Reading Pages Report: “Signs of intelligent Life on TV”
Summary
Susan Douglas’s “Signs of Intelligent Life on TV” discusses the emergence of feminism and the presence of intelligent, powerful, and hardworking women on TV. Douglas discusses how in some shows the writers will present female characters that defy gender stereotypes, however there are still signs of cultural bias against women in these shows. She acknowledges that in these three shows: NYPD BLUE, ER and Chicago Hope the writer acknowledges the significance of adult female audiences by including women as ongoing characters who work for a living, well-educated and strong. Even though this is a good way to depict equality on the big screen, Douglas argues that females still take a backseat to males …show more content…
No matter how educated or strong a lady is, she still ends up being a sidekick or depicted as inferior by the writer to the audience. As a possible solution to this problem Douglas insists that we continue to empower strong women in television to keep feminism growing and improving. If we choose to accept the inequality of males and females in society and TV we will never be able to finally give ladies the credit and praise they so rightfully deserve.
Three useful Quotations
A quote from the text that summarizes Douglas’s point pretty well is, “These shows seem good for women. We see female cops, lawyers, doctors, and administrators, who are smart, efficient and successful. But in too many ways, the women take a backseat to the boys” (272 2 par). She is explaining how even though there are females that are depicted as very successful and independent, somehow they are still seen as sidekicks or not as good as their male counterparts. She uses shows such as ER, NYPD Blue, and Chicago Hope as prime examples of gender inequality in TV shows. Douglas lets the reader know exactly how she feels about gender bias in TV shows when she
Summary
Susan Douglas’s “Signs of Intelligent Life on TV” discusses the emergence of feminism and the presence of intelligent, powerful, and hardworking women on TV. Douglas discusses how in some shows the writers will present female characters that defy gender stereotypes, however there are still signs of cultural bias against women in these shows. She acknowledges that in these three shows: NYPD BLUE, ER and Chicago Hope the writer acknowledges the significance of adult female audiences by including women as ongoing characters who work for a living, well-educated and strong. Even though this is a good way to depict equality on the big screen, Douglas argues that females still take a backseat to males …show more content…
No matter how educated or strong a lady is, she still ends up being a sidekick or depicted as inferior by the writer to the audience. As a possible solution to this problem Douglas insists that we continue to empower strong women in television to keep feminism growing and improving. If we choose to accept the inequality of males and females in society and TV we will never be able to finally give ladies the credit and praise they so rightfully deserve.
Three useful Quotations
A quote from the text that summarizes Douglas’s point pretty well is, “These shows seem good for women. We see female cops, lawyers, doctors, and administrators, who are smart, efficient and successful. But in too many ways, the women take a backseat to the boys” (272 2 par). She is explaining how even though there are females that are depicted as very successful and independent, somehow they are still seen as sidekicks or not as good as their male counterparts. She uses shows such as ER, NYPD Blue, and Chicago Hope as prime examples of gender inequality in TV shows. Douglas lets the reader know exactly how she feels about gender bias in TV shows when she