Social Conflict Theory: The Underlying Themes Of Shark Tank

From day one, middle-class merits are expected to do great things; they are expected to excel in school and sports, Brooks contends (194). He furthers this by saying that the activities that the middle-class participates in become the “bricks” of their identities (195). Brooks argues that character is not created in youth and just retained throughout life, but is built up gradually and people must struggle to maintain and improve throughout their lives (195). He moves his argument forward by talking about how society will reward these meritocrats (195, 196). Brooks believes that society is constantly praising these kids, and that this praise pushes them towards the realization that their success means nothing, unless they give back to society (196). He uses the example of a baseball player enjoying trips to clinics to share stories with the younger kids there (196). Brooks then moves into discussing the choices meritocrats must make later in life; he insists that some people can choose to be made famous because of looks or money (196). He says the other side of this, is to choose an opportunity more worthy of your time and others’ praise

Everywhere you look at the United States you can find economic stratification. From the kind of vehicle you drive, to the kind of house you live in, to the kind of restaurants you eat at the most you will find economic stratification. Some might ask, does any of that truly matter today? Yes, unfortunately, it does. An important goal for most people is what’s referred to as The American Dream. Whether it is to attend a good college, get a respectable job, purchase the perfect house, and have a small family or maybe just to start your own business; that dream starts with wealth. People with more money will have an easier time with achieving the dream than a lower income person would. With wealth comes power and prestige as well. People with more money have better life chances because they can afford better healthcare, education, healthier food, and safer neighborhoods just to name a few things.

It can be said that money is power in the United States, and this is brought out in the essay, “Class in America---2012” written by Gregory Mantsios. He says that even though many Americans do not like to discuss class, “it can determine where people live, who their friends are, how well they are educated, and what they do for a living” (Mantsios). Many Americans do not speak about class type, and most find it unacceptable (Mantsios). Unfortunately, we can see that there are laws that are built to help and better the wealthy, while it cripples the rest of us. According to the Economic Policy Institute, “The richest twenty percent of Americans hold nearly ninety percent of the total household wealth in this county” (Institute) Gregory Mantsios without reserve describes the majority of people are at a disadvantage in their social class, while the upper class is compensated.

It seems to most that those who have money have it all. They should buy all the unnecessary “junk” that one might find pleasure in owning, take everything for granted and view lower-class individuals as a group of wanna-bes. Think again. S.E. Hinton’s novel The Outsiders, very important propositions are portrayed through the writing techniques which link to another piece of writing “Poverty and Wealth” written by Ella Wheeler Wilcox. Just because you have everything, doesn’t mean you understand it's worth. Different classes have different experiences, allowing elaboration on the different characters.

In American society, wealth has played a particularly significant role in shaping the culture and standards set for our country. With every dilemma that has occurred, money was been an underlying deciding factor in the end. John.F.Kennedy makes this very clear in his statement on lowering the prices of steel, all the way Jennifer Price's take on people being obsessed with a money, even Scott Russell’s article on the status quo Americans believe determines one's happiness and success. All of these passages tie together to show just how money influences our very own society.

Mark Cuban has been successful all throughout his life. Mark is known for his ownership for the NBA’S Dallas Mavericks and for his popular in the tv show Shark Tank. Born in Pittsburgh on July 31, 1958, though typically he had a middle-class childhood. Cuban’s father worked in a car upholstery shop for about half a century and his grandfather had migrated down from Russia, and to feed his family he would sell any kind of merchandise he could get ahold of to feed his family he had. Through his early stages in life he took after his grandfather’s footsteps selling things so he could make money for himself, he earned his money in high school by mainly becoming a stamp and coin salesman. Cuban’s positive attitude was over the top in the classroom as he studied psychology at the University Of Pittsburgh then entirely skipped his senior year to be fully enrolled as a full time college student, after his freshman year Cuban then transferred to the University of Indiana, to pay for his tuition in college he did it on his own by

Just watching the television is enough for the upper class to get paid well and that includes purchasing the upper-class items they put in stores for people to buy. Using Kendall’s theory of “framing class”, I will demonstrate that the upper class has an influence on our lives through their products, television, and the social media. As well as how people would like to mimic how the upper-class lives and how the media bombards the people with

In the United States, people are overpowered by the growth of the consumerism because of the material goods that reflect entertainment. In Bear v. Shark, Mr. Norman has been attached to the Vibra-Dream pillow. Bachelder states: “She (the pillow) doesn 't care whether Mr. Norman used Visa or Mastercard... She (the pillow) just wants Mr. Norman to rest easy after a long day at the office” (Bachelder 17). It demonstrates that the Vibra-Dream pillow replaces his wife for it is always there to entertain him and make him more comfortable compare to Mr. Norman 's wife, who is busy watching television all the time and does not have much time for her husband.

What the Rich Won’t Tell You by Rachel Sherman, published in The New York Times, September 8, 2017. It is a recent study that the real life and feeling from the rich. The thesis of the article states: “The ways these wealthy New Yorkers identify and avoid stigma matter not because we should feel sorry for comfortable rich people, but because they tell us something about how economic inequality is hidden, justified and maintained in American life.” The purpose of the article is by using research results, to express the idea that rich people are normal, what they trying to hide is their financial situation, they want to hide their social status and maintain a normal life as others. The rich won’t tell anyone how many money they earn, how many

The typical millionaires portrayed in the book were not the jet setting, high profile, luxury car driving executive that most would equate with affluence. In fact, the typical millionaire is a 57 year old male, self-employed, with an average income of $247,000. They are fairly well educated, wear inexpensive suits, and drive late model American made cars. On average, these millionaires live in modest homes and work in occupations such as: contractors, auctioneers, farmers, owners of mobile home parks, and stamp and coin dealers. These individuals are organized, live within a budget, and spend considerable time and energy investing. These individuals are also self-described tight wads. In lieu of receiving money directly for their time, the authors offered to donate money in the interviewee’s name to a favorite charity. The reply of most of the millionaires was “I am my own favorite charity,” and kept the money for themselves.

Steven Spielberg’s film “JAWS” (1975), (Spielberg/Universal), uses the motif of an essentially unseen shark, ominously present through unpredictable displays of terrifying violence, to sculpt a message about good, evil, power, arrogance, and vanity within the hegemony of small-town middle class America. Spielberg markets this “High Concept” (Cook 40), film and its nationalist ideals on a story that is principally based on one image, the shark, and the fallibility of the human decision making process. In a relatively short scene that lasts no longer than a minute and a half, eleven or so minutes into the film, the viewer is presented with the hierarchy of the town’s political decision making process, its hubris and the lack of concern for the physical safety of the common citizenry over which they govern. The scene takes place on a small ferry boat in the town’s harbor. The previous evening there was an unwitnessed shark attack in the harbor water which killed a young woman. The discussion on the ferry, held by the town’s mayor, selectmen, medical examiner, and police chief, is primarily between police chief Brody and Mayor Vaughn. Brody tells Vaughn that he is going to shut the beach down, no swimming will be allowed because it is unsafe. The mayor tell him that he, the police chief, does not have the authority to do so and that only he, the mayor, does and he has no intention to give him authority to do do. “Amity is a summer town and we need summer dollars. If people can’t

“Right now, it’s an industry dedicated to one thing. Profit.” This quote by author, Paddy Chayefsky, perfectly sums up the motives behind the movie “Network.” From hiring soothsayers to risking a man’s mental heath for the sake of a successful television program, the characters in “Network” have truly been blinded by fame and top ratings. This satire fiercely describes just how far a television network will go to achieve such accomplishments.

The great wealth is seen in many situations where materials, places, and people indicate an atmosphere with few limitations. We hear about the famous Sara Ludlow and her friends, about their approach and about their “challenges”, for instance: “They step carefully to avoid wetting their Jimmy Choo knee-high stiletto boots in the puddles of slush”. Jimmy Choo is not the only leading and exclusive brand that we hear about in the text, also brands like Louis Vuitton are mentioned in the text. The way the narrator mentions the brands is very superficial and with a touch of irony, maybe because the narrator sees the young upper class as spoiled and with a lacking sense of reality. The narrator describes through the character of Mike the buildings and the environment surrounding Chris’ house: “Mike thinks about how rich everyone is”. The tone indicates that the narrator thinks that the neighborhood only consists of rich and selfish people and the narrator could arguably be an opponent of this kind of living. The wealth correlates with the Ivy League schools that I have mentioned earlier. Being a child of upper class parents often comes with great expectations from not only the parents but also the parent’s social circles. It is normally expected that the child will attend one of the best universities which implicit means an Ivy League school. We hear Hunter say:

Once they are on the run, the contestants sacrifice everyday resources like, the comfort of their own homes for tents in forest areas and money, given they are only allowed to withdraw a maximum of $100 a day. One can depict this as the contestants portraying a life as working class. According to Butsch (2011), shows do not always portray affluent characters, but sometimes present working class characters that still adhere to profit motive ideology by representing something the audience do not want to be (p. 104). Although the contestants are giving up their lifestyle to complete the game, it motivates the audience to never be in the position where they have to give up the comfort of their own life. Therefore, it is enough to watch people suffer than to actually suffer themselves. Alternatively, neoliberalism is evident because the show is located in states where poverty is evident. As a matter of fact, the state of Georgia and Alabama (where a majority of contestants live) experience a poverty rate above 17%. Considering this, the audience become blind to the fact that real life individuals actually suffer from limitations of resources. Regardless, the audience continue watching these shows because they share a true interest in watching people experience tough obstacles. As long as it is not them, they will continue watching shows like Hunted. Therefore, the portrayal of the working class and neoliberalism allows for more viewers which in return generate

The Tv show Shark tank embodies everything the American dream represents. The show obtains successful Entrepreneurs ready to invest their own money into other Americans wanting to be just like them, reaching the American dream and become a successful entrepreneur. The show presents entrepreneurs working towards the goal of creating a business to not only gain wealth but change the way we live today. The show is to keep the American dream alive and well while offering aid to those who pitch their ideas on the show. The main idea of shark tank is to aid entrepreneurs who need the extra push to really jump start their business.The show gives hope to viewers displaying the the “American Dream” is still possible and ready for the taking. With