Most writers whether books or movies often depict some mainstream standards (trends which are comic and mimic) in order to keep the reader reading more and thus, mainstreams act as a marketing strategy for them. They often portray characters that tend to move away or deviate from their main stream standards. The deviation from the practices that a character is accustomed to, deviation from the beliefs and the values that they hold or the adherence of the same is referred to as citizenship. An individual’s citizenship may be reflected in their race, the amount of wealth that they hold, as well as the values that they are attached to. Individuals who have a high level of citizenship are said to beholding on to their mainstream standards while those that have a lower level of citizenship are seen as moving away from their mainstream standards.
The Bill Cosby movie on “The Cosby Show” and Charlie Sheen on “Two and a Half Men” clearly demonstrates characters that differ as well as resemble each other as far as their citizenship is concerned. “The Cosby show” is a television comedy that is about the Huxtable family. Doctor Huxtable and Clair Huxtable is a happily married couple who are raising their children (Christian Cinema.com Inc 2012). The couples have a successful career as the wife is also an attorney. The couple struggles to strike and balance between their career which is very successful and raising their five children. All the five children are of different age and therefore have different problems (IMDB.com Inc 2012). Their children eventually get married and as they get older, the family continues to enlarge. Cosby is the main character in the show as he plays the character of both a father to the children and as a wife. In this comedy show “The Cosby Show”, Cosby behaves in a way that shows that he is upholding the mainstream standards.
He is however seen to be moving away from the standards as he is a black American. He is seen to be found of his family and he also acts as a role model to his children where he behaves as a strict father. The fact that he has a family and a wife shows he is a family leaning man. He is seen to be living happily with the family because he is upholding the values, beliefs and the practices of the mainstream standards which he reflects to his family.
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The “Two and a Half Men” by Charlie Sheen movie displays two brothers who are Charlie and Allan. These two brothers are completely opposite of each other. They have only one thing in common which is their dislike for their mother, Evelyn. Alan is chased away by his wife Judith who also allows him to pay for all the bills and do all the chores in the house. Charlie, on the other hand, lives in a beautiful beach house and only wakes up at noon.
Charlie is not seen as having family values as he is a bachelor and goes through many relationships without settling on any of them. He spends more time with women as opposed to settling down with one and having a family together. Allan is seen to be holding up to the mainstream standards as he strictly follows the family values and does not deviate from the mainstream standards like his brother Charlie. Charlie welcomes his brother Allan into his house after the divorce together with his son Jake.
Allan has a hard time raising his son Jake and his brother Charlie who teaches him boyish staff on the other hand (Vissers 2003). Allan is depicted in the movie as struggling to bring up his son Jake in an environment away from his mother and where the uncle spoils him with boyish things and as being broke to an extend he finally sells the house of his brother when his brother dies. Charlie on the other hand is depicted as one who is trying to struggle with life and does not seem to settle down with one wife.
In these two episodes, the aspect of citizenship is very evident. Both main characters, that is, Cosby and Charlie are seen as wealthy and being in a position as of holding the mainstream standards in a family setup as they can be able to support one. Cosby is seen to be deviating from the mainstream standards as he is a black American and Charlie does not seem to pay much keen interest in holding the family values. We can, therefore, conclude that one would be better off in a family setup where he adheres to the mainstream standards than to deviate from them as deviation in most cases results to a cost implication (McDonald 2002).
