"TV talk"

While reading Chapter 2 of "Television, Ethnicity and Cultural Change" by Marie Gillespie, I was struck by one of her methods of observing how television is interpreted by the Punjabi teenage students in Southall, England. It had never struck me how important these conversations are between friends and how these discussions guide these kids in how to interpret the various social issues including gender roles and especially family issues that contradict the mainstream British values. It made me look back and think of the various conversations that I had with friends in high school and what we discussed. Personally, Family Guy and South Park were two major television shows that my friends and I discussed. I now see how much more likely I am to accept humor in showcasing and pointing out issues in society than those who may not have watched these shows. Instead of watching MTV with the gender stereotypes rampant in many music videos, we watched shows that tried to make a point and made us more likely to be informed about these issues. I suggest reading this book, especially if you're interested in ethnographic research.