey Boo Boo, but the fact they're clearly used by TLC to get ratings...it's like a car crash, viewers can't look away even if it almost hurts to watch.
I wish the show didn't focus so much on depicting this working class family as "disgusting" and "trashy" and fun to laugh at rather than relatable. Once we see a show on TV that does that, I'll be happy to tune in each week.
I really area with a lot of what you're saying. It is great that there is a working class family that has gotten to be on TV, and the mother, as I've heard has been able to do good work with the attention that they have gotten from the show.
ReplyDeleteBut the show does use the family as a means of degradation and humiliation. It takes a family that they deem as 'white class' and portrays them in a negative light and makes them the butt of the joke, which is something that we have learned about happening to marginalized groups on tv constantly. It's sad that the representation in this case is so minimal and that it's ridiculed such as this.
This show is definitely a prime example of depicting the working class. All of your examples of laziness, their tastes in food and clothing and the idea of unintelligence in the family are all ways that working class families are commonly presented in the media. I have nothing necessarily against the family, and I appreciate at how "real" they are and how they aren't afraid to be themselves. However, the show and TLC do seem to be perpetuating the stereotype for working class families by airing Here Comes Honey Boo Boo. I also was curious what your thoughts are now with all the new accusations concerning the family in the news?
ReplyDeleteExactly. The family isn't the problem, it's the way they're shown in the media. The framing used on them is that of poor, uneducated white people we can laugh at as a spectacle. Recently, the media has been targeting the mom for staying with the man who molested one of her daughters. This has only made matters worse in othering the family from middle class Americans, because "those people" have no morals and are disgusting people but the same people that say that will eat up the articles about the drama and watch the show to be entertained.
DeleteInteresting comparison between AHS and honey booboo! Your observation that the family is depicted as a 'freak show', and who conform to the stereotypes of 'white trash' was spot on. Although I've never seen the show, I can imagine that the producers 'set-up' scenarios and provide scripts to add content they know the audience will find funny. It's interesting how reality shows frame certain scenes to make the audience perceive something that might not have occurred the way it appeared.
ReplyDeleteVery true. It makes you wonder if they leave certain things out to better convey the image of uneducated, white trash they are trying to sell. There are plenty of quotes in the show that make no sense to display their lack of intelligence but not as many that convey any sort of knowledge or other positive characteristics.
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