First published May 7, 2019. In press., We analyzed comedy series for food and beverage references, with particular attention to their type of presentation, along with the characteristics of actors associated with the references. Because the generally positive tone of comedy series can exert affective influence over audiences, the result that clearly unhealthy products appeared more often (food: 51.6%; beverage: 40.5%) than clearly healthy ones (food: 11.2%; beverage: 19.6%) could be especially problematic. Moreover, women (56.5%; men: 47.4%) and African American characters (62.7%; Caucasians: 51.5%; Other: 44.7%) were significantly more often associated with unhealthy foods, which could prompt stereotypes of such individuals.
" Who can lament the passing of perpetual risk and fear, anyway? But probably we have lost something profound if corporate culture, like corporate farming, has eroded our lively old democratic pleasure in storytelling."
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 183 Document Number: C37294
Notes:
See C37280 for original, Page 15 in Fred Myers, Running the gamut: writings of Fred Myers, journalist and 50-year members, American Agricultural Editors' Association. Fred Myers, publishers, Florence, Alabama. 125 pages.
