The media plays a major role in the day to day lives of people around the world in ways that aren’t even understood or that people are aware of sometimes. In the words of W. James Potter, author of Media Literacy, “we are constantly connected to the media either directly or indirectly” (Potter, 2014, p. 5). One of the more direct ways people engage with media is by watching television. In this paper specifically formulas of drama in the television show Stranger Things (“Chapter One: The Vanishing of Will Byers,” Stranger Things, Netflix, July 15, 2016, 12:00 am) will be looked at and examined. Potter talks about how there is a “general entertainment story formula.” The story has to start with a conflict that the characters try and solve and by the
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Michael Parenti, author of Make Believe Media The Politics of Entertainment, argues that that is not all that is being presented to individuals as media consumers. He believes that more often than not that television depicts “real ideological content” (Parenti, 1992, p. 1). He feels that one can’t simply be entertained by what they’re seeing because it’s not just entertainment that is being attained. He feels that there are certain ideologies that Hollywood and television are presenting to us through the media we consume that make us have certain biases. He goes on to say that, “films and television programs have propagated images and ideologies that are supportive of Imperialism, phobic anticommunism, capitalism, racism, sexism, militarism, authoritarian violence, vigilantism, and anti-working-class attitudes” (Parenti, 1992, p. 2). A degree of Parenti’s claims that he makes apply, but for this paper the focus is on the negative effects of sexism, anti-working-class attitudes, and vigilantism that were closely related and clearly represented in Stranger Things. This essay will demonstrate precisely how these representations were used in the episode that was
Michael Parenti, author of Make Believe Media The Politics of Entertainment, argues that that is not all that is being presented to individuals as media consumers. He believes that more often than not that television depicts “real ideological content” (Parenti, 1992, p. 1). He feels that one can’t simply be entertained by what they’re seeing because it’s not just entertainment that is being attained. He feels that there are certain ideologies that Hollywood and television are presenting to us through the media we consume that make us have certain biases. He goes on to say that, “films and television programs have propagated images and ideologies that are supportive of Imperialism, phobic anticommunism, capitalism, racism, sexism, militarism, authoritarian violence, vigilantism, and anti-working-class attitudes” (Parenti, 1992, p. 2). A degree of Parenti’s claims that he makes apply, but for this paper the focus is on the negative effects of sexism, anti-working-class attitudes, and vigilantism that were closely related and clearly represented in Stranger Things. This essay will demonstrate precisely how these representations were used in the episode that was