Negotiating Identity and Working Class Struggles in NBC’s Superstore

Leaving class behind?

“…As Holly Willson Holladay notes, “[t]he two primary tenets of neoliberal thought—meritocracy and individualism—are narratives of success that inevitably blame the working class” for their socioeconomic distress (Holladay, 2019, 195). Media preoccupation with the individual in both news and fiction programs directs audience attention from structural inequality to personal flaws, normalizing “neoliberal economic policies and associated ideologies of individualism, personal responsibility, and upward mobility” (Bratslavsky, 2019, 210). The moral assumption of the neoliberal market logic that lower income represents lower moral value legitimates the suffering of the poor (Sandel, 2020, chap.…”

“…Toni’s dental self‐care thus elevates her as an individual above the white trash stereotypes around her (Wallace, 2011, 65). Wallace’s characterization of Toni conveys what Lauren Bratslavsky identifies as neoliberal cultural texts’ stigmatizing message that “to be poor and white is validated only when striving to improve one’s condition and take care of one’s body, voice, and manners”—a message that bolsters the ideologies of meritocracy and individualism (Bratslavsky, 2019, 210).…”

Teaching economics using scenes from <i>Superstore</i>

“…Superstore has been recognized among academics (Kellner and Share 2019) for its portrayal of class differences, which can be useful in the economics classroom when discussing inequality or labor-related issues. The show has also been identified as a way that the media can promote democracy and equality (Bratslavsky 2019), which has been a growing area of importance for economics educators (Al-Bahrani 2020). One of the recurring themes throughout the series is the tradeoff between efficiency and equity, a debate that some instructors find beneficial when discussing policy implications (Okun 1975).…”