why the hell am I watching Below Deck?

Written by Todd Schoepflin and originally appearing in Creative Sociology.

Below Deck is a show on Bravo that my wife and I watch together. I've been asking myself why I watch this show. I think I have answers. For one, it's about money and social class. Rich people chart a yacht for leisure and luxury. It's a variation on the theme of Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous. For whatever reason, it's interesting to watch rich people hang out on a boat and be served upscale food. Maybe I'm jealous. Maybe I picture myself having the $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ to vacation like this in my next lifetime. I do like when the crew makes fun of the guests behind their backs.

Another factor is sexual intrigue. There is sexual tension on the yacht and sexual tension makes for good television. The most recent episode I watched included a liaison in the laundry room between two crew members. One of the participants, named Rocky, is a feisty and funny woman who in earlier episodes seemed close to a sexual encounter with Emile, a young man who seemed all too eager for sexual shenanigans. Rocky seems like a breakout star in the making. I wouldn't be surprised if she gets her own reality show after this season or at least is cast in a more high-profile show.

It's not all about sex. There's general fighting and bickering that occurs between crew members. Kate, the serious and always on her game crew member, is constantly busting the chops of chef Leon and accusing him of not trying hard enough to please the guests. Leon defends his culinary skills and tells Kate he doesn't like her, and usually does just enough in the kitchen to make the guests happy. I guess it's fun to watch people fight at work.

One more thing. There is drinking. Lots of drinking. The guests party. The crew parties. A deck hand named Dane showed up for a few episodes but was kicked off the yacht for excessive drinking. He was let go by Captain Lee, the cranky leader who demands high-level performance from his crew. The steady Captain displays a soft side in providing compliments and positive reinforcement at just the right times. He also distributes tip money to the crew that guests leave when they depart, usually in the $15,000 range. 15 large, baby!

So there you have it. Money. Rich people. Good-looking crew. Sex. Drinking. Arguing. Some of your basic ingredients in a 21st century reality show. Get your popcorn ready! And then get back to your normal life, buddy!

The Unequal States of America

The Economic Policy Institute just released a report describing growth in income inequality since the early 20th century across American states. In describing such changes, it provides an interactive showing relative gains/losses for income groups (1% versus 99%) by state.

Facebook for Rich

"Netropolitan: The online country club for people with more money than time" is being offered for a first-year membership fee of $9,000 ($3,000 annual renewal thereafter) as a Facebook of sorts for the rich.

Why should you join? As noted on website:
 Netropolitan is:
- Worldwide: Meet like-minded individuals from across the globe who share your lifestyle and interests
- Private and Secure: The entire service is inaccessible from the public Internet, including search engines. All member transmissions to and from Netropolitan are encrypted
- Ad-Free: Absolutely no third-party or display advertising is sold or shown, and the service pushes no paid promotions to its members. (However, we do allow businesses to create groups and members to advertise to each other, under strict guidelines)
- Moderated: The Netropolitan community is continually monitored by the company’s own professional moderators, ensuring readily-available help and a pleasant and courteous experience for all
- Always available: In addition to polished desktop and laptop interfaces, members can connect via special versions for tablets and mobile web browsers and also via apps (coming soon) for Android and iOS phones You can use The Netropolitan Club for any purpose – personal, business, professional.

Netropolitan is what you make it. Welcome to The Club.

Further details are available at http://netropolitan.info/ Also see this CNN story: http://www.cnn.com/2014/09/16/tech/social-media/netropolitan-social-media/

wealth inequality: perceptions and reality

Although uploaded to YouTube last November, this animated video has gone viral in recent days. It provides a graphic overview about current inequalities in the U.S. by considering disparities in wealth in terms of (a.) how Americans think wealth is actually distributed, (b.)  how Americans believe wealth should be distributed, and (c.) how wealth is actually distributed. Of particular note is the great discrepancy between perceptions and beliefs versus reality: actual wealth inequality is so much greater than how we perceive it to be distributed and how we believe it should be ideally distributed. The video is an excellent example of how video can transform complex, abstract ideas into compelling, understandable terms. Read this story in the Daily Kos for the possible role of such videos in sparking public action and social change. For a conservative critique of the video, see this article from National Review Online. 

income inequality: who are the 1%?

Deemed the unholy opposition by the OWS movement, a recent article in The Economist provides a brief overview of this emergent social category in terms of income, estimated wealth, occupational background, educational attainment, as well as party affiliation and political beliefs.