In the few days after though that I was reflecting on both season three and Hart of Dixie as a whole, I started to realize the ways that race is presented in the show. I think that the theme of race is actually shown in a very positive light in Hart of Dixie, but perhaps so positive that it can be unrealistic (kind of like how the show Modern Family was called out for its unrealistic portrayal of class). But first I should probably explain it a little bit more about what the show is about!
The main character in Hart of Dixie is a young doctor from New York City named Zoe Hart. She is fresh out of medical school when the show begins, and pursuing residencies. She is unable to get the residency that she wanted at a hospital in NYC, and ends up getting sent to a tiny little town called Bluebell in the Gulf Coast region of Alabama instead, to work at a family doctor's practice. The whole experience is a huge culture shock for Zoe, and the television show is centered around her new life in the Deep South, as well as the lives of some of the other "characters" of Bluebell (characters in quotation marks because for such a small town it has a lot of interesting residents!).
Hart of Dixie is a dramedy that airs on the CW network, and as to be expected with most CW shows there are some love triangles each season, and sometimes the plot lines do get a little bit goofy. But overall I am so impressed with this show. I feel that I can relate a lot of the character of Zoe, as I am a Northern girl who moved down south for college. I enjoy the fact that this show can be laugh-out-loud funny, and then at other times it can tackle real life issues in a very real and serious way. And another perk: I always have a fondness for any televsion show that can successfully integrate a good flash mob into each season! :-)
But as far as racial themes in Hart of Dixie, this is where things get a bit interesting. As I stated earlier, Hart of Dixie is set in a (fictional) very small town located on Alabama's Gulf Coast. The town of Bluebell, Alabama is displayed in the show as being a mix between lower middle and upper middle class. There are a significant number of reccurring characters on Hart of Dixie who are black, and one of the show's leads is also black. The lead character that is black is the town's mayor, former NFL player Lavon Hayes (who also becomes Zoe's best friend in the show). The Mayor's home is a large former Southern plantation house, and Mayor Hayes is seen as being very affluent from his former career as an NFL football player. The other black characters in Hart of Dixie are seen as being business owners in the town of Bluebell, or just average middle class citizens that are no different from their white neighbors. There are enough reccurring black characters on the show to present the picture that the town is equally divided racially (and there is even an Asian reccurring character in the first season). But yet there seem to be no racial tensions in the town of Bluebell whatsoever, and interracial dating also happens between characters and appears to be widely accepted.
Another observation that I made is that the few poor citizens of Bluebell (or the surrounding towns in the Gulf Coast area) that are shown in the show are always white, and very much fit the stereotype of "white trash." They all very much fit the country lifestyle, and all live in run-down houses on the outskirts of town or in the woods. A couple of these minor white trash type characters also have drinking problems. I find it interesting that the creators of this television show chose to make the few impoverished characters shown in Hart of Dixie to all be of a certain stereotype (and a white stereotype as well).
Lastly, another observation on race further within Bluebell's social circles. Within the town of Bluebell, the official women's society is the Bluebell Belles, which is almost like an exclusive sorority type group for the young housewives of the town. The members of the Belles varies slightly between seasons of the show, but there are usually an equal number of black and white members. Each Belle comes from an affluent household, and this is seen through each of the characters' wardrobes, as well as discussions of the types of dues that the Belles have to pay to be members and the elaborate events that they're always throwing. From a personal standpoint, I think it's wonderful to see that the Belles are made up equally of black and white members!! Like within the rest of the show, there doesn't appear to be any racial tension between members. (Of course the Belles do have their share of drama [it is a women's society after all!] but none of it seems to be racially based). But when looking at the Bluebell Belles racially from a realistic standpoint, I'm not sure that the creators have done an accurate job of making this organization seem realistic. Alabama is a state in the South where racial tensions in established organizations still run high even today. In fact, it was just this past year that the University of Alabama had to make an official school-wide rule that banned racial segregation as a practice during Panhellenic sorority recruitment (Read more about that here). Personally, I think it is great to see a group like the Bluebell Belles that are so tightly connected and don't seem to discriminate for their membership at all based on race... but sadly I'm not sure if that is quite realistic, based on the real-life version of the world in where the show is set.
In closing, I have two statements that I would like to state:
1. Comm 348 is definitely making me analyze the types of pop culture that I enjoy watching/reading/listening to... whether I like it or not (as in the case of questioning how race is displayed in Hart of Dixie). I guess that means that I'm definitely getting something out of this class!
2. Hart of Dixie is a GREAT show. I think that everyone should watch it, or at least give it a try. The first couple episodes might seem to be a little much but I promise that before the middle of season one you will be hooked! I have gotten several of my friends back home in Maine addicted to it, and they're currently finishing season three on Netflix so we have all been texting non-stop (so it's proven to be a way for us to stay in touch!). The first three seasons are on Netflix and season four premieres on the CW network this winter.
-Annaliese
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