Essay Sample on Ellen Show: Impact on Society & Transforming Middle-Class Lives

Introduction

One of the most popular and most watched television shows in the United States according to Khasanah (2015), is Ellen Show. It is watched by a significant number of individuals despite being aired daily. Therefore, it is considered by many to be a relentlessly humane show that combines comedy, celebrities, and musical guests among other humanity-led interesting stories. This essay will analyze the Ellen Show with regard to its impact on society and how it is transforming the middle-class citizens as well as in helping fight diversity-inclined discrimination. Thus, I will seek to show how it uplifts the lives of middle-class citizens and fights against discrimination by showing how the host makes use of various approaches that are inclusive of people from different backgrounds and uses her status as the host to preach the message of equality for all.

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Analysis

The Ellen Show is a peculiar show performed and aired in the United States. It does not have a particular set path that it follows because, for example, it can host any celebrity or any individual. This makes the audience not to think that the show only hosts musicians. Once in a while, the show may also host a kid from a struggling family who comes around and explains the situation in their home to the viewers (van Dijk, 2011). It can also host a common individual such as a man owing a restaurant and feeds the poor. In other cases, the show can also host a musician such as Beyonce or a political enigma such as Michelle Obama. Therefore, the Ellen Show is a show that hosts individuals from different walks of life hence it can be said to be the origin of the diversity appreciation ideology in America televisions.

The Ellen Show is also humanity-oriented because it concentrates on the actual lives led by different people in the United States. It changes from the idea of the media just highlighting stories from only the rich folks to also the middle-class and low-class individuals by making an instrumental observation of their lifestyle. For instance, it shows the struggles that the middle-class undergo as they repay their mortgages, try to educate their children, do their shopping, and cope with other issues of life. Therefore, it helps other middle-class individuals and other people realize that it is a struggle as one tries to scale up the ladder from the middle class to become a rich folk if one has such desires.

Additionally, as a social and comedy talk show, Ellen Show is articulate in urging for a largely inclusive America. The show ensures that it features different people from various walks of life who differ with regard to the things they do and the beliefs that they hold close. They talk with the host extensively on the things they do and the activities that they undertake. For instance, the show hosts members from the minority communities and considers how they are changing their lives and the struggles they undergo. This helps its audience who make have undergone similar experiences that are discussed recognize how to address and handle such encounters. It is thus clear that the show has turned out to be such a convenient show where the values of inclusion and equality are discussed effectively.

On the other hand, regarding how the show is concerned with the middle-class and the oppressed, the audience can also observe the condition of people who attend the live show and on which basis. Although attending the Ellen show is free, one has to win a kind of lottery. Therefore, in this manner, the show seeks to sponsor the middle-class people as well as those with inadequate financial resources. This are individuals who would be required to pay if watching the show live required was offered at a fee. It also seeks to welcome people from all walks of life because the qualification to attend the show does not happen based on any gender, religious or whatever inclination rather than a random selection. Therefore, the show by DeGeneres is one that considers the plight of the middle class and urges for equality and inclusion across the diversity range.

Discussion

The relationship between the Ellen Show and the middle class and the minorities is quite instrumental. This is because media text is made with a particular audience in mind. It is this particular audience that determines the life of the media text and how much that it is accepted or it impacts in the society in which the show takes place. Therefore, with regard to such context, it can be seen that the host of the show had a fair consideration when starting the show. Additionally, as a struggling comedian in the past, Ellen found out that there was such a great number of people in the middle class that hoped to reach the epitome of success, but they could not do it because of various barriers that they met on their way (Yap,2016). Thus, using herself as a case example, the show reveals how she was able to overcome various challenges to become successful.

On the other hand, the reason that the show can be said to be mostly watched by the middle-class is due to the fact that it is highly philanthropic. In most instances, the show highlights cases where it has sponsored an upgrade of a small business or has helped a middle-class individual to uplift their project such as feeding the homeless. The show showcases such an instrumental ideology of philanthropy which means that it seeks to raise the livelihood of the middle class amidst the comedy and talk show (Bociurkiw, 2005). Therefore, the show has created room for most of the middle-class invitees to also learn from the hosted celebrities, and hence it can be said to be of instrumental help to them as it helps them alleviate their statuses.

The idea of addressing the middle class in the show is however not considered as the central theme even when this is the case. This is because while addressing the subject of concern, there is a need to address such a topic like an annexure as opposed to making it the main talk of the show. The Ellen Show has thus made an instrumental use of this ideology and considers that addressing the issue of the middle class is largely done via puns and comedies and reality talks where the invitees express their specific journeys to success (Khasanah, 2015). It also implies that by not being objective to the race, sexuality, religion or any other diversity ground, the Ellen Show spreads an applicable message of inclusiveness in such an instrumental manner.

However, there can be limitations to the findings obtained from watching the show. For instance, the show is directed to comedy and talks and features celebrities and people who are intriguingly doing peculiar things in their societies. Most of these individuals are members of the music industry and political figures and are considered by many as the rich. Additionally, from the records, the show has hosted more white figures and hence there may be claims sprouting that the show is racially inclined. There may also be conclusions that the show is tailored for people from all classes but ends up being more accepted by the middle class because of the ideas that the show displays. Therefore, claims of the show being directed to the middle class and in the urge of a more inclusive society could be demystified using these outlooks. However, the show indeed could be in pursuit of other ideas that are different from the ones I analyzed.

Conclusion

It is evident from analysis that the Ellen Show as one of the most popular shows in the United States and hosted by Ellen DeGeneres, is a comedy and talk show that hosts various celebrities and musicians and people from different walks of life. In the show, Ellen makes such an articulate observation of middle-class citizens and the minorities as she urges for a better society for the prosperity of the middle-class citizens. She also urges for a more inclusive America where everyone is treated right regardless of their gender, religion, race or sexuality. The show definitively agrees to these concepts and can be said to be the most excellent show that concerns itself with the middle class with a great sense of inclusion. Therefore, although there may be limitations in the analysis, the show still stands out to have an instrumental affiliation to the middle class and relentless in its pursuit of equality between them and the rich.

References

Bociurkiw, M. (2005). It's Not About the Sex: Racialization and Queerness in" Ellen" and the" The Ellen De Generis Show". Canadian Woman Studies, 24(2).

Khasanah, N. (2015). AN ANALYSIS OF TURN TAKING STRATEGIES USED BY HOST AND GUEST IN THE TALK SHOW "THE ELLEN DEGENERES SHOW " (Doctoral dissertation, UIN Sunan Ampel).

Van Dijk, T. A. (Ed.). (2011). Discourse and communication: New approaches to the analysis of mass media discourse and communication (Vol. 10). Walter de Gruyter.

Yap, C. (2016). THE DISCURSIVE FUNCTIONS OF DISCOURSE MARKERS USED IN THE ELLEN DEGENERES SHOW (Doctoral dissertation, Fakultas Bahasa dan Seni UNIKA Soegijapranata).