Confronting racial prejudice: The ideological implications of racial conflict on ABC's Wife Swap

초록

Through an in-depth analysis of an episode of Wife Swap, this study examines the ideological implications of racial conflict on the lifestyle makeover show. Wife Swap constantly addresses the viewers as individuals who must abandon their own racial prejudice rather than members of racial groups who need to reflect on their racial conditions. Although audiences were able to critique racial stereotypes and prejudice on Wife Swap, their critical reading did not move much beyond the conventional critique of stereotypes, but remained primarily within the boundaries set by the neo-liberal discourse. While white and non-white respondents defined racism differently, their readings all involved rearticulating the essence of the racial ideology; in other words, abandoning racial prejudice to resolve racial problems, as indicated by the fact that the respondents criticized racially prejudiced spouses, yet spoke highly of the their transformation into 'good citizens' (e.g., overcoming individual prejudice) toward the end of the show.

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