Popular
culture is all around us , in films, television, music, videos, books and
magazines (Martin/Nakayama 359). Popular culture is defined as the accumulated store of cultural products such as
music, art, literature, fashion, dance, film, television, and radio that are
consumed primarily by non-elite groups such as the working, lower, and middle
class (Sociology.com). I am currently watching the Grey’s Anatomy series on Netflix.
The basic blot of this story is a group of doctors who become great friends and
work at Seattle Grace Hospital. There have been many stereotypes about the
doctors but I want to focus on three patients who stood out to me and got
stereotyped.
One theme related to a patient was social
value. The episode was about two girls who ran away from their Amish community
when they were teenagers, and they arrive at the hospital to find one of them
has cervical cancer. After her Amish parents were contacted and showed up at
the hospital the girl realized where her beliefs and values were, in the Amish
community. The friend who ran away with her did not feel the same connection
with those old values and left her best friend and her family at the hospital
to never see them again. This episode showed me how much our values affect our
lives and that your values may be very different from others, causing
stereotypes. It was clear the doctors stereotyped the patient as an Amish child
who had no voice, and did not try to stand up for her against her parents.
Another stereotype I saw
was when two teenagers who were in love glued themselves together so the boy
could not move half way across the country. Everyone from the doctors to their
parents stereotyped the couple because of their age. I think this is a
stereotype that happens all the time, I see it because I am young! People older
do not believe or trust the judgment or knowledge of people in their teens or
even early twenties. I think by gluing themselves together they were showing a
form of resistance, they wanted their voices to be heard by their parents. In
reality, by gluing themselves together it probably made them look more childish
to their parents, so the resistance backfired.
The last theme or
stereotype I saw recently was a couple who were both undergoing surgeries that
would make them the opposite gender, transgender. I think today gays, lesbians
and transgender are becoming a lot more accepted in our society. In this episode
it shows the father of a women that is surgically turning into a man resisting
his daughters wishes. This dad as well as many others in society have a strong
stereotype on transgender. Many resist trying to understand what these people
have to go through and their wishes for the future. It also says in the episode
that the transgender couple met at a meeting for these type of people. In these
meetings this cultural group tries to deal with the many stereotypes that
follow them and how to approach them in public. It is very helpful for this
group that we are seeing more of this in popular culture because it is making
it more acceptable and understood.
We are consumed by popular
culture almost all day and every day. Although some people may try to resist
forms or themes of it, it consumes all of us. Through the nine seasons I have
watched of Grey’s anatomy there are always stereotypes coming up that are seen
often in all popular culture.
Here are a few of Grey’s Anatomys best Moments!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QiYtEpMKHQ
Martin, Judith N., and Thomas K. Nakayama. Intercultural Communication
in Contexts. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2007. Print.
Great post! I think you did a great job of tying legitimate plot details to cultural stereotypes. Although we do not think about it Grey's Anatomy deals with many different stereotypes and can be a very controversial show.
ReplyDeleteI think this show is unlike any other and I'm glad that you chose to write about it in this blog! There are so many scenarios that do have some stereotypes in them if you pay attention. This show is so great because it is so unique. Good post!
ReplyDeleteKate,
ReplyDeleteI like that you did this show because I personally had never seen it before. I feel that the part about the Amish girls was a good thing to talk about because no one knows what they go through except for them. We will never understand what it's like to be forced to resist pop culture. Everything is already decided for them.
Although I've never seen Grey's Anatomy I enjoyed reading about the many stereotypes surrounding the show. The one theme you depicted, social value, was intriguing to read and really makes a lot of sense. Good job! I might have to watch an episode now.
ReplyDelete