In Father Knows Best, how does Jim Anderson discuss class inequality and middle-class status with his children? What lessons does the episode impart about class differences?
Week 5 Day 2 Discussion Question 5
March 11, 2016 | 6 Comments
Class, Culture, Representation
March 6, 2019 at 2:26 pm
Jim Anderson never directly talks about class and inequality but instead tries to teach lessons to his children throughout the episode that are supposed to display his views and important insight. He tells his children that they should be proud of where they come from, rather than ashamed of it. When his daughter, Betty, expresses that she gave false impressions to her friend about their class status, he tries to impart wisdom on her about how true friends should never judge another based on status, and that she should be honest with her friend instead of faking their family’s wealth, which is an important lesson for Betty to hear. Betty was placing worth on materialism and social hierarchies which Jim helped her sort out.
He also teaches his son, Bud, lessons about working hard, and how he can be rich if he just works hard enough. The episode ends with Jim Anderson saying to Betty, “Instead of being ashamed of your brother you should be proud that he is willing to follow in the footsteps of many great men”. The messages and themes of the show are important and true, but seem very oversimplified as Jim is trying to teach his children. By telling Bud that he will be rich so long as he is working from the bottom up, when Bud gets the job flipping burgers and can’t even complete that, it is setting him up for failure. By imparting the wisdom to his son that anyone can be wealthy, he neglects to give focus to many contributing factors that leave people without economic mobility.
March 6, 2019 at 1:45 pm
Jim Anderson firmly believes in the American dream as seen by his monologue to his son Bud. After experiencing the Sanford’s wealth vicariously through Betty, Bud proclaims to his father how he wants to make a lot of money. Jim responds with a story about how Mr. Sanford started as a lumberjack, saved his money, bought land, and eventually made it in the paper manufacturing business, stating anyone can work their way up, “all it takes is hard work, perseverance, and dedication. This narrative idolizes the American dream and projects the idea of social mobility through hard work onto his son.
This narrative shifts when Jim speaks to Betty. He oscillates between worshipping and berating materialism. His glorification of the upper class again comes through as the family watches Betty come home from Sampson’s house with a chauffeur. During a comedic back and forth in the opening scene as Betty comes home, Jim asserts to Bud, “when you have that much money kid, doors open for you”. Betty holds a great deal of shame about her middle-class status relative to her friend Eloise. When chatting with Betty about going to the country club, Jim chastises her for putting so much stock into keeping up with the Sampson family. He encourages her to embrace the fact that they cannot afford these types of things, rather than work hard to move up. Betty values the luxuries of the upper class and social status and Jim teaches her to accept her social position. Bud dreams of making money and Jim tells him if he works hard he can move us way up. This dichotomy between Jim’s messages to Betty and Bud showcase the inherently interwoven nature of class mobility and gender and reveals the sad truth that social mobility is reserved for white men.
March 6, 2019 at 12:19 pm
In Father Knows Best, Jim Anderson discusses class inequality and their middle class status somewhat differently with his two children. Jim Anderson discusses with his son Bud how “In America, anyone who’s not afraid of work can be a success.” Bud wants to be at the same level as Mr. Sanford and Jim Anderson encourages his son to work hard in order to rise up the ranks in class just like how Mr. Sanford did. Betty wants to be able to go to the club for the opening, however, her father lets her know that it is too expensive. Jim Anderson wants his daughter to understand that the club is “out of [their] league.” It is clear that the difference between the two is that Betty tries fawn over the Sanfords while Bud doesn’t try to fake what he comes from and wants to work hard towards this goal.
I believe the lesson that the episode imparts about class difference is to not be ashamed of where you come from and appreciate what one has. This message is made clear by the fact that Betty doesn’t really want to be associated with her brother when they go to his job. In fact, their father calls her a “middle-class snob”. Jim Anderson wants to show that there is nothing wrong with their status.
March 6, 2019 at 10:39 am
Before I started watching the ‘Father Knows Best’ episode, I was scared that (based on the name of the show) the episode would be filled with troubling, old-fashioned, out-of-date messages. Although the episode wasn’t perfect, I was pleasantly surprised – this wasn’t really the case! Specifically, when Jim Anderson discusses class (although he does cater to the stereotypical ‘American Dream’ narrative that my own education has taught me is a flawed ideal) he not only gives his children valuable words of wisdom but sees no reason to be embarrassed by his own family’s status. Jim doesn’t care enough about his social reputation to go to a ball just to prove himself for one, expensive night. He tells his daughter, with transparency, that they can’t afford it and that there’s “nothing disgraceful about that.” While talking to his son, Jim is pleased that his son is willing to work for what he wants (as opposed to inheriting wealth/ waiting for a miracle to happen). He tells his son that if he wants to be like Mr. Sanford someday, he has to work hard like Mr. Sanford did – make a name for himself and “start at the bottom and work up.”
Jim Anderson definitely holds those in higher classes, like the Sanfords, in high regards as he says they are “out of [their] league” and that the Andersons can’t “keep up” with them – signaling that the Sanfords are ‘above’ the Andersons in some ways. Jim’s messages to his children also tell the audience that there’s “nothing wrong with wanting to make money” or strive to be the best that one can be, which can translate to having a lot of money. However, Jim (and the episode) also highlight that you must always be a respectable human being – which is not synonymous with socioeconomic status. In this episode, the daughter acts ’bratty’ as she becomes consumed with conceptions of status. She apologizes to her father and brother (the charismatic, working-class character) for acting like a “middle-class snob” and through her revelation, we realize that money isn’t everything.
March 6, 2019 at 12:06 am
In the episode, Bud is portrayed as motivated to move up in classes while Betty struggles to accept that they are middle class but is not able to do anything about. I found it interesting how in the episode Jim Anderson kept coaching his son and giving him advice on how to be successful in life. However, even though it was apparent his daughter was struggling with the class they were in, he never gave her advice on how to be successful. Instead, he called her a middle-class snob and told her to be more proud of her brother for working hard.
After hearing about the Sanford’s wealth Bud realizes the life of the wealthier and that he too wants to have that one day but that he does not know how to get there. His dad gives him advice on how to be successful and explains to him one of the great things about living in American is through hard work and perseverance you can be successful. He tells Bud that if he has to be willing to start at the bottom and work hard to move up he too can be successful like Mr. Sanfords.
March 5, 2019 at 4:14 pm
In Father Knows Best, Jim Anderson emphasizes hard work and the idea of self-made wealth when he discusses “Mr. Sanford” and how he achieved wealth, beginning by swinging an axe and then entering the paper manufacturing business. He says to his son, “All it takes is hard work, perseverance and determination. That’s the wonderful thing about living in America”, which perfectly exemplifies the American Dream. Meanwhile, Betty is struggling with perceptions of her and her family’s class position relative to her new wealthy friends. Her father, rather than encouraging hard work and determination as a means to achieve the same wealth, as he did with his son, emphasizes the cost associated with the charity dinner and how outrageous it is for her to consider going. For her to want to be wealthy is unreasonable, and something she apologizes for, but for the son it is natural and there is a clear path laid out ahead of him. The father decides to provide the dinner experience for the mother and daughter because he has the wealth and agency to do so. In the end, the family sacrifices for the son at his new job and the women are forced to tag along, because his hard work is the priority. Ultimately, Betty is framed as a middle-class snob for wanting to be wealthy instead of embracing her position in the class hierarchy, while Bud takes a job flipping burgers and embracing hard work as a way to attain wealth. Ironically, I cannot imagine Betty would receive the same respect or noble praises if it were her flipping burgers. For the women in this episode, there is no good way out of their current position. They are perceived, by themselves and others, as “dopes” for desiring more. They are shamed for wanting the life style wealth affords, but not given a way to get there. The brother is allowed to “follow in the footsteps of many great men”, while Betty remains stuck in the middle where she is clearly unsatisfied. Throughout the episode the social mobility of men is emphasized, while women remain along for the ride. The lesson they impart is that hard work and perseverance is a means to social mobility, but only for men.