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Not according to conventional wisdom in the political media, no.

The distinction should be based on what percentage of your regular net income is earned vs. passive.

Michael is working class for all but about half of one season. He doesn't own any stake in Dunder Mifflin.

In the 1960s some people thought witches were real because of the TV show Bewitched.

Michael Scott is literally management.

All white folks, but surprisingly 50/50 cis women and cis men. Intersections and bias always matter in data tho, so this is still Hella skewed.

Roseanne's an interesting case in the original (I didn't watch any post-90s episodes), because for most of its run Dan owns a drywall business or a motorcycle shop, so he's an OWNER and not a worker, but the family's still broke all the time because his businesses aren't particularly successful

The Pitt is an interesting example, because as the Chief of Emergency Medicine, Dr. Robby almost certainly makes about $500k a year and most people would not call that "Working Class." The nurses are probably in the $70-100k range, and the residents less while they're in training.

I wonder if The Pitt is successful because it's a return to an optimistic, (largely) competent workplace show?

I'd be interested to hear more about Reacher in this case. Is it that he's unemployed? (technically retired)

I think the last five shows you name are all off the air too, just more recently. Though I agree a lot of those would be fun ones.

leslie knope isn’t working class ?!?!?

47% not knowing who Leslie Knope is the real find in this data. Far too few people know the treasure that is Parks & Rec.

It's wild that Walter White, a highschool teacher who couldn't afford his cancer treatments, isn't considered working class at the same level as Homer and Hank Hill

Not to mention he opted for Saudi money

I think most people are thinking of the original run of the show where he was merely a propane and propane accessories salesman

Homer owns the Denver Broncos.

Yeah this seems like it's as much a graph about how popular different TV shows as anything else.

No, that can't be true

reflective of the demographic that answers polls

She's had a resurgence as a style icon, that might be a factor

TBH, there's a good chance a lot of the responders were like "...oh, it's about a nanny, she must be working class". *Dr* Meredith Grey probably got the opposite because she's listed as being a doctor.

How did Fran afford those outfits

My favorite part of polls like this is the "definitely" answers that are definitely 100% wrong. The blend of ignorance and overconfidence is just such an American thing.

The correct answer was “Frank Grimes”

I mean I think that's the confusion the survey is trying to get at. Liz Lemon is a workaholic but she's also a successful TV producer who owns the IP of a successful (and renewed for 7+ years) TV show and it's probable she doesn't *have* to work as hard as she does, she could retire at any time

Meredith Grey is on the hospital's board of directors

Draper is a partner eventually, but that’s a deeper cut.

And Peter Griffin works as a beer factory staff at some times but it is heavily suggested that he essentially does not need to because his wife is the heir to an old money fortune, so it's more cosplay for him

I mean, that’s basically how Marx and Engels defined it, so… 🤷🏻‍♂️ “[The bourgeoisie] has converted the physician, the lawyer, the priest, the poet, the man of science, into its paid wage labourers….Thus the proletariat is recruited from all classes of the population.”

This is the marxist definition of the proletariat but usually "working class" is not used in that way.

Lorelai is probably the toughest one on the list. She’s been poor at some point, depending on the season she is either an employee or a business owner, and she has easy access to old money with extreme wealth

The Gilmores fit fairly well in the 19th century concepts that Marx used. They are bourgeois, people who get to be boss because they control business. Lorelai is petite bourgeois, a boss who has to work alongside their employees. Lorelai genuinely stuck in the working class would be too grim

Thanks I never watched Gilmore girls

this is a real "charlie brown had hos" skeet

In the original run of the show, he was merely a salesman. In the latest round of the show, he is a majority owner in that store. So his class status has changed between the two series.

Hank does not become an owner/manager until *next* season, as in literally this season they ended on that note & change. Hank is only guilty of being able to do the "American dream" of one full-time working parent b/c of the time frame he was able to do it in (sorry for spoilers to any who cared)

in the final episode of the most recent revival season he becomes a business owner

Also as I remembered later he did own some car washes which were definitely the source of his income and not at all a front for any sort of criminal enterprise

There are billionaires that work at the companies they own. The term appears to be useless since people define it so variedly.

Maybe they needed to be more specific by providing their considered occupation? The data is.... many things, but useless.

Peter Griffin and Don Draper on the same list is wild

How about Roy Kent? Working class background and no college, but very wealthy now.

> Academics and pollsters often use college education to define the "Working class" They do? Anyways, Homer, Don Draper and Dr. Grey are Working class Hank Hill and Walter White are Petit Bourgeois Leslie Knope and Micheal Scott are managerial class Peter Griffin is a trophy husband to old money

Michael Scott was also constantly badmouthing anything that came "from corporate," which is similar to how an oligarch like Trump ran as an anti-system politician.

The "Net" statistic is completely useless if you're not going to take out the "don't know who this character is" group and then normalize. Also I shouldn't have to explain this, as y'all got degrees in this and are paid for this. Very amateur.

The show has been going on for DECADES. She's been a high level member of the surgical staff for a long time now.

ok but like. We talking S1 Walter White or S5 Walter White?

Then she needs to negotiate a raise.

Who did they ask that offered up “The Nanny”?!?!

... Is this REALLY the best use of yore time and resources?