Recently I set my dvr to record the most recent episode of CBS's popular new reality show Undercover Boss in an attempt to see why this show is garnering such high ratings. What I discovered in looking at the show is how it relies on two themes in an attempt to sell the image of America's corporate CEO's as "real" people to viewers. By crafting an image of these individuals each week that celebrates the notion of the "American Dream" as still possible even in these drastic economic times, and showing them to be more humane and capable of "noblisse oblige" the show in effect makes these CEO's seem as if they are the victim of a crime that they in turn had no knowledge or impact on.
The rhetoric of the voiceover narration plays up the victim angle while also trying to tap into the current rage over the greed and excesses of corporate America. "The economy is going through tough times. Many hardworking Americans blame wealthy CEO's who are out of touch with what's going on in their companies for the current ill state of the economy." The narration continues stating that these "extreme times call for extreme measures." The extreme measures which the narrator discusses is the going undercover of corporate CEO's in order to see how their employees and businesses are responding to the crisis. What first seems like a noble calling is then shown to be nothing more than a gimmick that is used to sell the idea that corporate CEO's bare no guilt for the exploitation of the capital system and that if someone is willing to work really hard in America than anything is possible. Still, it is vital to the show to depict the CEO's as flawed individuals who in fact are more damaged by their access to power and wealth than the average worker.
When these bosses go undercover as in this past Sunday night's episode we see the bosses take on a role that allows them to see their business from the bottom rung of the ladder. This week's episode focused on the story of the CEO of the Herschend Family Entertainment company that is the largest family owned theme park company in America. In the episode the CEO disguises himself as a recently laid off auto worker who is bouncing around the country trying to find steady work. Along the way, we are treated to a visual tour of the company's signature parks: Stone Mountain in Georgia and Silver Dollar City in Branson, Missouri that not only shows the worker's struggles but also serves to advertise the parks. While working at Silver Dollar City the CEO meets a young man named Albert who is poor and is shown to possess a keen sense of architecture. The CEO says "I see a lot of Albert in myself. I grew up poor and just got a few lucky breaks." Later on the CEO uses the information he gleans from this experience and his position to help some of his employees.
Still, what one sees in examining this show is that it is intent on selling ideology to American viewers. As Zizek notes throughout his work on ideology and capitalism the danger of ideology for America is that the work force is sold an idea that it is possible for them to become wealthy in the system even though true wealth is not possible because workers are consistently exploited. The idea of exploitation or the reality of trying to survive on smaller wages are not addressed in the show because in the end it is designed to reify American's faith in capitalism and the "American Dream" at the expense of depicting an image of American struggle that is more transparent. A show like this of course would not work if the greedy and manipulative side of American capitalism were put on display, or if it showed the day to day horrors average American workers face as they try to survive on a diminished income as corporate America continues to get even more wealthy.
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