So, it dawned on me while watching a documentary directed by an obviously well-to do upper-middle class guy, that most media is slanted towards upper-class sensibilities and perspectives more often than not. This is especially prevalent in movies and tv where the main characters are typically upper-class or even rich. I’d always had an aversion to these depictions, but I’ve never fully articulated my disillusionment with it. The problem is that these depictions of “average” families are woefully unrepresentative of your average person.
My question is: what is some media, in any format, that is informed by a working-class perspective?
I’ve found a few obvious authors out there, like Steinbeck, Bukowski and Irvine. But am interested in not only authors, but artists of all kinds and different mediums. Alternative comix and independent cinema, and things like zines spring to mind as mediums that might have more representation along those lines. Are there any specifically worker derived works that any of you can recommend?
Billy Elliot is one of those films I’d always meant to watch but never seem to finish when I start. I’ll have to seek it out again sometime soon.
It’s been awhile since I watched Firefly, so I can’t recall the show’s perspective on class, if any. I haven’t seen it in years, so maybe I’ll rewatch it. Although, I liked the show, I didn’t feel as strongly about it’s quality as others commonly do. I wonder if it’s worth a watch for me because of that.
Comic recommends are always welcome, I’ll take a look at Our Members.
Thanks for the suggestions ;)