Popular Culture: Family Guy and Greys Anatomy - Essay Example

?Running Head: Popular Culture-Family Guy and Grey’s Anatomy Popular Culture-Family Guy and Grey’s Anatomy Popular Culture-Family Guy and Grey’s Anatomy Introduction Popular culture refers to any perspectives, ideas, memes, attitudes or images, which are preferred by a given culture. The western world in the early and mid 20th century and the entire globe in the late and early 21st century, for instance, are popular cultures. Mass media has a very great influence on popular culture because it portrays what the people of a given culture think is right. In most cases, popular culture is used to refer to the cultures of low class citizens as opposed to the official culture of the high in the society. TV shows and other forms of mass media are often used to depict how people in a certain society are expected to behave (Ashby, 2010). Grey’s Anatomy is about the lives of surgical interns who are residents of a fictional hospital known as Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital. The series shows the interns as they evolve into experienced doctors under the care of their more experienced mentors. Although the show revolves around the everyday lives of the doctors, it is worth noting that much emphasis is put on their personal lives as opposed to their professional sides. A typical day starts with the interns arguing about who should take care of a certain patient. This ends after the intervention of a hospital superior who is charged with the responsibility of assigning duties to the interns. The main theme of the series is the interactions that take place between patients and the doctors as well co-workers (Rhimes, 2005). On the other hand, Family Guy is about the adventures faced by Peter Griffin’s family. Griffin is an American- Irish catholic, a blue-collar worker and has a well-known Rhode Island. In addition, he speaks with a deep Eastern Massachusetts accent. His wife is known as Lois, a homemaker who plays piano. The two have three children, a teenage daughter by the name of Meg. Chris is their teenage and overweight son who resembles his father in several ways. Stewie is the youngest son but he has adult mannerisms. In addition, they have a dog by the name of Brian, who has anthropomorphic characteristics and can engage in human conversations as well as drink martinis (MacFarlane, 1998). Similarities The two TV series are based on relationships between people in a family setting and among friends. Although Family Guy focuses on the lives of the Griffin family, it is of paramount importance to note that the relationship between the family and their neighbors is highly explored (MacFarlane, 1998). In Grey’s Anatomy, the resident interns are like a family because they have to stay together until they done with their internship (Rhimes, 2005). Relationships are not easy in the two series because of the differences that exist between the characters. The interns are always arguing about the patient one will attend to and this is evident when Griffin is not happy with the paraplegic police officer, Joe Swanson. This happens despite the fact that Swanson has not done anything wrong to the Griffin’s family, but he is told that he is unwelcome in their restaurant. In addition, family feuds are evident as seen in the way the Griffin’s treat Meg. This is because they believe that she is timid and unable to fit in school. Although Stewie is the youngest, he is considered more intelligent than his elder siblings. Moreover, Brian, the dog is held in high esteem than Meg and Chris despite the fact that the latter resembles his father in several aspects (MacFarlane, 1998). Just as the hospital superiors are the heads of the interns in the hospital, Griffin is the head of his family. The superiors make most of the decisions irrespective of what the interns want. Whenever they find the interns arguing about patients, they do not take time to consult the interns before coming up with a solution (Rhimes, 2005). On the same note, ideas from Meg and Chris are not welcome to the family because they are thought to be less intelligent. This is despite the fact that most of the traits possessed by Chris are present in his father. The main reason why Chris is thought to be less intelligent is because he is overweight but his father is overweight too (MacFarlane, 1998). The society depicted in the two TV series expects people to have a relaxing area where they can meet and share ideas. This is evident when Griffin decides to open a restaurant. In Family Guy the Emerald City Bar and Grill, which is owned by Joe, is where the interns and physicians meet after a hard day’s work. In every society, there are those with health complications such as Meredith’s mother who has Alzheimer’s disease and the paraplegic police officer, Joe Swanson. The two are used in the series to reveal how the society treats those suffering from chronic illnesses (MacFarlane, 1998, Rhimes, 2005). Differences The main difference between the two series is that real people act the Grey’s Anatomy whereas animation do in Family Guy. On the other hand, this does not mean that the two series do not reveal what happens in different societies. In a bid to depict differences in cultural backgrounds, Family Guy employs the use of different accents in order to show the difference between the characters. This makes the lives of the characters interesting because they have different cultural backgrounds. Griffin for example, has a deep Eastern Massachusetts accent while Stewie has an English accent. The difference in accent is used to reveal the characters source of disagreements. As opposed to Grey’s Anatomy, all the characters in Family Guy are Caucasians (MacFarlane, 1998). In Grey’s Anatomy, there is a mixture of races, which is used for confirming difference in cultural backgrounds. In addition, the characters are eager to establish relationships with their patients although they have met professionally at first (Rhimes, 2005). This is unlike in Family Guy in which Griffin chooses his friends and wants his way of doing things to be followed at all times (MacFarlane, 1998). The View the Series Take of the World The fact that the two series emphasize on the importance of interactions between people of different cultural backgrounds reveals that the society expects such people to have different views in life. This is the main reason why the cultural background of each character is evident. Griffin believes that he is superior to others in the show because he is from Massachusetts as evident from his accent. The complicated love affairs that are present in Grey’s Anatomy reveal the way the American society treats sexual matters. Most of the interns are interested in having love affairs with their patients although they are supposed to behave professionally. This illustrates that the interns are not true professionals because they should always ensure that their relationships with their patients are doctor-patient ones. Moreover, many people think that doctors cannot engage in personal conversations when engaging in surgery but the characters prove otherwise. Seasoned doctors talk about their daily activities as well as boyfriends or girlfriends when operating on a patient. This helps them to relax and thus end up performing a diligent job. The show reveals that doctors are human too and the operating theatres have interesting stories. Although many people would not agree with what they see in the show especially when surgeons are discussing topics outside their work while in the operating theatre, one ought to understand that it makes the show better to the viewer. To the viewer, life in the operating theater is made easier because the viewer realizes that doctors and surgeons share jokes when working. The show would not have been entertaining if the personal lives of the interns were not revealed. This can be attributed to the fact that people outside the medical profession believe that doctors are boring but their love lives in the show is quite entertaining. Obesity has for a long time been a big health concern in the American society. This is despite the fact that several successful people are overweight. Griffin is a successful blue-collar worker but he is overweight. This turns out to be the main difference between him and Chris because the latter is a teenage that has no job. It is because of this reason that Chris is considered less intelligent. Stewie is very young but he is considered more intelligent and this is evident from his conversations. Brian drinks martinis, which reveals that he is from high social class. Griffin chooses his friends and expels those he dislikes as evidenced by the way he treats Joe Swanson. Louis knows how to play piano but she is still a homemaker. This shows that the society expects women to stay at home and take care of the children (MacFarlane, 1998). Although Griffin is overweight, he manages to have a successful career, which gives people who might have such health complications a reason to smile. In addition, Griffin has dreams of overcoming any challenges that he faces in life (Kirby et al, 2012). On the other hand, the treatment that Joe Swanson receives from Griffin does not augur well with people with disabilities because it reveals the stigma associated with certain conditions. The humor in the show makes it interesting for the whole family since it reveals the vicissitudes in most of American families. It has to be noted that most women in America have successful careers so the viewer expects Lois to have a well paying blue-collar job. This will reduce the dominance of Griffin in the family because he will have to consult his wife before making major decisions. Grey’s Anatomy has a great impact over the lives of many Americans because it is real to some extent. It provides the viewer with what happens behind the closed doors of an operating theater. The view that people have about surgeons is changed after watching the series because it simplifies their lives. In most instances, people are afraid of surgeons because they see them as super human beings. On the other hand, they have lives to live just like any other person in the world. Although the grievances that the interns have about patients are not everyday sights in a hospital, it is worth noting that they happen in real life. The power of the hospital superiors is evident in the show because they have to assign duties to warring interns and this plays a crucial role in saving lives. If interns are left on their own, they would be unable to organize their work professionally (Rhimes, 2005). On the contrary, in Family Guy, several characters are treated with animosity. In an ideal family setting, Chris and Meg should have more powers than Stewie and Brian. The fact that Chris is overweight does not mean that he cannot be successful in life as illustrated by his father; however, his condition plays a significant role in the way he is treated in the family. Stewie is considered intelligent but he is out to destroy his mother, Lois and dominate the world despite his young age (MacFarlane, 1998). Watching TV shows puts the message across easily as opposed to reading books. This can be attributed to the fact that communication is done in several ways. The mode of communication with the highest percentage of impact is body language. It is worth noting that in books the reader cannot see body language between characters whereas a viewer is able to see the body language between the characters when watching a show on TV. When one is agitated, it is possible to see it even before she or he speaks when one is watching as opposed to reading because it will take time for the author to describe the changes in the character’s body language. This implies that the message is put across faster in TV shows when compared to books (Kurien, 2010). In addition, description of physical characters in a book is harder than on TV because the viewer will be able to see the characters. On the other hand, books’ authors are able to describe characters in details and give the reader an opportunity to understand what is going through a character’s mind. This cannot be achieved on TV because the viewer has to rely with what the character is saying. Conclusion The two series reveal that the creators and viewers are passive about the needs of women. In Grey’s Anatomy women are treated as sexual objects as can be seen by the way the men change lovers frequently. Alternatively, in Family Guy Lois is a qualified piano player but she cannot engage in a money-earning project because her place is at home. Feminism theory explains the two series because they depict women as people who are dependent on men. Feminism requires men and women to have equal political, social and any other rights (Shukla, 2007). Although women in Grey’s Anatomy are engaged in blue-collar work, it has to be noted that men mistreat them. This can only change if women stand and fight for their rights. Moreover, Lois should not be dependent on her husband but should find a job because this will increase her say in the family. Meg should not allow her family to mistreat her by saying that she cannot fit in a class. She should stand up for her rights. References Ashby, L. (2010). "The Rising of Popular Culture: A Historiographical Sketch." OAH Magazine of History, 24:11–14. Kirby, J. B., Liang, L., Chen, H. & Wang, Y. (2012). “Race, Place, and Obesity: The Complex Relationships among Community Racial/Ethnic Composition, Individual Race/Ethnicity, and Obesity in the United States." American Journal of Public Health, 102(8): 1572-8. Kurien, D. N. (2010). “Body Language: Silent Communicator at the Workplace." IUP Journal of Soft Skills, 4(1):29-36 MacFarlane, S. (1998). Family Guy. Fuzzy Door Productions 20th Century Fox Television United States. 20th Television. Rhimes, S. (2005). Grey's Anatomy. ShondaLand The Mark Gordon Company ABC Studios. United States: Buena Vista Home Entertainment. Shukla, B. A. (2007). Feminism: From Mary Wollstonecraft to Betty Friedan. London: Sarup & Sons. Read More