Closing Cultural Divides

Question

Nevertheless, cultural buzz is why studying television shows in English class might be unavoidable.

Books used to be one of the major ways to bind a culture together. Classic American novels, such as The Scarlet Letter, helped shed light on American culture and values. In the later half of the twentieth century, television and movies began to fill that role. TV shows like Seinfeld and Friends have come to define American culture far more than any novel has been able to do in recent years. Both sitcoms have been dubbed and translated around the world, making the characters and their lives synonymous with the American experience to people everywhere. Unless students begin to study television in school, some younger Americans may never see the TV shows that other cultures find quintessentially American.

Across the country, Americans watch different television shows. For example, the TV shows Girls and Duck Dynasty both premiered in 2009. Girls was a critical darling, producing reviews and discussions across the web. It averaged just over a million viewers per episode, most of whom lived in cities. Duck Dynasty, on the other hand, had record-breaking numbers of viewers for many episodes, largely from rural areas. Critics and reviewers ignored it. Both shows were hits in different ways, and both say something relevant about the U.S. today.

These trends in television exemplify a cultural, urban-rural divide in the U.S. According to research gathered in 2016 by The New York Times, shows like NCIS and Duck Dynasty have nearly all of their viewership in rural areas, while shows like Girls and The Daily Show have viewership in urban areas. Americans are no longer watching and discussing the same things. Teaching television shows in school can help to bridge that gap by providing a common cultural ground in the way novels once did.How has television contributed to a "gap" in America?

People are watching different television shows.

Schools will only teach certain television shows.

People don't have access to certain television shows.

Regulations prevent people from accessing some television shows.

Answer 1

Television has contributed to a "gap" in America primarily because people are watching different television shows. With the advent of diverse streaming platforms and niche programming, various shows appeal to specific demographics and geographic locations, leading to segmented audiences. For instance, urban viewers may gravitate towards critically acclaimed series like "Girls," while rural audiences might prefer reality shows like "Duck Dynasty." This segmentation results in different cultural touchpoints, creating a divide in shared experiences and discussions about popular media.

As schools tend to curate the content they teach, they may only include certain television shows that align with specific educational goals or cultural relevance, further solidifying these divides. When students are exposed to a limited selection of shows, they may not gain insight into the broader spectrum of cultural narratives that different demographics engage with, perpetuating the existing gap.

Additionally, access and regulation can also play a role, but the primary issue right now revolves around the variation in audiences' viewing experiences, which ultimately shapes how different segments of the population relate to and understand American culture.