Based on your viewing of our screening of Thirtysomething as well as Feuer's analysis of the program--what role do you think yuppie guilt plays on the show and how is it represented?
In her essay, Feuer describes a yuppie as a socially liberal, fiscally conservative product of the baby boom. The guilt associated with the yuppie lifestyle is highly prevalent on the show "Thirtysomething," particularly in reference to Michael's career and the money he makes. In the dream sequence of the episode we watched, which Feuer also describes, Michael is accused of being a yuppie by hippie versions of his friends and wife. He is haunted by his financial success and overcome with guilt for it, although it doesn't seem to influence his final decision to rent the soundstage. Another example of the yuppie lifestyle is the unfinished breakfast room. As Feuer describes, Michael is overly concerned about the breakfast room being finished by the day of the housewarming party. After settling for a design and later deciding he doesn't like it, Michael and Hope host the party regardless of the room's unfinished status. It's interesting that Michael is so concerned with spending money on the soundstage but seems to be willing to spend money on a tiny, unimportant room. Feuer's description of yuppies as socially liberal and fiscally conservative especially interests me because much of our generation claims that these are their political views. Does that make us all yuppies? It generally isn't a very positive term, but it is something to consider when discussing the viewpoints and issues within our generation.
The concept of “yuppie guilt,” is centrally explored in the show Thirtysomething which depicted a group of young yuppies attempting to live their lives and tolerate the guilt they felt for “selling out their beliefs” in order to maintain their lifestyles. To begin, Michael, one of the shows main characters, feels extreme guilt for having a successful business in advertising as well as his ability to provide for his family and renovate their new house. This extreme guilt is shown in numerous dream sequences, which border on disturbing hallucinations, as the guilt Michael feels morphs itself into these disturbing images. One sequence, introduces a jury of hippies putting Michael on trial for selling out and focusing his attention to shallow needs and consumer goods. Ultimately, Michael is found guilty, which promotes additional feelings of guilt in his waking life. Much of the yuppie guilt that plagues Michael plays a part in directing the overall plot of the episode, the actions, and reactions that ensue. Michael feels this guilt about not being able to provide for his family and giving them a nice house, so he hires a carpenter, which results in him feeling guilty about indulging in consumerist products. According to Feur, “the entire first episode plays with oblique references to yuppie culture while ostensibly thematizing the Steadman’s guilt and fear of adulthood.” Ultimately, the role of yuppie guilt drove the episode, as well as the entire show of Thirtysomething.
From our screening and Feuer's analysis of yuppie guilt and envy, it is clear that yuppie guilt is a main theme of the 1980s American television drama, thirysomething. As Feuer states, the third episode "begins with the archetypal yuppie narrative of rehabbing one's house." Michael Steadman, the epitome of yuppie guilt, has a hard time coming to terms with the demands of having a family and a successful job. He and his wife Hope have bought a house together and after deciding to host a house warming party, Michael wants to fix up the dilapidated breakfast room to impress his family and friends.
Alongside the issues in the domestic realm of Michael's life, are the demands of his professional life. After giving up his dream to be a writer, Michael has become successful in the advertising industry. He is dealing with "the need...to fire his incompetent secretary in time to rent a soundstage on which to shoot a commercial for the ethically shady account they've agreed to take on." It is on this soundstage that we see the root of Michael's guilt, in a dream sequence in which his friends and family put him on trial for his yuppie-dom. Here we see that Michael is guilty "over his success in two areas crucial to defining the yuppie lifestyle: urban gentrification and self-fulfilling careerism," and as Feuer mentions, "Of course it's the latter that makes the former possible—hence Michael's guilt."
At the end of the episode, with the help of his wife, Hope, Michael was able to accept some of his success. The breakfast room was left in shambles, but the housewarming party still happened as planned. He was unable to fire his secretary, but he goes on to rent the soundstage. Jerry Stahl, a man from Hope's past and a competitor in the eyes of Michael turns out to be an average, unattractive man. Lastly, the episode comes to a close with Michael surrounded by his family and close friends in his home after a successful housewarming party.
Feuer mentions that one of the yuppie stereotypes is the “’whining’ of its characters” and I found that to be present in the episode of Thirtysomething that we viewed in class. Michael was constantly complaining about the different areas of his life; from the state of his home to things at work. Michael and his wife Hope were able to buy a large house that is considered by their peers to be an extremely nice home. However, Michael and Hope only focus on the negatives. For example, they have not unpacked a majority of their moving boxes because there are parts of the house that they want to repair before they organize all of their belongings. In this particular episode, the breakfast room is their main focus. As a form of motivation to fix the room, the couple plans a housewarming party for the near future. However, they have created many problems for themselves that take the form of yuppie guilt in the process of planning this party. The first issue revolves around money. Michael wants his breakfast room to be remodeled properly and at first seems to be okay with the cost of high quality repairs. However, he soon begins to feel uneasy about the price tag of this project, and decides to go with the cheaper option for the room, even though he is unhappy with how the final outcome will look. He constantly complains about the project and is visibly upset about this dilemma for the entire episode. The next issue revolves around the timeline. Michael and Hope appear to have given themselves a tighter deadline than the room requires. For example, the contractor they have hired (who is young and lacks experience, chosen in order for Michael and Hope to save money) must try to finish the room before the party, a task which proves impossible when few improvements are made on a daily basis. Because it is uncertain that the room will be finished in time for the party, Michael starts to feel nervous about what his colleagues and coworkers are going to think about the house’s state of disarray and then continues to feel guilty about spending the money in order to repair the breakfast room, even though he is financially stable enough to afford it. The yuppie guilt that Feuer discusses is continuously portrayed through these issues that Michael and Hope deal with in relation to their breakfast room, showing that even though they are able to afford such a lavish house and repair it the way they want, the guilt they feel may hold them back and affect their lives in more ways than they ever imagined.
In her essay, Feuer describes a yuppie as a socially liberal, fiscally conservative product of the baby boom. The guilt associated with the yuppie lifestyle is highly prevalent on the show "Thirtysomething," particularly in reference to Michael's career and the money he makes. In the dream sequence of the episode we watched, which Feuer also describes, Michael is accused of being a yuppie by hippie versions of his friends and wife. He is haunted by his financial success and overcome with guilt for it, although it doesn't seem to influence his final decision to rent the soundstage.
ReplyDeleteAnother example of the yuppie lifestyle is the unfinished breakfast room. As Feuer describes, Michael is overly concerned about the breakfast room being finished by the day of the housewarming party. After settling for a design and later deciding he doesn't like it, Michael and Hope host the party regardless of the room's unfinished status. It's interesting that Michael is so concerned with spending money on the soundstage but seems to be willing to spend money on a tiny, unimportant room.
Feuer's description of yuppies as socially liberal and fiscally conservative especially interests me because much of our generation claims that these are their political views. Does that make us all yuppies? It generally isn't a very positive term, but it is something to consider when discussing the viewpoints and issues within our generation.
The concept of “yuppie guilt,” is centrally explored in the show Thirtysomething which depicted a group of young yuppies attempting to live their lives and tolerate the guilt they felt for “selling out their beliefs” in order to maintain their lifestyles. To begin, Michael, one of the shows main characters, feels extreme guilt for having a successful business in advertising as well as his ability to provide for his family and renovate their new house. This extreme guilt is shown in numerous dream sequences, which border on disturbing hallucinations, as the guilt Michael feels morphs itself into these disturbing images. One sequence, introduces a jury of hippies putting Michael on trial for selling out and focusing his attention to shallow needs and consumer goods. Ultimately, Michael is found guilty, which promotes additional feelings of guilt in his waking life. Much of the yuppie guilt that plagues Michael plays a part in directing the overall plot of the episode, the actions, and reactions that ensue. Michael feels this guilt about not being able to provide for his family and giving them a nice house, so he hires a carpenter, which results in him feeling guilty about indulging in consumerist products. According to Feur, “the entire first episode plays with oblique references to yuppie culture while ostensibly thematizing the Steadman’s guilt and fear of adulthood.” Ultimately, the role of yuppie guilt drove the episode, as well as the entire show of Thirtysomething.
ReplyDeleteFrom our screening and Feuer's analysis of yuppie guilt and envy, it is clear that yuppie guilt is a main theme of the 1980s American television drama, thirysomething. As Feuer states, the third episode "begins with the archetypal yuppie narrative of rehabbing one's house." Michael Steadman, the epitome of yuppie guilt, has a hard time coming to terms with the demands of having a family and a successful job. He and his wife Hope have bought a house together and after deciding to host a house warming party, Michael wants to fix up the dilapidated breakfast room to impress his family and friends.
ReplyDeleteAlongside the issues in the domestic realm of Michael's life, are the demands of his professional life. After giving up his dream to be a writer, Michael has become successful in the advertising industry. He is dealing with "the need...to fire his incompetent secretary in time to rent a soundstage on which to shoot a commercial for the ethically shady account they've agreed to take on." It is on this soundstage that we see the root of Michael's guilt, in a dream sequence in which his friends and family put him on trial for his yuppie-dom. Here we see that Michael is guilty "over his success in two areas crucial to defining the yuppie lifestyle: urban gentrification and self-fulfilling careerism," and as Feuer mentions, "Of course it's the latter that makes the former possible—hence Michael's guilt."
At the end of the episode, with the help of his wife, Hope, Michael was able to accept some of his success. The breakfast room was left in shambles, but the housewarming party still happened as planned. He was unable to fire his secretary, but he goes on to rent the soundstage. Jerry Stahl, a man from Hope's past and a competitor in the eyes of Michael turns out to be an average, unattractive man. Lastly, the episode comes to a close with Michael surrounded by his family and close friends in his home after a successful housewarming party.
Feuer mentions that one of the yuppie stereotypes is the “’whining’ of its characters” and I found that to be present in the episode of Thirtysomething that we viewed in class. Michael was constantly complaining about the different areas of his life; from the state of his home to things at work. Michael and his wife Hope were able to buy a large house that is considered by their peers to be an extremely nice home. However, Michael and Hope only focus on the negatives. For example, they have not unpacked a majority of their moving boxes because there are parts of the house that they want to repair before they organize all of their belongings. In this particular episode, the breakfast room is their main focus. As a form of motivation to fix the room, the couple plans a housewarming party for the near future. However, they have created many problems for themselves that take the form of yuppie guilt in the process of planning this party. The first issue revolves around money. Michael wants his breakfast room to be remodeled properly and at first seems to be okay with the cost of high quality repairs. However, he soon begins to feel uneasy about the price tag of this project, and decides to go with the cheaper option for the room, even though he is unhappy with how the final outcome will look. He constantly complains about the project and is visibly upset about this dilemma for the entire episode. The next issue revolves around the timeline. Michael and Hope appear to have given themselves a tighter deadline than the room requires. For example, the contractor they have hired (who is young and lacks experience, chosen in order for Michael and Hope to save money) must try to finish the room before the party, a task which proves impossible when few improvements are made on a daily basis. Because it is uncertain that the room will be finished in time for the party, Michael starts to feel nervous about what his colleagues and coworkers are going to think about the house’s state of disarray and then continues to feel guilty about spending the money in order to repair the breakfast room, even though he is financially stable enough to afford it. The yuppie guilt that Feuer discusses is continuously portrayed through these issues that Michael and Hope deal with in relation to their breakfast room, showing that even though they are able to afford such a lavish house and repair it the way they want, the guilt they feel may hold them back and affect their lives in more ways than they ever imagined.
ReplyDelete