Discuss the following cartoon by Ben Sargent, which appeared in the Dec. 13, 2011 issue of The Atlantic:
How might this cartoon relate to Kendall’s analysis of middle-class framing in Framing Class?
Week 2 Day 1 Discussion Question 3
February 18, 2018 | 1 Comment
February 17, 2019 at 8:31 pm
This 2011 Ben Sargent cartoon highlights many of the points Kendall touches on in her work Framing Class. The boldly depicted Wall Street sign looms over a garbage bin with a milk carton that states “missing middle-class American dream.” In chapter five, Kendall analyzes media portrayals of the working poor, like this one. Kendall begins her analysis by addressing the lack of working class media depictions calling them the “silenced majority” (Kendall 122). She then delves into the difficulty of defining the working class, which may be why this cartoon points to a disappearance of the class altogether. Without a clear definition of the working class, the media continues to create broad generalizations and stereotypes of the people in it. Historically, the working class was made up of semi-skilled blue-collar workers, but nowadays the make up of the class is much different and the media fails to reflect this. Instead of accurately portraying the working class, many media outlets villainize and stereotype the people in it.
Kendall emphasizes many of the negative aspects of working class media portrayal, but she also writes about the more positive portrayals seen in heroic framing. In this framing, the media depicts the working class as heroes and victims. Kendall points to 9/11 as an example of this framing. In that instance, the fireman, police officers and other working class members were praised for their bravery and portrayed as victims in the attack (137). This frame most closely matches the Sargent’s cartoon. Sargent’s cartoon presents the middle class as the victim to Wall Street’s greed and wealth. Wall Street’s dominance allows it to remain in the forefront of Americans’ minds, while the middle class slowly disappears. By painting the middle class as the victim, Sargent is drawing attention to the negative aspects of the class divisions in the United States – a country that prides itself on being void of such distinctions. Sargent draws attention to the class disparity between the upper and middle class by victimizing the latter and bringing attention to the people in it.