This past winter break, amidst my many hours sleeping and eating, I was able to do something very productive: find a TV series that truly is a diamond in the rough. This series I speak so highly of? Parks and Recreation of course.
Spearheaded by comedian Amy Poehler (who plays the main character Leslie Knope, the noted feminist), Parks and Recreation not only provides witty humor and sometimes ironic office jokes but provides sometimes keen insight into gender roles, namely at an office place. The importance/sometimes lack of gender stereotypes at work is greatly heightened in the episode, “Women of the Year.”
The cast of Parks and Rec includes many traditional and contemporary gender roles, ranging from the typical masculine-mustachioed boss, Rob Swanson to the young ambitious humorous entrepreneur Tom, to Leslie Knope, the woman whose work life in the Parks and Recreation Department equates to her life. (In most shows, the number of men and women are equal, usually 4 main women and men roles each) Leslie’s strong desire to the break old governmental frame of thinking for gender roles and be a successful women in government power is heighted in “Women of the Year” when she hopes to win the Smyth Empowerment Award, an award designated for the woman who made the biggest difference in the Pawnee community. The award clearly should be given to Leslie, the women who’s role model is Hilary Clinton and who founded a teenage-girl empowerment camp (Camp Athena), and yet ironically enough, the AWO (The Feminist Organization of Pawnee) recognizes Ron Swanson, the antithesis of a woman in power, as the inductee.
Thus after this ironic turning point, the show explores the socially accepted gender roles. Despite the fact that the Smyth award is supposed to recognize an empowered woman, the feminist group actually wishes to present the award to man-a man, who not only doesn’t further the good government can do, but a man who feels that there shouldn’t be government in the first place, and thus believes government empowerment is not validated. Then why does this feminist group want to give this award to Ron rather than the ideal raging feminist, Leslie? Because it turns out that the AWO is actually an organization full of sexists-ones who believe that the press will only take notice of the award and merit if it is given to a tall, masculine-mustachioed man rather than a woman. Thus in this show, the producers are ironically showing how the people’s real acceptance on gender norms does not necessarily have to reflect their outward appearance. Ron actually understands the work and dedication Leslie puts into her work (but intentionally takes the award just to annoy Leslie and teach her not to pine for governable acclamation), and thus he actually believes in more gender equality than this so called feminist group. Leslie, after not receiving the award, is rather appalled by the nature of the AOW and soon realizes that she does not have to be accredited to keep her progressive mindset.
Although the gender role disparity between Leslie and Rob is the central lying conflict in this episode, “Women of the Year”, the relationship between gender roles and age are also discussed through the episode. For example, Tom, a just out of college worker at the Parks and Rec department hopes to buy a share in the local Pawnee club, which demonstrates the ideals of gender that change with age. Thus gender issues and factors that follow/go against societal gender roles were essential to this specific episode, and continue to be an underlying concept in the contemporary Parks and Recreation.
No comments:
Post a Comment