“Everybody Hates Minimum Wage.” Some may believe workers deserve more than the current $7.25 an hour, or others believe that minimum wage is an outdated policy that needs to be thrown out altogether. “Everybody Hates Minimum Wage” is an episode of the television show “Everybody Hates Chris.” In the beginning, this episode appears to be about fighting for fair wages, but in the end it reinforces the idea that fair wages lead to bad jobs.
The characters themselves stand for what they believe in. The only character that seems to change beliefs during the episode is Chris. When he reads about minimum wage in the paper, he believes he should be paid better as a matter of principal. He has a good argument, he works hard and is always on time, but he is told no. So he quits (also as a matter of principal). At first he is very confident in his decision. This would lead the viewer to believe that the message of the the episode would be that honest work deserves fair wages. If that is the message you are hoping to see, you will be very disappointed by the end of the episode.
After things begin to go wrong for Chris, other characters suddenly seem to pop up with the message that value is not only measured in money. Chris’s father and James both give Chris the idea that he made the wrong decision. Both characters embody the idea that the conditions of your employment and the benefits may outweigh the importance of pay. By now it is clear that the message is that accepting a lower wage for better working conditions is preferable. By the end of the episode, Chris has been converted to this way of thinking. He goes back to Doc’s for the same pay.
The episode places power in the hands of the employers. Even though there is a federal minimum wage, Doc refuses to pay Chris any more than he is already. This power is also held by the owner of Hoo’s restaurant. This privilege held only by the economically dominant group is called hegemony. Hegemony is assisted by the media, meaning that those who control it are usually from the privileged group and therefore can influence the ideas of those they dominate. When the media attempts to suggest what is and is not normal about this empowerment, it becomes a site of struggle.
The episode places power in the hands of the employers. Even though there is a federal minimum wage, Doc refuses to pay Chris any more than he is already. This power is also held by the owner of Hoo’s restaurant. This privilege held only by the economically dominant group is called hegemony. Hegemony is assisted by the media, meaning that those who control it are usually from the privileged group and therefore can influence the ideas of those they dominate. When the media attempts to suggest what is and is not normal about this empowerment, it becomes a site of struggle.
These sites can influence the characters to believe that they are exactly where they should be and that their boss is paying them a fair wage, even if it does not meet the minimum wage requirement. This may be the reason that Chris’s dad and James believe that Chris is standing by the wrong principal.
As previously stated, this episode is about a character coming to realize that “there are more important things about a job than its wages”. Could this not be a message from those who dominate our society? A message that aims to keep the poor in their place by reinforcing their position beneath their employers.
Overall this episode presents many interesting arguments both for and against minimum wage. It is important to be informed and to be able to decipher the messages we are subjected to when we consume media. No matter which side of the minimum wage debate you are on, it is clear that we are all influenced by the television shows we watch.
Overall this episode presents many interesting arguments both for and against minimum wage. It is important to be informed and to be able to decipher the messages we are subjected to when we consume media. No matter which side of the minimum wage debate you are on, it is clear that we are all influenced by the television shows we watch.
Nice way to talk about how we frame minimum wage work.
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