# Hollywood's idea of being poor **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 6, 2012, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hollywoods-idea-of-being-poor/624235 "2012-06-06T03:27:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2012, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hollywoods-idea-of-being-poor/624235/121 "2012-06-08T22:04:20Z")
Not that the Simpsons makes any pretense of fiscal reality, but when I find myself needing an explanation for how they can afford something even though Homer’s paycheck seems to keep getting smaller and smaller, I tell myself that Homer is still collecting some hefty songwriting royalties from the music he’s written over the years. He’s had at least two big hits with “Baby On Board” and “Everybody Hates Ned Flanders,” and “I’m Talking Springfield” and the song he wrote about Marge’s eyes could have also been hits performed by someone else. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2012, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hollywoods-idea-of-being-poor/624235/122 "2012-06-08T22:24:34Z")
> [@iamthewalrus\_3](#): > > …Lily’s incredibly cramped single apartment in HIMYM was awesome. The bed takes up like 80% of the floor space when it’s down, and there’s a toilet in the living room. Not too mention her living from was also her kitchen and the toilet was directly across from the stove/sink/refridgerator. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2012, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hollywoods-idea-of-being-poor/624235/123 "2012-06-08T22:35:29Z")
How did Jack make rent on _Will & Grace_? Or did he just sponge completely off of Karen and Will? ---
**Author:** ![Illuminatiprimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/illuminatiprimus/32/11520_2.png) [@Illuminatiprimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Illuminatiprimus)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2012, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hollywoods-idea-of-being-poor/624235/124 "2012-06-08T22:39:42Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > 8 Mile - Eminem’s family looked pretty freakin poor. > > Most audiences wouldn’t “turn on them and blame them for their poverty”. That sounds like left-wing rhetoric. The reason they don’t show people as being utterly destitute is that unless it’s part of a plot device, it’s not relatable to the vast majority of audience members who aren’t poor. And, in fact, it can be a limiting factor in a story as a family that poor is unable to afford to do anything. What struck me about 8 mile was that the hero’s arc, if it can be called that for Eminem in that story, ultimately doesn’t lead to him being much better off. His mother wins the bingo and is able to stave off eviction for a bit, but you know her inability to manage money or (apparently) hold down a job isn’t going to make that go far. Eminem at the end is told he’s shown he’s dependable enough to have extra shifts in his factory job (a role I’d describe as unskilled labour from what I could see), but that’s it. It was so true to life it really stayed with me. You know there are millions of Americans living lives like that right now, but you just don’t hear about them because who wants to be sent on a massive buzz kill watching it in a film or TV program? That level of grinding poverty is hard to make funny (and I agree Roseanne is one of the few shows that came close). ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2012, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hollywoods-idea-of-being-poor/624235/125 "2012-06-09T01:11:22Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > Grimes is not surprised that Homer has a nice house in a town that smells. He’s outraged that he’s had to work so incredibly hard to achieve almost nothing while Homer reaps big rewards for his laziness and ineptitude. The Simpson house is far from palatial, but Grimes lives - you can’t not quote this line - “above a bowling alley and below another bowling alley.” He’s lead an absurdly hard life and understandably he is very bitter about it. That’s the reason that this is my favorite episode; that things come so easy to Homer, while Frank Grimes struggles just to get by. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2012, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hollywoods-idea-of-being-poor/624235/126 "2012-06-09T05:27:47Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > That ws Monica’s apartment, and she had to have a roommate to afford the rent. How Chandler and Joey made their rent, particularly in the beginning of the seasons when Joey was a starving actor and Chandler was just starting out, is a mystery. Chandler is said to be the richest of the Friends and he is working a white collar job throughout and one with some authority. Also, his parents are rather…rich. I suppose they could have helped and with their guilt wrt him, they may well have. ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2012, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hollywoods-idea-of-being-poor/624235/127 "2012-06-09T05:43:23Z")
**AK84** -Yeah, I wonder how much transponsters make? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Rodgers01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b19c9b/32.png) [@Rodgers01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rodgers01)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2012, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hollywoods-idea-of-being-poor/624235/128 "2012-06-09T06:54:09Z")
> [@LavenderBlue](#): > > The only misteps they made when was they tried to indulge in stereotypes about the poor. At one point the Connors get picked to be a Nielsen family and Roseanne bans all the shows Dan likes and tries to pretend she likes PBS. That was a bit phony and came across as talking down to her characters. But the rest of it was often not only realistic but brave, thoughtful and clever. I loved _Roseanne_ too, and want to defend this episode - it struck me as totally realistic that with “someone” (i.e. the Nielsen ratings) watching, Roseanne would want to class up the kind of TV shows her family watched. I’ve never seen _Sex and the City_, but does it ever indicate how wealthy Sarah Jessica Parker’s parents were? I knew quite a few 20- and 30-somethings who to all appearances lived the glamorous NYC lifestyle, as underwritten by their parents. ---
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2012, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hollywoods-idea-of-being-poor/624235/129 "2012-06-09T07:00:49Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > How did Jack make rent on _Will & Grace_? Or did he just sponge completely off of Karen and Will? He does make money somehow but its not clear how(must be under the table income though). There was an episode where Will is shocked that Jack has never paid income taxes in his life and has no ID or other identity documents adults have, rather than point out the bizarre financial situation the episode was more along the lines of hurr Jack is so stupid he doesn’t know how to be an adult.😕 ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2012, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hollywoods-idea-of-being-poor/624235/130 "2012-06-09T11:28:33Z")
> [@Rodgers01](#): > > I’ve never seen _Sex and the City_, but does it ever indicate how wealthy Sarah Jessica Parker’s parents were? I knew quite a few 20- and 30-somethings who to all appearances lived the glamorous NYC lifestyle, as underwritten by their parents. So far as I remember, Carrie’s parents are never seen nor mentioned in any way, not even when she’s having money problems. The only people she goes to for help are her three friends. ---
**Author:** ![Illuminatiprimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/illuminatiprimus/32/11520_2.png) [@Illuminatiprimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Illuminatiprimus)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2012, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hollywoods-idea-of-being-poor/624235/131 "2012-06-09T12:32:09Z")
> [@Rodgers01](#): > > I’ve never seen _Sex and the City_, but does it ever indicate how wealthy Sarah Jessica Parker’s parents were? I knew quite a few 20- and 30-somethings who to all appearances lived the glamorous NYC lifestyle, as underwritten by their parents. Carrie’s family doesn’t seem to exist according to the show, I can’t remember a time when they’re ever mentioned. I haven’t seen the final series or either of the movies, do they appear then? > [@grude](#): > > He does make money somehow but its not clear how(must be under the table income though). There was an episode where Will is shocked that Jack has never paid income taxes in his life and has no ID or other identity documents adults have, rather than point out the bizarre financial situation the episode was more along the lines of hurr Jack is so stupid he doesn’t know how to be an adult.😕 In fairness Jack was such a ludicrous character that he couldn’t exist in the real world outside of a psychiatric hospital. Focussing on this rather than his ability to exist without the basic necessities of money and ID would just strain the suspension of disbelief the audience was using to enjoy the show. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2012, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hollywoods-idea-of-being-poor/624235/132 "2012-06-09T14:10:04Z")
On _Futurama_, Fry makes such crap money at his delivery job that he has to live in a robot’s closet. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2012, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hollywoods-idea-of-being-poor/624235/133 "2012-06-09T15:00:40Z")
> [@Tom\_Tildrum](#): > > On _Futurama_, Fry makes such crap money at his delivery job that he has to live in a robot’s closet. Yes, but it’s a really \*nice \*closet. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2012, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hollywoods-idea-of-being-poor/624235/134 "2012-06-09T15:24:39Z")
> [@Double\_Foolscap](#): > > Working class = blue collar, as far as anything = anything when you’re looking at cultural equivalences. In America, you can be blue collar and middle class at the same time. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2012, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hollywoods-idea-of-being-poor/624235/135 "2012-06-09T17:08:13Z")
> [@Illuminatiprimus](#): > > What struck me about 8 mile was that the hero’s arc, if it can be called that for Eminem in that story, ultimately doesn’t lead to him being much better off. His mother wins the bingo and is able to stave off eviction for a bit, but you know her inability to manage money or (apparently) hold down a job isn’t going to make that go far. Eminem at the end is told he’s shown he’s dependable enough to have extra shifts in his factory job (a role I’d describe as unskilled labour from what I could see), but that’s it. Yes, I enjoyed how the movie didn’t end with Rabbit (Eminem) essentially just winning the hip hop lottery and signing a mega record deal with Dre. But what we see him do is embrace his background so that instead of being a source of shame that was holding him back, it becomes something he can channel into his music that gives him legitimacy. And we see that he now has a practical plan for pursueing his dream and the discipline to pursue it. A notable contrast to the pie in the sky bullshit artists, posers and hangers-on who we see surounding him throughout the film. > [@AK84](#): > > Chandler is said to be the richest of the Friends and he is working a white collar job throughout and one with some authority. Also, his parents are rather…rich. I suppose they could have helped and with their guilt wrt him, they may well have. Chandler’s job as a “transponster” appears to be a sort of mid-level IT/accounting/operations manager in some a large corporation. Such a job would more than pay for the modest circa 1990s Greenwich Village (IIRC)appartment he shares with less financialy stable Joey. Monica and Rachel’s appartment was an illegal sublet that used to belong to Monica’s grandmother. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2012, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hollywoods-idea-of-being-poor/624235/136 "2012-06-09T17:47:28Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > In America, you can be blue collar and middle class at the same time. In TV/Movie world, the classes can be identified as follows: -Beyond poor: Homeless people. Unshaven and unwashed. Live on the street with a soup can collecting change. Usually drunk. Typically used either as a plot device in a “learn to appreciate the wisdom of some homeless guy” story or as comic effect to indicate a character has hit rock bottom. -Minority Poor: Black or Hispanic stereotypes living in a ghetto/projects. Typically used as a “trying to get out of here” plot device or to tell the story of someone’s struggle or as the backdrop for crime films. Sometimes used in a “fish out of water” story. -Poor White Trash Poor: rednecks living in trailers or dilapadated homes with cars on blocks in unkempt yards. Usually used for comic effect. -20 Something Hipster Poor: Modest Manhattan appartment. Always dressed super causual. Often no discernable income or strugling artist, yet still able to live in Soho and throw big parties and hang out in hipster bars. Typical indie film young people trying to make it in NYC or romantic comedy story. -Working Class: Blue collar jobs in municipalities, construction, food services, etc. Row houses in industrial towns or ethnic neighborhoods (Southie, Brighton Beach, Pennsylvania steel towns). Often thick provincial accents. Lots of scenes in bars. Also used primary as a “trying to get out of here” plot device or as a backdrop for crime films. -Middle Class: Non-descript, generic corporate, jobs. Modest suburban homes that are always a bit of a mess. Typical American family problems and dynamic. Dad was ex footbal jock. Mom usually still hot. Children often wise beyond their years. Most common sitcom configuration. -White Upper Middle Class: Doctors, lawyers, stock broker, mid-level corporate executives. Nice suits. Went to some well known university. Typically a luxury appartment or McMansion style house. Used as either a story about doctors / lawyers or as a foil for lower class characters. -Black Upper Middle Class: Even more pretentious than Rich White Dudes. Always wear suits. Well groomed and ridiculously handsome and articulate. Typical Tyler Parry film character. -Rich White Dudes: Over the top pretentious and powerful. Huge mansion. Beach houses. Porches. Yachts. Chauffeured car. Always wearing a three piece suit (even if they don’t seem to ever actually go into the office. Typically identified as “high powered lawyer”, CEO, investment banker, studio executive or just “billionare”. “Socioeconomically speaking, Kenneth, you’re more like an inner city latina.” -Jack Donaghy ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2012, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hollywoods-idea-of-being-poor/624235/137 "2012-06-09T19:18:27Z")
> [@Double\_Foolscap](#): > > The Simpsons are on their fifth mortgage, however, and Abe helped them out initially by selling the family farm. And it’s still pretty rough: Homer: Er, I need another extension on my mortgage payments. Bank Manager: I understand that, Mr. Simpson, but according to our computer, your credit history is not good. It says here that you’ve been predeclined for every major credit card. It also says that you once grabbed a dog by the hind legs and pushed him around like a vacuum cleaner. Homer: That was in the third grade! Manager: Yeah, well, it all goes on your permanent record. I’m sorry, but if you don’t come up with that money by tomorrow, the bank is going to take your house. Homer: Well, good luck finding it, because I’m going to take the numbers off tonight! Manager: Well, we’ll look for the house with no numbers. Homer: Then I’ll take off the numbers on my neighbor’s house. Manager: So, well then we’ll look for the house _next_ to the house with no numbers. Homer: [thinks for a bit] All right, you’ll get your money. ---
**Author:** ![pancakes3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ba9def/32.png) [@pancakes3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pancakes3)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2012, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hollywoods-idea-of-being-poor/624235/138 "2012-06-10T03:38:48Z")
Dental plan… Lisa needs braces. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hollywoods-idea-of-being-poor/624235.md?page=6)