Social class is one of the most pursued sociological aspects of urban families with clear lines being established across the social categories (Kendall, 2009). Apparently, the modern family is one of the TV programs that elucidate the daily experiences of a middle-class family in the suburbs of Los Angeles. The central theme is the middle social class, and it gives the daily livelihoods, decisions, and family attributes that can be evident in any typical middle-class family. TV shows are a phenomenal way of presenting sociological attributes of different people, through the use of verbal and nonverbal cues. Jay Pritchet is the head of the modern family, which is composed of individuals with different sociological attributes. For instance, the nature of the family is nuclear, with same-sex marriage evident in the program. Therefore, ‘Modern family’ reveals much about the way the middle-class family regards the mainstream culture by embracing social discourses within its functioning. Moreover, the theme of the TV show is evident from the distinctive characteristics that give the true nature of a middle-class family.
In this regard, the TV program is an embodiment of the structures that make up a middle-class family. For example, the family has their own house and is not dependent on the exploitative real estate entities. In addition, the family enjoys various middle-class luxuries like playing golf and other posh games. Jay Pritchet and his family have also been ordained with white-collar jobs that provide them with luxuries specific to their social status. A successful business is also a characteristic of the middle social class (Kendall, 2009). Holistically, the producer of the TV program does not overlook the clothing trends among the middle-class families by showing that suits are a necessity. Other characteristic attributes that establish the modern family under social class is that they are adequately educated and financially stable.
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In this regard, the characteristics that are evident in the middle class cannot be associated with other social classes. The family members in the TV program must accord themselves with the stereotypes awarded to their social class since they are the accepted characteristics that they should possess. For instance, Jay Pritchet and his family walk gracefully to complement their luxurious living and dressing codes. Moreover, the TV show gives high angled shots to the characters to depict the exquisite living attributes that the family is accorded. However, the essence of intrinsic characteristics cannot adequately promote the social class theme without the use of nonverbal cues.
The nonverbal cues enhance the understanding of social classes in the modern family. Moreover, verbal signals are employed in the TV program to depict the true nature of social class attributes in modern families. For example, the quality of the voice used in the TV program is characterized by a low rate of speaking, which is rather authoritative. The voices have a regular intonation and medium pitch to show that the family has attained some level of satisfaction in their living. Nonverbal strategies used in the TV program include body language as family members interact with each other and other members of their immediate society. Nonverbal communication in the TV program plays a prominent role in seconding the verbal attributes of the middle sociological class. Further, the nonverbal elements portray the emotional qualities of the sociological class (Mehrabian, 2017).
For example, graceful movement and frequent contact with family members gives the level of affection in the middle sociological class (Mehrabian, 2017). Moreover, in interacting with other members of a lower or upper sociological class, the characters in the program show an involuntary change in their body language, like folding arms, and making gestures with their arms. Facial expressions are also common among the members of the modern family program, and they are used to show the level of anger, happiness, and joy among the characters. In addition, the use of facial expressions used to illustrate the nature of middle-class individuals achieves uttermost competence because emotional attributes can be easily seen from the reaction of characters to different situations. Especially in instances where their class stereotyping is undermined, anger is evident on the faces of members of the family. Lastly, facial expressions in the TV program are used to show the fear status of characters when confronted by different situations.
The mode of dressing is one of the oldest nonverbal cues that someone can associate with a specific social class (Mehrabian, 2017). Indeed, each social class has particular codes of dressing which advance the noticeability of their social affiliation in public. Well-pressed suits and high-quality clothes are some of the clothing attributes that are associated with the middle class (Mehrabian, 2017). In the modern family TV program, the essence of dressing is heavily emphasized, with characters attaining a specific dressing mode. Causal clothing is strictly restricted to gaming activities and other social events that involve people from the middle class. The young people in the TV program have an arrogant attitude, which is a typical attribute for the middle-class individuals.
Ultimately, nonverbal cues complement the verbal strategies that individuals use in their daily conversation. The type of nonverbal strategies used can directly associate a person with their distinctive social affiliation. The bottom line is TV programs like modern family, use concise communication strategies to bring out the true nature of people within a specific social class. Ideally, the communication strategies are not only limited to social class but also other sociological attributes that affect human beings.
References
Kendall, D. E. (2009). Sociology in our times . Belmont, Calif: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.
Mehrabian, A. (2017). Nonverbal communication . New York: Routledge,
