Saturday, September 21, 2019
The Reel And Real Orange City Essay Example for Free
The Reel And Real Orange City Essay Orange County in Southern California is one of the most popular counties in the United States. This is because of its economic development in the past fifty years. The county’s popularity can also be attributed to its representation in popular culture, especially the hit television drama, The O.C. In this light, this essay describes the â€Å"real†Orange County (its history, demographics, economy, and history) and the â€Å"reel†one, focusing on how it represents and stereotypes the people and values of Orange County. The objective of the essay is to answer whether the representation matched the reality. The pilot episode of the drama’s first season is considered in this essay.            Orange County was first known in the name of Vallejo de Santa, following the 1769 expedition of Gaspar de Portolà . In 1776, Mission San Juan Capistrano became the first permanent European settlement in the area. In the 1860s, a severe drought devastated cattle ranching, the area’s prevailing industry. People began to migrate to Orange County in the 1880s, after the discovery of silver in the mountains of Santa Ana. Because of this development, on March 11, 1889, the California legislature divided Los Angeles County and created Orange County as a separate political entity. Orange County takes its name from the orange orchards that used to cover its 782 squares miles, running from the Santa Ana Mountains in the east, to the Pacific coastline in the west. Oil extraction, avocados, and other citrus crops were also important to the early economy of Orange County.            The recent history of Orange County typifies the post-war boom of Southern California. Fifty years ago, the county was devoted largely to citrus groves, bean fields, and oil wells. A growing number of outsiders, however, began to discover the clean air and pastoral landscape. Aerospace and defense contractorsSouthern Californias biggest manufacturing sector before 1989brought well-paid, well-educated young professionals in search of high-quality suburban housing. In more recent years, the countys growth industries have been computer-related businesses and biotechnology.            Orange County residents, many of them newcomers to Southern California, sparked a conservative revival that espoused a strong defense, a weak federal government, virulent anti-Communism, staunch nationalism, and unabashed celebration of laissez-faire capitalism. Conservative churches such as the Central Baptist Church, right-wing organizations such as the John Birch Society, and local newspapers such as the Orange County Register offered a forum where such values were codified into political action. These and other institutions that highlighted Orange Countys cultural landscape, including Disneyland, reflected and reinforced a burgeoning middle-class revolt that crystallized in the suburban spaces of Southern California.            Orange County is one of the most populous counties in the United States, with the 2005 Census Bureau estimating the population at more than 3 million. In 2000, there were 2.8 million people, 935 thousand households, and 668 thousand families residing in Orange County, making it the second most populous county in California. The county’s population density was estimated at 1,392/km ² or 3,606/mi ². In 2005, it was estimated that 48% of the total population were non-Latino white, the Latino population was about 32.5%, the Asian population comprised 15.9%, and African Americans constituted 1.9% of the population. In addition, 58.6% of the population spoke English, 25.3% spoke Spanish, 4.7% spoke Vietnamese, 1.9% were Korean, 1.5% were Chinese or Mandarin and 1.2% spoke Tagalog as their first language. There is also a diverse population in terms of age. Thirty-three percent of are within the age 25 and 44; 27% of the population are under the age of 18, 21% are aged 45 to 64, 9.9% are 65 years of age or older, and 9% of the population are aged 18 to 24. The median age is 33 years.            There were approximately 969,500 housing units at an average density of 474/km ² or 1,228/mi ². The county is also home of a population with a diverse racial makeup. Most of the households in Orange County are composed of married couples who live together. A significant number of households had children under the age of 18 living with them. According to the Census, 10.7% of the households in the county had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.6% were non-families.            Orange County is one of the wealthiest counties in the United States. It has become a symbol of affluence around the country and around the globe. The median income for a household in the county is $61,899; the median income for a family is $75,700. By community, the median income for a household in Anaheim Hills is $120,852, Villa Park has $116,203, Tustin Foothills has $96,230, Irvine has $85,624, Newport Beach has $83,455. On the other extreme, the median income for a household in Santa Ana is $43,412, Seal Beach has $42,049, Stanton has $39,127, and Laguna Woods has $30,493. The per capita income for the county is $25,826. Approximately 10.3% of the Orange County population are below the poverty line.            Thus, given the widespread popularity of The O.C., it is interesting to look at how the above descriptions of Orange County are represented in the drama. The pilot episode of the first season begins with a dirty and unattractive Chino. Ryan is arrested for car theft and is set free because he is under 18. He is thrown out by his mother and is taken in by Sandy, a public defender to his comfortable home in Newport Beach. Here, Ryan is rescued from his â€Å"unacceptable life†in Chino and is taken to Orange County. Here, the differences between Chino and Orange County are highlighted. The color tone in the former is dark, suggesting the low socioeconomic status of the people living there; whereas Orange County is always sunny, implying the almost perfect condition of everyone.            The Orange County portrayed in the drama series is a sun-kissed paradise, where the teenage girls are slim and cellulite-free and the boys are toned and literally spotless. Even their parents have perfect white smiles set off against bronzed skin devoid of wrinkles. In fact, adolescent heartache and the odd family squabble aside, everything in Orange County is perfect. It is the sunshine Shangri-la where everyone is wealthy, the surf is always up, the sand stays pristine and the sea is nothing but deep blue.            So, one may ask: How real is The O.C.? Does it accurately or inaccurately represent Orange County? Does the representation match the reality? Well, in terms of the weather and climate, the drama accurately represents the Orange County. The local tourist board claims that it is sunny in Orange County more than 80% of the year. In addition, in terms of the representation of clothing, The O.C. matches the reality as shorts and revealing outfits are always in season.            Looking deeper, however, one can say that the reel Orange County is far from the real Orange County.            The drama really does not reflect anything about the Orange County. For many residents of the county, the show does not tell them anything valuable about where they are from. For them, it is just rich white people with pathetic problems, and that the bronzed, beauty-packed paradise depicted on the series is nothing more than a glamorous lie.            Moreover, it seems that Newport Beach, the setting for the series, is an isolated city. It is only about 15 minutes away from Santa, yet it appears in The O.C. that the two cities exist a continent away. Although the drama accurately depicts Newport Beach as a place of wealthy, conservative whites, it never ventures from this coastal community. With a population of only about 80 thousand, Newport Beach constitutes only three percent of Orange Countys population of three million. Although other Orange County neighborhoods (such as Anaheim Hills, Villa Park, Tustin Foothills, and Irvine) match Newport Beach for extravagant excess, a far more accurate representation of the county is within Santa Anas borders. When characters in The O.C. mention other county cities, they do so in disapproving tones. For example, one character cannot believe that a friend attended a rock concert in Anaheim.            The US Census has just determined that the county is now officially a majority-minority region, that is, the white population now constitute less than 50% of the total population. However, none of this diversity is reflected on The O.C. While many minorities in Orange County are struggling to make their voices heard, it seems that, sadly, some people want to make minorities in the county invisible. While the minority population in the county have been steadily increasing the past few years, no one ever talks about them. One hears Mexican music playing when he or she goes to a nice restaurant in Newport Beach. But this is not heard in The O.C. Instead, typical American songs are heard in the background. It creates an impression that people in Orange County just do not want to think about minorities operating in the community.            The drama series is a fictional entity that is being made real in Orange County through various media manipulations and societal expectations. However, whether or not this commercial reflection of the life in the county is truly authentic does not seem to tamper with the show’s popularity. After all, it is this TV program where Orange County residents can find harmony in the world’s discrepancies: it is where the troubled teen gets a perfect family and it is where the geek guy gets the girl.
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