Abstract Summary
Television is often used to promote dominant ideologies and to define social and cultural norms and expectations. Reality television has been has been singled out by scholars and critics because its supposedly “real” content is in fact intentionally structured and presented to emphasize ideologies related to social norms and cultural stereotypes. Game shows, while often overlooked, play a significant role in promoting dominant ideologies. Such shows frequently emphasize social expectations through their contestants, hosts, and quiz questions. If reality TV highlights societal norms and stereotypes via the actions of its participants, game shows are also able to share expectations via the types of questions asked, the casting of hosts, the ways in which hosts interact with the contestants, and other components of the show. Of particular concern are the stereotypes about intelligence and knowledge that these shows promote. This presentation takes two popular game shows, Jeopardy! and Family Feud, as case studies for analyzing social ideologies surrounding knowledge in quiz shows. These shows promote the assumption that certain types of information are suitable knowledge for certain types of people. These assumptions promote highly racialized ideologies.
