Page 135 - A Handbook Genre Studies in Mass Media

CHAPTER 5

a member, thus pitting the contestants against one another. The world-
view of reality shows presents a Darwinian world, characterized by the
survival of the fittest.
Identifying who populates the world of a genre can provide consider-
able insight into its ideology. For instance, relationships are a primary
focus of reality shows. Big Brother focuses on the dynamics of the house-
hold. The Osbournes and The Anna Nicole Show follow a person who
had been in the public spotlight. During the shows, the audience becomes
acquainted with the protagonists and the people they encounter.
One of the major areas of angst for adolescents is being accepted by the
“popular” set of kids at school. As Liz Gateley, the creator and executive
producer of Laguna Beach, observes, “At that age, it’s all about the alpha
clique-people trying to get into the alpha clique, how brutal it is to be in
the alpha clique.” But simply by tuning into the adolescent reality show
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Laguna Beach, audience members vicariously become members of the
most popular clique in an exclusive, privileged California community.
Another defining characteristic of the worldview of genres is the com-
position and role of gender. In romantic comedies, the predominant rela-
tionship is male/female. However, in a surprising number of genres, such
as the “buddy” action/adventure and war genres, the primary relationships
occur between two males. John Wayne, the prototypical guy-movie guy,
almost never got the girl in four decades of moviemaking.
Even if there is often a female romantic interest, in “buddy” films
like Starsky and Hutch (2004) the dominant mindset remains male. The
female remains a subordinate character, kept at a safe distance—as the
subject of locker room comments and an object of sexual conquest. Ac-
cording to film professor Chris Straayer, female audience members often
identify with powerful male protagonists, rather than the passive female
characters: “All women have to identify with men if they want to experi-
ence that vicarious rush of being a hero.” Columnist Bob Ivry observes
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that these male characters are only capable of emotional intimacy with
other males: “That ‘risk’ of appearing gay is not an idle preoccupation
of guy movies. That’s because most action heroes find it impossible to
have satisfying relationships with women. John Rambo, Harry Callahan,
John McClane—and, OK, Robocop—are simply incapable of a tender
exchange of emotions.” 28
But while acknowledging the predominance of male relationships,
media communicators are faced with a dilemma: how to present male
bonding without hitting the homophobic nerve of male audience mem-

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