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Tv Show Sociology

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In the recent years, media, especially news outlets had been accused of being severely influenced by political party’s establishments due to their content. For example, in the United States, some had accused media companies of being biased towards a political party while they clearly support the other. It is a fact that this accusation, no matter how ridiculous they may sound, still holds some elements of truth in it. Since it is undeniable that the media industry is in one way or another affected by external factors, this essay will discuss the various ways of how movies and TV shows are affected by the political and economic factor. The essay focuses on movies and TV shows because they generally capture a larger scale of audience, causing …show more content…

For example, in a Disney cartoon show, DuckTales which ran from 1987 to 1990, there are many moments in which the creators try to portray that capitalism is a better way of life compared to Socialism or Communism (Dofman and Mattelart, 1975). In the book, How to Read Donald Duck (1975), it is argued that the Donald Duck character is an excessively materialistic character which values money among other things (Dofman and Mattelart, 1975). The book also argues that there are multiple moments in the cartoon shows which shows that the characters are only successful in their career and ultimately their life after they are able to achieve great wealth while the poor and working class are looked down upon. Since the show was released towards the end of the Cold War, it could be said that the show was heavily influenced by the American economical ideology which is consumerism due to the United States being in the Capitalist bloc. Apart from the United States, the DuckTales show was also aired in other countries such as The United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia, it is clear that the show was made not only as a propaganda medium to influence to American people but also people worldwide, especially children into believing that Capitalism is the only way of life. Thus, it is only wise to theorise that the show could be created as a part of the Cold War itself as it undermines the Communism ideology that was practiced in Soviet Union during that time. In the book, How to read film (1977), the writer suggested that the character Donald Duck would had been different if the United States didn’t adhere to the capitalist ideology (Monaco,

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