That 70s Trope

When deciding on a show to use as an example of tropes I came across plenty of shows that include numerous tropes. One show that I find personally interesting and notice an obvious trope is That 70s Show. The comedy show which first aired August 23, 1998 describes six friends going through life in the 70s. Although each character is different in how they are depicted, one character that stands out to me is Jackie Burkhart.

Jackie entered the show as the youngest person in the group and in real life. Her age helped driver her character as the annoying rich girl in the show. She is depicted as the "Rich Bitch" trope meaning she is a wealthy young girl who views herself highly. Her superior attitude towards those around her affects how they view her. Jackie never fails to remind her friends how rich she is not only money wise but also socially. She uses her wealth to get what she wants and looks down on those who aren't of the same status as her. In the beginning of the show, the other characters continuously expressed how much they disliked her and never wanted her around. They persistently told her how rude she is and how she needs to change her personality in order for them or anyone to like her.

Her spoiled brat mentality affects her relationship with men because she constantly puts down guys who are not up to her standards and attempt to talk to her. In the show she is seen brutally tearing down these men and so many other characters. She feels as though her wealth will allow her to do whatever she wants with them and expects them to kneel at her feet. Jackie views her status as an excuse to be rude to men and use them in whichever way she wants.

The "Rich Bitch" trope embraces the cultural ideology that being rich also implies that you must be rude as well. It suggests that the wealth a person obtains requires them to use their power to not only get what they want but also put down others who are of lesser status than them. This trope also indicates that a rich woman is always meant to be mean and manipulative. Also that the woman is petty for no reason other than her own entertainment. It implies that by being rich, real friendships don't exist due to the amount of money you have.

Fresh Off The Boat

  The ABC tv show, Fresh Off The Boat, premiering 2015, made headlines with its authentic and comedic take of foreigners coming to America in the 1990s. The sitcom takes on an approach that isn't seen in most of our primetime television on air now. The shows comedic perspective on what it's like being a non white family migrating to the United States for the first time. By going through seven concepts that involve race, the show displays the truth of outsiders coming into a predominantly white run country.
     When discussing exclusion in terms of the show, the sitcom depicts many scenes that isolate the main characters from the white people. Eddie Yang, the oldest child in the family is excluded by his classmates at school all the time. He talks about how hip hop had become a safe haven for him when everyone else around him did not accept him.
     In the show, there are many scenes discussing how the family gets stereotyped. In one episode of the show, Eddie and his mom go to the principal's office. His mom argues to the principle that Eddie's homework is too easy and needs to be harder. This episode uses the "tiger mom" stereotype found in many asian moms when played in films or tv shows.
    Assimiliation is a big part of the show and by even watching the trailer anyone can see that the family is attempting to do just that. Throughout each episode the family, especially the dad, attempts to assimilate with the other families around him. By having a texan ranch restaurant to wanting to participate in activities he does not enjoy, the whole show uses assimilation as its main joke.
   In many of the episodes, Louis Huang, the dad, becomes the token asian friend with people around him. His white neighbors or friends use him as a reference to say they have an asian friend. The show itself does not unconsciously use the token asian as a real thing for them.
   Regarding ideology of difference, the show does not depict ideology of difference in a way that is clear and apparent.
  There is a sense of mothering that takes place in the show, because there are times the family as a whole or an individual family member will be excluded by whit people around them because they are too different.
  The show also depicts exotiscm because of the kind of pleasure some of the q=white characters get from witnessing an Asian family around them. There has been many times the family has been asking racist questions by white characters who immediately get excited and interested if their prediction  is right.

Midterm Question

5 ways The Simpsons satirizes workers/unions:

1. Workers willingly giving up dental plan for a keg satirizes how workers can seem like they're not passionate about their well-being

2. Homer thinking he's a better negotiator then Mr. Burns but ends ump trading his danish with bart's doorstopper

3. The workers are seen as violent and aggressive during their strikes by hitting police cars and beating people up who don't agree with them

4. Homer leaving a strike to get food shows don't find their rights as that important

5. The employees putting Homer as the leader even though he has no experience, shows that they lack the knowledge of electing a good fit leader

5 ways The Simpsons satirizes management/owners:

1. Mr. Burns hired goons to intimidate Homer with power in order to have him back down

2. Burns not remembering who Homer is even though Smithers list all the time he has helped Burns and the plant

3. Burns hiring an immense amount of monkeys and overworks them giving them poor working conditions just to write his novel

4. Mr. Burns tries to run the plant himself when all the workers go on strike but it proves to be a failure

5. Mr. Burns cuts everyone's power off from his frustration with the workers on strike


The episode affirms ideology of capitalism

In this episode of The Simpsons titled "Last Exist to Springfield", the scenes and characters were able to normalize and affirm the ideologies of capitalism. The episode was focused on union workers feeling like they didn't have the rights they wanted and fighting to keep them. In the show, Mr. Burns represents the powerful and rich owners who control large amounts of people. Not only does Mr. Burns own his employees but he also controls the people of the town by providing them with electricity, an important necessity. As soon as he gets frustrated, Burns is able to use his power and wealth to cut off an important need of people, by simply clicking a button. The show also affirms capitalistic ideologies when we look at Lisa's braces situation. When Lisa is in need of braces, the dentist gives her two options. One being the fancy and nice looking braces that are expensive, and the other being old, dirty, and scary looking braces that are more affordable. Due to the lack of money in her household, Lisa has to go with the more affordable braces. This option reaffirms capitalism that by spending more money, you will only get the best, and if you don't contribute to that you will only get the worst.

The episode challenges the ideology of capitalism

This episode of The Simpsons challenges and interrogates capitalism in many ways. It's big picture message states that with perseverance and determination, workers can fight against big owners and companies just by sticking together. This is shown throughout all the strikes in this episode. Homer becomes the leader of the union and he succeeds in getting the demands the workers want. He began this challenging of capitalism by denying the consumption of free beer in order to not fight for their rights. By doing so, he immediately let Burns know that he cannot buy the workers out just to stop fighting for their rights. As the strike continues, Mr.Burns gets more and more frustrated, leading him to attempt running the plant by himself. Once Burns is put into the shoes of the workers and sees how difficult it is to work at the plant, he gives up and tries a new tactic. He decides to turn off all the electricity for the town. Instead of the strikers giving up as capitalistic society would expect them to, they continue to stand their ground. Their unwillingness to budge causes Burns to realize he was in the wrong and could use his wealth and power to influence the workers.