Saturday, December 1, 2007
Obsession with $$$-- the portrayal of the rich in media
Nearly every channel on television today has at least one drama or reality show based on the so-called lives of the rich. Because there are so many of these shows, it's easy to forget that these people--the fabulously wealthy moguls or the children of the aforementioned moguls--are a minority in the world population.
Believe it or not, it's not normal to make your assistant take your kids to a children's day spa for an afternoon diversion, as seen on E!'s Kimora: Life in the Fab Lane. Challenging your childhood bully to a boxing match in your elitist private gym and then having your CEO buddy step in to save your butt, as depicted on ABC's Big Shots, is also not an available option for the average Joe. And being horrifically embarrassed because your dad picked you up at the bus stop in his new luxury Phantom, like in MTV's Run's House, is not a feeling most kids will ever experience.
All we see these characters do is perform; we never view them rolling out of bed, hair in complete disarray and eyeliner smudged all over their faces. We see them coming out of their mansions in full make-up and stilettos at 9 a.m., handing the kids off to the paid staff and heading into a jungle of high-end stores.
We never see them having a huge, realistic fallout with their spouses. We don't see their children throw Oscar-worthy tantrums in the produce section of the grocery store.
And at the end of the day, no one really wants to see other people's world's falling apart. Everyone has their own set of problems. Who wants to witness more? And who is willing to put themselves out on the airwaves during vulnerable moments?
So we media consumers never see footage--scripted or not-- of the events that led up to Kimora and Russell Simmons' divorce or what happened to suddenly (or finally) make Hulk Hogan's wife call it quits. We watched Marie Osmond fly across the Dancing with the Stars stage, and we never had a clue that her son was battling a drug problem at home.
Media has pigeon-holed shows about the rich and famous. They want the wealthy to come off as irrevocably flawless. The snippets of their lives we view via the television are edited, relatively selective portions of their days. Money won't make all their problems go away; they're still people. If anything, the "more money, more problems" mantra is most likely closer to their realities. But, evidently, the media feels this would not have much entertainment value. So until something changes, the wealthy characters portrayed in the media will be on problem-free pedestals of their own. ¶ posted by Claire at 3:57 PM •
Believe it or not, it's not normal to make your assistant take your kids to a children's day spa for an afternoon diversion, as seen on E!'s Kimora: Life in the Fab Lane. Challenging your childhood bully to a boxing match in your elitist private gym and then having your CEO buddy step in to save your butt, as depicted on ABC's Big Shots, is also not an available option for the average Joe. And being horrifically embarrassed because your dad picked you up at the bus stop in his new luxury Phantom, like in MTV's Run's House, is not a feeling most kids will ever experience.
All we see these characters do is perform; we never view them rolling out of bed, hair in complete disarray and eyeliner smudged all over their faces. We see them coming out of their mansions in full make-up and stilettos at 9 a.m., handing the kids off to the paid staff and heading into a jungle of high-end stores.
We never see them having a huge, realistic fallout with their spouses. We don't see their children throw Oscar-worthy tantrums in the produce section of the grocery store.
And at the end of the day, no one really wants to see other people's world's falling apart. Everyone has their own set of problems. Who wants to witness more? And who is willing to put themselves out on the airwaves during vulnerable moments?
So we media consumers never see footage--scripted or not-- of the events that led up to Kimora and Russell Simmons' divorce or what happened to suddenly (or finally) make Hulk Hogan's wife call it quits. We watched Marie Osmond fly across the Dancing with the Stars stage, and we never had a clue that her son was battling a drug problem at home.
Media has pigeon-holed shows about the rich and famous. They want the wealthy to come off as irrevocably flawless. The snippets of their lives we view via the television are edited, relatively selective portions of their days. Money won't make all their problems go away; they're still people. If anything, the "more money, more problems" mantra is most likely closer to their realities. But, evidently, the media feels this would not have much entertainment value. So until something changes, the wealthy characters portrayed in the media will be on problem-free pedestals of their own. ¶ posted by Claire at 3:57 PM •