Television contains images and situations that influence the lives of millions. Whether we accept it or not, TV has the power to alter our perception and distort our opinions. At any hour of the day you can watch TV and choose hundreds of different shows and genres. Americans are known to watch copious amounts of television. A study in Columbia University found out that those children, who watched violent television programs growing up, were more prone to aggressive behavioral traits compared to those who watched significantly less TV.Most of my friends growing up had a TV in their bedrooms but that was not the case in my household. My father believed having a TV in our rooms would isolate the family, so he decided to keep only one television in the living room. His theory would work in the long run because it would ultimately help me better utilize my time. Not only did it help with time management but it taught me simple things such as sharing and it also gave me an insight into everyone’s personality because we learned what each family member preffered to watch. One of the most impactful television shows that I remember watching was Boy Meets World. This 1990’s comedy sitcom aired during my adolescence and would ultimate shed light and bring about many questions that I otherwise would have been oblivious to.
Boy Meets World is about the life of Cory Matthews, a boy growing up in Philadelphia. The episodes are about the lessons Cory learns and the decisions he makes while growing up. The show teaches important life lessons while keeping it funny and interesting. Each episode of Boy Meets World brings a comedic spin to everyday life situations, while portraying the typical or not so typical gender roles in every character. Throughout the show Cory and his friends grow up and encounter relationship problems and scenarios such as which college to attend.
The unique part of Boy Meets World is that it follows Cory from middle school all the way up through college, while keeping his same friends and family around as important figures the whole time. Being the same age as Corey throughout the different seasons, we faced some of the same obstacles involved in adolescence. The show focuses on situations that the watcher can relate to and a solution is presented at the end of each show. The show does not focus on one major conflict but a lot of minor ones such as relationship problems with Cory and his girlfriend, and arguments he gets into with his best friend Shawn. Growing up in a different culture, I can confidently say that it taught me stereo typical gender roles that are commonly perceived in the American culture.
Boy Meets World was layered with cultural codes (blog assignment #3) that Roland Barthes was famous for. I remember they would make references to iconic sport figures and also historical references were made about life during war. It’s amazing to see how many metaphors were used to reference relationships in the series. I remember not knowing many of these metaphors because I did not grow up hearing them in my household. Many of the underlying jokes and cultural references are directed towards the American audience and I personally think it would be difficult to comprehend if you’re not surrounded by this culture. In particular, I often observed how the characters dressed according to their stereo typical gender role in the series.
