4, & 3, & 2, &... Hillary?

Hillary Clinton is “Broad City” Approved

There’s no doubt that television can be influential, but the question is, how big of a role does it play in swaying our opinions? This is definitely something to consider when we look at Clinton’s appearance on the hit show Broad City. The late night Comedy Central show depicts the comedic experiences of two women in their mid-20’s, and their hectic lives in New York City. It’s easy to get engrossed by the chaos and hilarity that the two women face. The show has successfully appealed to a large audience, and in particular young adults, using scandal and crude humor. The episode "2016" depicts one of the lead characters, Ilana Wexler, volunteering for Hillary Clinton’s campaign while on a job search. The choice to have Clinton appear on the show was questioned by fans, and many were left feeling like the show had misjudged their demographic. Even though there was some discomfort, was the approval of Abbi and Ilana enough to make an impact on voters?

According to James D Halloran in his article The Social Effects on Television, TV was considered such powerful influence that there was a common fear of people being persuaded or manipulated into adopting almost any point of view. Today, we can see a major difference in the way television is interpreted. We understand that it is crucial to take everything you see on screen with a grain of salt. There is considered to be more of an exchange between medium and audience today, and the viewer has the chance to incorporate a filter into what they watch or experience. This filter is complicated and has allowed us to question or challenge the way television may present ideas. Halloran goes on to say that “Television may provide models for identification, confer status on people and behavior, spell out norms, define new situations, provide stereotypes, set frameworks of anticipation and indicate levels of acceptability, tolerance and approval" (Halloran, p385). Television can work as a depiction of the world we live in, but it does not hold the power to completely manipulate our beliefs. Halloran goes on to say that research shows that it is possible that a program may cause short term change in attitude about certain topics that were covered, but generally there is no change at an overall level. So although television is a significant influence, it does not have the power to completely convert our opinions.

If it is true that television can play a role in persuading a person’s attitude towards a certain subject, at least for short amount of time, then that means there could be a serious benefit in terms of politics. As a politician, could making an appearance on a hit show close to election time be enough to encourage voters? For the Clinton campaign, appearing on like Broad City sounds like a great opportunity. The Comedy Central show has become incredibly popular, especially with its main demographic of younger adults. Displaying Clinton in a comedic light to potential voters, all while promoting certain aspects of her campaign seems like a great plan.

There was only one issue: to fans, it just seemed too odd. Being two Jewish women from New York, and bringing up issues of social justice and the legalization of weed throughout the show, some considered the choice to openly promote Hillary too out of character. It was also questioned if this could have been an attempt by Clinton’s campaign to find a way to reach out to a younger demographic, one that’s well known to be overwhelmingly in favor of Hillary’s opponent, Bernie Sanders. As fans watched the two women on the the show swoon over Clinton, they weren’t persuaded to to feel the same way. One of the big complaints that fans seemed to have over the appearance was that there was too much of push to promote Hillary for the election. This appearance wasn’t your regular celebrity appearance, but it made sure to push Hillary’s policies. There’s one scene in particular that’s dedicated to explicitly laying out what Clinton stands for. The scene begins by one of Clinton’s campaign managers reciting: “Just remind (the voters) succinctly that a vote for Hillary is a vote for the working class.” Ilana even jumps in to add, “And minorities. You know, your caramels, your queers, your Ls, your Gs, your Bs, your Ts, your Qs. Vets, right? Babies. The handi-capable!” Some were left with the feeling that they had just watched an unsuccessful product placement. This is only topped by a scene where Hillary herself is greeted by an overwhelmed Abbi and Ilana.

Some weren’t surprised by Hillary’s appearance. In fact, this isn’t the first time producer Amy Poehler has worked to bring political cameos on screen. In 2015, Poehler's character Leslie Knope, from the acclaimed show Parks and Recreation, was shown to adore Vice President Joe Biden when we appeared on the show.

With the premiere of the episode, creator and co-star Abbi Jacobson has come out to take the stance that Broad City is not trying to make a political statement by having Hillary on the show. She states that “Regardless of where we stand — and we love Hillary — Hillary is such an iconic figure. That’s someone that, being around someone like that, these girls being around her is not an everyday thing” (Graham, 2016). Although this may be the case, many are unconvinced just by how the show seems to push for Hillary, it becomes very clear the political view the show is taking. The show sets the agenda for the audience by overtly depicting the girls support.

Media and television has become one of the strongest influences in our world, and it can play a major role in the way we view our society around us. Its impact is one thing we do not underestimate, but we have come to a point where the dialog it creates can be just as influential. Today we incorporate a filter to the media we consume, and the fact that many fans have come out to display their discomfort with the cameo made by Hillary may work against the persuasive message the Clinton Campaign may have aimed for. This shows that today, even the approval of iconic television show characters may not be enough to sway fans.

Sources

Halloran, James D. (1970) On the Social Effects of Television. Cultural Studies. (pp. 384-388)

Graham, T., & Bozell, L., III. (2016). Comedy Central is basically a Hillary Clinton SuperPAC. Retrieved April 11, 2016, from http://nypost.com/2016/03/18/comedy-central-is-basically-a-hillary-clinton-superpac/