Neoliberalism and Working- Class Representation in Contemporary Television
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WORKING HARD OR WORKING CLASS?: NEOLIBERALISM AND WORKING- CLASS REPRESENTATION IN CONTEMPORARY TELEVISION A Dissertation Presented to The Faculty of the Graduate School At the University of Missouri In Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in Communication By HOLLY WILLSON HOLLADAY Dr. Melissa A. Click, Dissertation Supervisor May 2015 The undersigned, appointed by the dean of the Graduate School, have examined the dissertation entitled WORKING HARD OR WORKING CLASS?: NEOLIBERALISM AND WORKING- CLASS REPRESENTATION IN CONTEMPORARY TELEVISION presented by Holly Willson Holladay, a candidate for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, and hereby certify that, in their opinion, it is worthy of acceptance. ___________________________________________________ Dr. Melissa A. Click ___________________________________________________ Dr. Jennifer Stevens Aubrey ___________________________________________________ Dr. Elizabeth Behm-Morawitz ___________________________________________________ Dr. Rebecca R. Scott iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I was twenty years old when I first decided I wanted to become an academic, even though I had no idea what that meant. Eleven years later, I am actually earning my PhD. My five years of doctorate education has been at once challenging and rewarding, and heartbreaking and heartwarming. I couldn’t have imagined how necessary an extensive support system would be. This never would have been possible without my advisor, Dr. Melissa Click. You have been my champion, my sounding board, my therapist, and my friend. I wish I could list the innumerable things you have taught me, but that would require you to read another 250 pages, so I’ll limit it to this: how to bug the hell out of someone until they agree to be in your focus group, the importance of an accountability buddy, the danger in ordering spicy Thai food, the necessity of printing contracts in blood font, the value in putting myself out there to have my ideas heard, and, most significantly, how to take care of myself during this process. I have told you a number of times that I could not imagine having a more compatible advisor, and I have such a deep love and respect for you. Thank you for everything, and I look forward to our lifetime as colleagues and friends. Thank you to my committee members – Dr. Lissa Behm-Morawitz, Dr. Jennifer Aubrey and Dr. Rebecca Scott – for the time you have put into my success. Your wisdom, guidance, and perspective have made me a stronger scholar, and you have ii encouraged me to push myself to achieve this goal. One of the smartest decisions I made was compiling a committee of such brilliant women to help see me through this process. I want to offer my sincerest thanks to my interview participants who were willing to allow me into their homes and give me their valuable time to talk about television. To the Departments of Communication and Women’s and Gender Studies at the University of Missouri – thank you for the generous financial contributions that helped make this project possible. My local support system has been instrumental to this process. Sara Trask, Amanda Edgar, Angela Gist, Kristina Wenzel, Hyunji Lee and Marlo Goldstein-Hode: for every glass of wine, research project, Chili’s lunch date, afternoon grumpy vent session, teaching idea, word of advice, and late night that has turned into early morning, I cannot thank you enough. You’ve all made me believe in myself, and have underscored the importance of a solid group of girl friends who will carry you through when nothing else will. For the women in my extended support system – Elizabeth Cawein, Danee Pye, Cassidy Thompson, Jenny Naes, and Rachel Harrison – thank you for every phone date and visit. It has helped remind me that, although this life can often be all-encompassing, being a graduate student is only a small part of who I am. My parents have always been my biggest cheerleaders and remind me constantly how proud they are of me. Mom and Dad, when I wanted to give up, knowing that you’d be able to subtly (or not-so-subtly) brag to your friends about your doctor daughter gave me the tiny push needed to carry on. I haven’t often made the difficulty of this process iii transparent, but you have always somehow been able to see through the smoke screen and give encouragement at all of the right times. I love you both so much. And finally, to my partner, best friend and one true love, Nicholas. I have words to express thanks to all the others, but words will never be enough for you. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgments ............................................................................................................... ii Abstract .............................................................................................................................. ix Chapter One: Introduction .................................................................................................. 1 Class in America ............................................................................................................ 5 Television and Our Social World ................................................................................... 7 The Domestic Sitcom ............................................................................................... 10 The Family in “Redneck” Reality ........................................................................... 12 The Television Audience ............................................................................................. 16 Understanding Working-Class Identity through Television ........................................ 19 Chapter Two: Literature Review ...................................................................................... 22 Defining Class .............................................................................................................. 23 Class and Identity Representation on Television ......................................................... 27 Neoliberalism in Contemporary Culture ...................................................................... 34 Neoliberalism: Theoretical Frame .......................................................................... 35 Neoliberalism and Television Studies ..................................................................... 38 Reality TV as Neoliberalism’s Secret Theater ........................................................ 40 Class, Gender, Race, and Rural Identity on Television ............................................... 45 Class and Gender .................................................................................................... 45 Class and Race ........................................................................................................ 51 Class and Rural Belonging ..................................................................................... 55 Neoliberalism and Identity ...................................................................................... 57 Identity and Audience Studies ..................................................................................... 60 Chapter Three: Method ..................................................................................................... 66 v Television Studies ........................................................................................................ 67 Phase 1: Social Class in Television Texts .................................................................... 69 Sample of Contemporary Television Texts .............................................................. 70 Domestic Sitcoms ............................................................................................................................ 71 “Redneck” Reality Programming .................................................................................................... 74 Data Analysis .......................................................................................................... 78 Phase 2: Television Audiences and Meanings of Social Class .................................... 80 Sampling and Recruitment Procedures ................................................................... 81 Data Collection Methods ......................................................................................... 84 Data Analysis .......................................................................................................... 86 Toward an Understanding of Social Class through Television .................................... 87 Chapter Four: Textual Analysis ........................................................................................ 89 Socioeconomic Indicators of the Working-Class ......................................................... 94 Working-Class Culture ............................................................................................... 101 Working-Class Mise-en-scene ............................................................................... 102 Working-class Arts, Leisure, and Food ................................................................. 107 Working-class Linguistics ..................................................................................... 114 Neoliberal “Rules” in Working-Class Television ...................................................... 117 Privatization of the Public ..................................................................................... 118 Individualization, Self-Improvement and the Rhetoric of “Hard Work” .............. 122 Risk