-Thomas Jefferson
As America has moved forward as a culture, we have become increasingly adjusted to the idea presented in the Declaration of Independence that all of mankind is on equal ground. Through media studies, we observe the progression of the desensitization and normalization of our differences, and how things once controversial are now seen as being another facet of everyday life.
In the screened episode of "All In The Family", the key issue presented is homosexuality. At the time, this subject was avoided and even considered to be somewhat racey. Through the use of discriminatory terms and prejudice, homosexuality is made out to be a negative and even criticisable practice. Though the overall message of the program was to show that homosexuals are regular people that can't be stereotyped, the process in forming the message was something modern day tv shows would get sued for.
As we move forward as a culture, discrimination is becoming increasingly less common. Now we have shows like "Modern Family" in which the loving couple that serves as the protagonists are both males. Today's television shows still look for subjects that interest people in their controversy, like homosexuality in "All In The Family", but they are also much more delicate as to not offend anyone. With the normalization of our differences came the beginning of using politically correct terminology (P.C.) in refering to specific groups. Where Archie refers to homosexuals as "fags" or "fairies," modern shows would get in deep trouble for promoting prejudice over the airwaves by using derrogatory language.
Television shows search for issues that are cultually relevant at that time. At the time of All in the Family, it was homosexuality. Today, you could say that the shows with the highest ratings are losely based arond sex. In the older shows, they were mostly self censored, but in today's society, censorship is a force to be reconed with.
Every year we move closer to the society Jefferson imagined, and this progression can almost always be detected when studying popular media of that time. Whether it be the homophobic nature of the 1970's to the sexual obsession of modern day, by evaluating media, we can create an accurate sketch of American culture at that time.
In the screened episode of "All In The Family", the key issue presented is homosexuality. At the time, this subject was avoided and even considered to be somewhat racey. Through the use of discriminatory terms and prejudice, homosexuality is made out to be a negative and even criticisable practice. Though the overall message of the program was to show that homosexuals are regular people that can't be stereotyped, the process in forming the message was something modern day tv shows would get sued for.
As we move forward as a culture, discrimination is becoming increasingly less common. Now we have shows like "Modern Family" in which the loving couple that serves as the protagonists are both males. Today's television shows still look for subjects that interest people in their controversy, like homosexuality in "All In The Family", but they are also much more delicate as to not offend anyone. With the normalization of our differences came the beginning of using politically correct terminology (P.C.) in refering to specific groups. Where Archie refers to homosexuals as "fags" or "fairies," modern shows would get in deep trouble for promoting prejudice over the airwaves by using derrogatory language.
Television shows search for issues that are cultually relevant at that time. At the time of All in the Family, it was homosexuality. Today, you could say that the shows with the highest ratings are losely based arond sex. In the older shows, they were mostly self censored, but in today's society, censorship is a force to be reconed with.
Every year we move closer to the society Jefferson imagined, and this progression can almost always be detected when studying popular media of that time. Whether it be the homophobic nature of the 1970's to the sexual obsession of modern day, by evaluating media, we can create an accurate sketch of American culture at that time.
If this isn't 3 quality, then I'm unsure what 3 quality is.
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