re: #269 Shiplord Kirel, Friend of Moose and Squirrel

Too true. This has been a pet peeve of mine for 60 years, ever since I watched “average American housewife” June Cleaver vacuum her immaculate 2-story mansion in pearls. Average TV families are RICH compared to the real average, from the Cleavers and Father Knows Best to the unlikely clan in Modern Family (though I see more than a trace of parody in the latter). Not only are they rich, with no knowledge at all of common daily struggles, they are at the cutting edge of social and consumer sophistication. The idea, of course, is to present the dull masses with lifestyles and situations to which they should aspire, by buying the advertisers’ products.

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The code for many years as to whether a TV family were good (rich) people like the Bradys or just regular slobs was the front door—double- or single-panel. Then of course Dan and Rosanne Conner were seen drinking beer and it was all over—the barbarians had arrived.