Page 170 - A Handbook Genre Studies in Mass Media

IDEOLOGICAL APPROACH

this TV version of the 2004 election, the field consisted of a diverse
group of candidates. Series creator R.J. Cutler explained, “We aimed to
pick a group that represents America that is as diverse as this country.
We define diversity in terms of age, gender, sexual orientation, socio-
economic background, geographical background, ideology and a number
of other things.” 51
Some of these candidates were actually well qualified to win an actual
presidential race. For instance, Keith Boykin, thirty-eight, was an author,
lecturer, gay rights activist, and president of the National Black Justice
Coalition. Boykin graduated from Dartmouth College and Harvard Law
School and worked as special assistant to the president in the Clinton
administration.
However, the latent message of the show was that, regardless of their
qualifications, none of these candidates had a realistic chance to win an
actual election for president of the United States. Thus far, the office of
president of the United States has been the exclusive province of white
males, who are either personally wealthy or have access to vast amounts
of money to finance the expensive media campaigns. In “reality,” can-
didates require a vast treasure chest of campaign donations—far more
than the contestant’s winnings—to afford to mount an effective political
campaign. And if they did manage to attract campaign donations, this
would doubtless influence the policies and programs that they would
institute once they attained office. Idealism aside, campaign contributors
expect candidates to support their special interests.
The title of genric programming can also provide clues about its
ideology. For instance, the transplantation reality series I Want to Be a
Hilton establishes the contestants as outsiders who aspire to climb the
social ladder. Although the pronoun “I” in the title refers to the fourteen
blue-collar contestants, it also applies to audience members who envy
the upper-class lifestyle of the beautiful icon. Significantly, the question
of why these contestants would want to become members of the upper
class goes unanswered. It is just taken for granted that this would be
their goal.
The title of the transplantation series The Simple Life also provides
insight into the schism between social classes. Wealthy heiresses Paris
Hilton and Nicole Ritchie leave their plush, upper-class existence and
work in a succession of blue-collar jobs, such as farmers, hotel maids, and
factory workers in a sausage-making facility. On the surface, “simple” has
a positive connotation, suggesting that these blue-collar workers lead a

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