Television and Its Effects on American Culture Term Paper

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Television and Its Effects

The extent of television's influence on American cultural values is, ironically, often portrayed on television shows. For example, in an episode of South Park, all the men and boys in town become "metrosexuals," after watching the popular series Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. Queer Eye for the Straight Guy shaped gender norms in the fictitious town of South Park, just as television shows like South Park in turn shape cultural values in real-world American culture. As Rushworth M. Kidder states in his article "Television, Values, and the American Way," "from what TV does show me, I would conclude that this is a nation of anguished gossips mesmerized by stocks, wrestling, and the weather. Nearly all must be unmarried, divorced, or gay." Animated shows like South Park in particular have the power to satirize television's powerful effect on molding the American mind because they are detached enough from reality. On the other hand, reality shows, which are the latest trend in programming, might have the most impact on shaping American cultural values for better or for worse because of their being supposedly "reality-based." As "reality shows" they purportedly mirror the average American. However, nothing could be farther from the truth. As Michael Warren writes, "it is not our own image of our own selves coming from our center but rather a concocted imagined self, pasted together by others and then presented to us for our consumption.

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" Television largely attempts to shape social values for commercial ends; a side-effect of the drive toward changing consumer behavior is a shift, either positive or negative, in social values and norms.

Queer Eye for the Straight Guy is an excellent example illustrating how television reality shows can in fact influence and shape social norms as well as consumer behavior. Just as it was depicted on South Park, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy has made metrosexuality a social and consumer trend. Men who wear lumberjack shirts are out; clean-cut and well-dressed men are now more likely to get the girl -- or the guy. The effect of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy has far-reaching impacts on the American market economy, as the metrosexual trend has given rise to a new market segment for hair and beauty products for men as well as for more diversity in men's clothing. Thus, television shows indirectly shape consumer behavior, which is itself a barometer of social values. As Warren states, "They are….....

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"Television And Its Effects On American Culture" (2005, July 15) Retrieved June 4, 2026, from
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"Television And Its Effects On American Culture", 15 July 2005, Accessed.4 June. 2026,
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/television-effects-american-culture-66804
   

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