American society has changed significantly over the decades of the last.
half-century, and as a result, so have its rules and values. For example, a.
greater number of Americans are economically better off now than they were.
around 1960. This money is also more widely dispersed among socio-economic.
classes. This means that more people are having a greater chance to achieve the.
so-called "American Dream", i.e. owning your own home, raising a family and.
being able to provide for them. More people have had the chance to go to.
college and enter the "white-collar" industry, and have a better chance of.
accumulating more wealth. Wealth leads to power. Whether it's running for.
president or putting that new pool in your backyard, wealth gives you the.
ability and the freedom to do what you want.
As things get more expensive, the ones who have the wealth are the strongest. .
The media is both influenced and influential in this belief, since they play a.
large role in the way we see things. The lifestyle of "success" isn't just one.
to strive for or emulate now, it's simply the status quo. Things aren't the way.
they were in the 1950s, when one could enter the workforce directly after high.
school and stay self-assured of being reasonably well off, capable of raising.
and providing for a family. In that sense, Stanley Aronowitz" view about the.
disappearance of the "working class culture" from the television landscape would.
appear to be true.
In his article, "Working Class In the Electronic Age", Aronowitz argues that.
the power associated with wealth has been directly linked to masculinity on.
television. In other words, the wealthy man is the one who is in charge, the.
head of the family, being the foundation for everybody else. This has partly to.
do with the traditional role of males as breadwinners. However, as our standard.
of living has gone up, more "bread" must be won to accomplish the same effect. .
It seems that there is no working-class job capable of doing this, since most of.
