Author Topic: Antimustachian themes in TV shows  (Read 20516 times)

sheepstache

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Re: Antimustachian themes in TV shows
« Reply #50 on: September 27, 2014, 07:03:57 PM »
It wasn't mustachian, but it certainly wasn't an extravagant lifestyle they portrayed either.  Two older beat up vehicles, a typical house that they had already been in before the "oops" baby derailed Skylar's job and added financial strain.  It wasn't mustachian, but it sure felt a lot more typical than something like Friends or Big Bang Theory.

As an aside, when my wife and I were house hunting earlier this year, we actually looked at a place three houses down from Walter White's house. In real life that house would be somewhere around $250k-275k depending on condition. Not that unrealistic for a high school teacher with a working spouse.

Not sure you need 2 vehicles when only one parent has a job (which is at the same school where their kid with cerebral palsy goes, so no mid-day emergency excuses). Especially not 2 gas guzzlers like those monsters they have.

Shouldn't they have tried to downsize before Walter considers working at a car wash to make ends meet? That may very well have been their lifestyle pre-"oops" baby but they don't have to continue it (speaking of, what happened to maternity leave? I thought Skyler was laid off from her job, not that she quit because of the second baby. Or did she quit her job after Walt Jr.? Who at the time of the show is 16. Plenty of time to downsize and adjust. Some serious Breaking Bad geeking out here :P)
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Breaking Bad gets my goat because its entire premise is a guy turns to evil because he's doesn't have any money saved up. Again, it's a great show, but you have to wonder to what extent the family's problems are self-made.
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It wasn't mustachian, but it certainly wasn't an extravagant lifestyle they portrayed either.
This was what really interested me about it. Their lifestyle is typical. But they are drowning. I don't think the writers intended to portray them as extravagant but maybe to reflect the commonly-held feeling that the typical American lifestyle is not sustainable. Whether that's due to corporate and political machinations or individual profligacy depends on the viewer.

I think Marie's shoplifting is an interesting comment on this as well. They never appear to have money problems and they have more crap in their home. (I don't know about the value of their home. Of course, Hank probably makes more and Marie has a professional job and they have no kids. An interesting commentary itself that the "traditional" nuclear family are the poor relations.) But how much of that is her helping herself to things? Or how much is her stealing things related to her consumerism? How much is it related to money pressures they may feel? My interpretation would be that the pinched purse of the American middle class is eroding their values to the point that we don't judge crime as being bad so much as we judge lower-class crime as being bad.

eyePod

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Re: Antimustachian themes in TV shows
« Reply #51 on: September 29, 2014, 07:55:29 AM »
Christmas Vacation. Spending your bonus which you don't have yet on a pool when you are already strapped for cash. Disaster almost strikes but then his crazy brother-in-law kidnaps the boss and everything turns out OK!

iris lily

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Re: Antimustachian themes in TV shows
« Reply #52 on: September 29, 2014, 12:19:19 PM »
Sons of Anarchy comment upthread: I had exactly that same reaction to the outlaws who couldn't come up with a few thousand $!