TV Today and Yesterday
South Park and I Dream of Jeannie: A Comparison/Contrast Essay
The 1960s and 1970s were a time of social revolution, reflected somewhat in the television shows of that era. Yet, those same shows may seem quaint and tame by today's standards. Indeed, when one holds the two up for comparison, one can see a much more obvious type of innocence in the former than in the latter. Still, despite the generation-gap, today's shows (even if they appear to be more vulgar, cruder, and more risque) also manage to have a similar type of innocence about them. This paper will compare and contrast I Dream of Jeannie, which ran from 1965 to 1970, and South Park, which debuted in 1997 and is still currently running, and show how the two are different when it comes to taste and decency, but the same when it comes to capturing something pure and innocent concerning human nature.
One of the biggest differences between the two sitcoms is the very nature of the comedy itself. I Dream of Jeannie was created during a decade when campy humor was in fashion and old traditional gender norms were still in vogue. In episode 2.5, "My Wild Eyed Master" from the second season, Jeannie is shown worshipping her master Major Nelson as a king. Nelson is obviously her lord, and the she receives infinite pleasure in catering to him and fulfilling his needs. When he is tired, she takes it upon herself to put him to bed even though he has not asked her to. As he is magically transported from his desk where he has been working to his bed where he is seen stretched out happily, the traditional model of the family is depicted, with the man as the head and the woman as the heart. It is humorous and fun and the comedy is innocent.
South Park, on the other hand, focuses on a different kind of humor. In its early seasons, the comedy was sophomoric, crude and raunchy. Audiences delighted in watching cartoon characters use profanity that was and was not bleeped out on television. The adult-oriented cartoon attempted to break taboos and distance itself from the kind of stereotypical sitcoms that had been on television for the past several decades. Finally, South Park began to transform and transcend the genre. In its later seasons, it became more critical of popular culture and evolved into a comedy satire in which current events and characters were skewered and reduced to their ultimate absurdities. If Jeannie's humor was meant to be harmless, South Park's is meant to shock, alarm, inform, and delight. Whereas Jeannie is gentle, South Park (though capable of gentility at times) is often audacious
Yet, there is more to the two than that. Jeannie was silly, light-hearted entertainment that followed a standard portrayed a house in which the man was served by a genie that also posed as his wife. Jeannie wore sexy clothing, was perfectly obedient, and yet even as she made a mess of things she always seemed to have the upper hand in the end. For example, in "My Wild Eyed Master," Maj. Nelson is grounded because of eye strain, so Jeannie -- ever attentive -- attempts to help him get back in the air again by improving his vision. The only problem is that she makes it too good. Suddenly, Maj. Nelson has a kind of x-ray vision and can see through walls and clothing. His problem has just gone from bad to worse thanks to Jeannie's well-intentioned intervention. The situation is both fun and sexy, perfect for the 60s generation.
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