Class Dismissed: How TV Frames the Working Class

During the early days of television, immigrants and working class characters regularly appeared in shows like The Goldbergs and Mama. However, as the 1950s progressed and the corporate elite (i.e., television advertisers) redefined the American Dream, the goal shifted from living the good life to acquiring more consumer goods. As a result, ethnic characters disappeared from the airwaves, while the real problems facing America's workers were subsumed into caricatures such as Archie Bunker. Employing numerous film clips from the 1950s to the present, this provocative documentary illustrates how American networks avoid the subject of class war or the real problems of African Americans, Asians, Hispanics, gays, or other minorities. Generally, these characters are marginalized, made to seem non-threatening, or just presented as silly in sitcoms that seem to say if everyone can't claim an equal share of the economic pie, it's the fault of working class people who are lazy, bigoted, have dysfunctional families, or lack the education and ambition to compete in the workplace. Surprisingly, commentators (including Barbara Ehrenreich, author of Nickel and Dimed) reserve their highest praise for Roseanne, which they claim presents an honest view of gender and class issues. Based on a forthcoming book by Pepi Leistyna, Class Dismissed—narrated by Ed Asner—is an obviously left-leaning documentary that will nevertheless spark lively discussion among even skeptical viewers. Recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (S. Rees)