Thursday, October 23, 2014
"Low Brow" Genres
How does Horace Newcomb's essay complicate Newton Minow’s assessment of television as a “vast wasteland”? Why does he believe that 'low brow' genres such as the western can be more complicated than they seem? Do you agree? Perhaps give an example of a contemporary 'low brow' show and explain why it might or might not have social relevance.
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Newton Minow, in his speech declaring that most television at the time was within a "wast wasteland" of terrible commercial entertainment, had a distinct line drawn in the sand of what was "good" TV and what was "bad". Of the low-brow shows he decried, the Western was a genre easy for the picking. It had simple plots, the glorification of violence solving problems, and cheap production value. But Newcomb's essay takes a look at one of these westerns, "Have Gun Will Travel" and shows that placing the umbrella term of "low-brow" under a TV genre does a disservice to the complicated nature that lies beneath? Have Gun Will Travel, for instance, deals with underlying issues of the present day, superimposed on the setting of the old west, such as the injustice of lynch mobs, which can be easily compared to the violent reactions against black citizens in many parts of the country. "Low-brow" is a term still used today to describe much of TV, but low-brow shows still have as much social relevance as high brow shows in that they both reflect the views of their demographics. For instance, Family Guy is widely considered one of the most popular low-brow shows currently on television, yet constantly uses topics such as marijuana legalization and gay marriage in its episodes. Whether its well written or not is up for debate, but it still is an important show to study to understand current trends in social behavior and to ignore it because of its low-brow status would be a mistake.
ReplyDeleteNewton Minow, in his “vast wasteland” speech criticizes most of television content because of its endless violence, untrustworthy quiz shows, and insufferable commercials. According to Minow, television was “low brow” entertainment because of the lack of educational and mindful shows. Horace Newcomb argues, however, that television content was not as mindless as Minow claims. Although the content may appear, on the surface, to be unnecessary violence, television shows dealt with a number of societal issues, such as race, nationalism, and citizenship. Newcomb uses the western to show that underneath all of the violence and simple plots are issues of social relevance. The shift in society’s focus on President Kennedy’s “New Frontier,” which was connected to racial desegregation and a symbol for change, contributed to the awareness of the need for cultural change in America. Television shows, such as Trackdown or Have Gun – Will Travel, included moments of social critique in the midst of the violence and mayhem. With the violence at the forefront, one might see the shows only as unnecessary violence. But if one were to have been influenced by the ideals of the New Frontier, the opportunity for social critiques would become more evident. Whether the shows intended for the audience to intentionally critique the present state of society does not change the fact that people used the westerns to do so. As a result, the shows that were considered a part of the “vast wasteland” are transformed into something more meaningful.
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