Something has been eating at me for a while now. It is not overtly political in nature but certainly speaks to the situation we find ourselves in currently in America.
What has been bugging me is shows such as "Undercover Boss" and "Secret Millionaire". Their existence and popularity strikes me as in indictment of the system we now live in.
For those not familiar I'll attempt to provide a synopsis of the two shows.
In each episode of "Undercover Boss" we follow the CEO of a company as they don a disguise and masquerade as a front-line worker at their company. They learn first hand the experiences of their ordinary employees, both on the job and in their personal lives. At the end having been made aware of the travails and nobility of at least some of these employees, some suitable largesse is dispensed by the CEO to these deserving folks, once the CEO's true identity is exposed of course to everyone's surprise and amazement.
Employees who couldn't afford a college education for themselves or their kids are given money to open tuition accounts; or to pay for daycare so they don't have to choose between missing work (and therefore getting paid) to care for a sick child, or leaving the sick child to others to deal with so they can go to work and put food on the table. Real tearjerker stuff.
"Secret Millionaire" follows a similar trajectory. Some person who is very well off assumes a false identity and is dropped into a not so wealthy community. They work and/or volunteer at a number of places. Again they find people struggling with limited means to still make a positive influence in their community. And again at the end of the episode they announce their true identity, the fact that they have been "very fortunate" in their own lives, and then proceed to dispense gifts to the deserving masses. The one episode I viewed the millionaire bought a vehicle for an inner city youth football league and contributed to a coffee shop that raised money for victims of abuse.
Now don't get me wrong. I'm glad some people who could stand to catch a break had the good fortune to end up on these shows and get some much needed help.
But to me these shows ultimately are not uplifting but disturbing.
Everyone feels good when some average working stiff gets a big boost from their now empathetic and newly aware boss. But nobody asks the basic question these shows raise. Why are these shows necessary in the first place?
If you are a full-time employee working a full-time job, why can't you afford day care? Why isn't daycare more available and affordable for working people? Why aren't people being paid living wages where they could save money to buy cars, or put money aside for education?
Why are so many communities and individuals struggling to get by without adequate resources? As stated above even those working full-time jobs?
What is wrong with this picture?
But none of those issues will be explored or even tacitly raised on these programs. That would interfere with the positive uplifting vibe of noble, struggling ordinary folks given a lift by the generosity of their "superior".
The other troubling aspect I find to these shows is the whole "bread and circuses" side of it. I know the idea is to entertain to get the viewing numbers and advertising dollars. But it is the implicit message the audience is receiving that bothers me.
People and communities are doing their best and doing their part, but it's not enough to get by. And somehow that is not seen as a problem. But they are saved eventually thanks to the actions of a rich benefactor, whether that be their boss or a stranger. What's that telling us? That our only salvation is to accept whatever gifts the rich and powerful have found us worthy of? That even though more wealth is being held by so many fewer people than ever before, and corporate profits are at record highs, be satisfied with your lot and maybe if you're good and lucky some boss or rich benefactor will finally see the light and shower you with the gifts you've earned?
Or at the least you can sit on the couch and vicariously thrill to some other poor working stiff or community getting helped. Sure beats working for a better economic and political system that would ensure full-time jobs available for all those willing and able to hold them, and that those jobs would provide enough to actually live on.
Call me a dreamer.
What has been bugging me is shows such as "Undercover Boss" and "Secret Millionaire". Their existence and popularity strikes me as in indictment of the system we now live in.
For those not familiar I'll attempt to provide a synopsis of the two shows.
In each episode of "Undercover Boss" we follow the CEO of a company as they don a disguise and masquerade as a front-line worker at their company. They learn first hand the experiences of their ordinary employees, both on the job and in their personal lives. At the end having been made aware of the travails and nobility of at least some of these employees, some suitable largesse is dispensed by the CEO to these deserving folks, once the CEO's true identity is exposed of course to everyone's surprise and amazement.
Employees who couldn't afford a college education for themselves or their kids are given money to open tuition accounts; or to pay for daycare so they don't have to choose between missing work (and therefore getting paid) to care for a sick child, or leaving the sick child to others to deal with so they can go to work and put food on the table. Real tearjerker stuff.
"Secret Millionaire" follows a similar trajectory. Some person who is very well off assumes a false identity and is dropped into a not so wealthy community. They work and/or volunteer at a number of places. Again they find people struggling with limited means to still make a positive influence in their community. And again at the end of the episode they announce their true identity, the fact that they have been "very fortunate" in their own lives, and then proceed to dispense gifts to the deserving masses. The one episode I viewed the millionaire bought a vehicle for an inner city youth football league and contributed to a coffee shop that raised money for victims of abuse.
Now don't get me wrong. I'm glad some people who could stand to catch a break had the good fortune to end up on these shows and get some much needed help.
But to me these shows ultimately are not uplifting but disturbing.
Everyone feels good when some average working stiff gets a big boost from their now empathetic and newly aware boss. But nobody asks the basic question these shows raise. Why are these shows necessary in the first place?
If you are a full-time employee working a full-time job, why can't you afford day care? Why isn't daycare more available and affordable for working people? Why aren't people being paid living wages where they could save money to buy cars, or put money aside for education?
Why are so many communities and individuals struggling to get by without adequate resources? As stated above even those working full-time jobs?
What is wrong with this picture?
But none of those issues will be explored or even tacitly raised on these programs. That would interfere with the positive uplifting vibe of noble, struggling ordinary folks given a lift by the generosity of their "superior".
The other troubling aspect I find to these shows is the whole "bread and circuses" side of it. I know the idea is to entertain to get the viewing numbers and advertising dollars. But it is the implicit message the audience is receiving that bothers me.
People and communities are doing their best and doing their part, but it's not enough to get by. And somehow that is not seen as a problem. But they are saved eventually thanks to the actions of a rich benefactor, whether that be their boss or a stranger. What's that telling us? That our only salvation is to accept whatever gifts the rich and powerful have found us worthy of? That even though more wealth is being held by so many fewer people than ever before, and corporate profits are at record highs, be satisfied with your lot and maybe if you're good and lucky some boss or rich benefactor will finally see the light and shower you with the gifts you've earned?
Or at the least you can sit on the couch and vicariously thrill to some other poor working stiff or community getting helped. Sure beats working for a better economic and political system that would ensure full-time jobs available for all those willing and able to hold them, and that those jobs would provide enough to actually live on.
Call me a dreamer.
RSS Feed