Page 174 - A Handbook Genre Studies in Mass Media

IDEOLOGICAL APPROACH

protagonists are nearly faceless members of investigative teams who rely
on the system to uphold the law. Instead of being detectives who brave
danger to nab the crooks, the “heroes” of CSI are forensic lab specialists
who do their work in the lab. Webster University graduate student Charles
Marino points out that the titles of these programs are an indication of
this shift in emphasis. “Detective programs in the 1960s and 1970s were
named after the individual cops, such as Toma, Baretta, Kojak, and, of
course, Dirty Harry. However, contemporary shows like CSI are named
after the bureaucracy.” 54
In addition, an inter-genre approach can furnish perspective into
different dimensions of an ideology. Individual genres may focus on a
particular aspect of a broader ideology. Thus, putting these ideologies
together like a puzzle can disclose the broader ideology.

Consumer Ideology

Popular genres provide insight into aspects of consumer ideology. Game
shows test the consumer skills of the contestants (and the audience at
home). In The Price Is Right, America’s highest-rated and longest-run-
ning game show, the winner is the contestant who can most accurately
estimate the retail price of the goods on display. At the end of the pro-
gram a winner emerges, having attained the “prizes” that come from
smart shopping.
Quiz shows celebrate the value of materialism and the transformative
nature of wealth. Commenting on the outbreak of quiz shows following
the success of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, Frank Rich notes:

The new quiz shows were a phenomenon waiting to happen; they’re the
giddiest manifestations yet of a culture that offers a pornography of wealth
almost everywhere you look. . . . Further gilding the already gilded lily
are the relentless commercials on “Millionaire” for E*Trade, which not
only invites viewers to play the market but to enter a sweepstakes that
will award a million to the entrant who correctly guesses the Dow Jones
average at year’s end. 55

Music videos also contribute to the composite definition of the con-
sumer ideology. MTV Cribs is a reality show that defines success through
material acquisition. Each episode features celebrities providing personal
tours of their opulent homes, complete with movie theaters and huge

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