Queen Charlottea prequel to the bridgertons, It premiered on May 4 at Netflix It has achieved worldwide success. The series tells the story of Queen Charlotte and how she became a British monarchy without being too faithful to reality. romantic, comedy and drama series, that reaches the heart of whoever sees it. In social networks, there have been millions of reactions, mostly good. It is well appreciated by professional critics. For example, it has a score of 94% from experts Rotten tomatoesOne of the most popular platforms for reviewing and criticizing movies. “Queen Charlotte Improves Bridgerton“, He said Washington PostAnd also “Queen Charlotte He is the best BridgertonAccording diverse.
“In recent years, we have seen ownership also enter our lives through series, such as the crown also The Bridgertons“, pointing to Asbel Bohigues, Doctor of Political Science and Professor at the University of Valencia, talks to us about the influence of popular culture. In movies, series and even music We are presented with how the world is or how it should be. It is another resource on which we have to build our worldview and ideology in one form or another.
It contains problematic, emotionally complex characters with whom the viewer can feel identified: it is there where problemwhen The audience can see themselves reflected in some of the characters who represent the elite Moreover, it belongs to a historical period in which the democratic demands of our time did not exist. This series represents pre-democratic societies. And they simplify and romanticize the lives of these characters to bring them closer.
A series about the monarchy in fashion. On May 24, Prime Video announced the premiere of its next series Red, white and royal blueBased on Casey McCoyston’s book of the same name. It is also A love story set in royalty.
Serial in building ideological identity
can something so It seems normal As a chain that constitutes ideological identity? It’s something many ask themselves after seeing productions like this. The monarchy is an essential element that must be taken into account when forming political opinion, especially in countries like Spain. Enrique HernandezPhD in political and social sciences and professor at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, sums up its impact: “It can influence, but opinion on this issue [el apoyo a la monarquía] It is amorphous, that is, it is not very flexible. You can influence people who don’t have an opinionSupport for the monarchy and how popular culture can influence this issue “will depend on how many people have the weakest opinion on the subject, and who are the most influential.”
“Ideology can be defined as a set of shared values that describe the political world,” he says. Asbel Bohigues. “So, as a vision of what the world is and should be, it derives from many sources, and one of those sources might be people’s life experience, which of course includes popular culture. In movies, series and even music, we are shown what the world is like and how it should be. If democracy worksstar Wars)If it is right or wrong to steal from the powerful (Stealing money), if there are gay couples (Brokeback Mountain) … It is another source on which we have to build our worldview, our ideology, in one form or another, “he analyzes.
In the case of monarchy, being an institution not chosen by the citizens, it generates more doubts. With these television productions “emotional support towards the institution itself or the tradition can be built”. And with this, affinity can be created. “If the monarchy is presented as something more useful, it can restore contact with the population,” Little Hernandez. If people think it is useful, they will support it. This would explain how Juan Carlos before in Spain had so much support, more so than Felipe today.
In addition to the series, tabloids also influence opinion formation. “In recent years we’ve seen property enter our lives through serials, such as the crown also The Bridgertons. In the end, tabloids like this series give An image of the closest and most humane property, making those distant elite less. In short, they normalized it.
“With so little data that we have, in Spain we see a super important component, which is generationHernandez explains, “It’s not just about getting older that you become more regal. Despite advancing age, support decreases according to generation.” There are generations that, due to the social, political and economic context of their youth, the time when a political identity begins to take shape, tend to support the monarchy more, being in the case of older Spain.
The generational divide – that is, one of the points that determine the political tendency of individuals – is the key in the creation of political identity. Ana Sofia Cardinal Izquierdo, Ph.D. in Political Science and Professor at Universidad Uberta de Catalunya, makes this point: “Now much less people are consuming television. I used to watch the news, even if it was because it was shown before the movie. Now This pattern of consumption has been broken.” “Maybe it’s an age problem: the youngest people don’t consume television. What do they consume? Social networks, soap operas, and they are informed about it, “he adds.
The youngest are in the process of socializing and creating their own political identity, so they differ input They end up forming opinion, including emotion, about politics itself and its institutions. “Traditionally, young people have always hated politics, unless they are social, especially at home,” Cardinal says. “They socialize as they enter the world of work,” he adds. “Of course, we don’t yet know if this stimulates interest in data politics.” Previously, what influenced the creation of this identity were newspapers and television – in the case of Spain, especially the latter – and now the new consumer channels.
The younger generations are kept away from the political culture, so “with series like paper houseIf they choose to watch a series of this type, they can generate that interest and that translates into more engagement,” Cardinal notes. “Series like the crown They can create this attachment towards ownershipBecause it makes it more understandable for people who have utter indifference.” The series can be a bridge to bring the main issues of interest to the population, so that they are brought up in the political debate.
And some of these series such as the British production of the crown, Try to reflect the historical reality of the monarchy. By showing this reality, “an additional effect is created which could be the normalization of the monarchy”, with the result of “the humanization of that distant elite” and even Legalize it as a form of government“.
On the reverse side of the coin is a series like Queen CharlotteThat show some elements of historical reality however without complete devotion to it. Netflix He defines it as “a fantasy world inspired by reality”. With the premiere of the first season of The Bridgertons The racial debate has entered a historic level. Despite the references to racism at the time, the series shows racist people of high economic means who, with the accession of Queen Charlotte to the Crown, become holders of a noble title.
in it XVIII centuryBy the time the series was inspired, there were black laborers and slaves, with a situation reductive to the status of “valuables”. Some had important jobs (such as merchants or in government offices), but they were very specific cases They do not specify the reality of that time. Such a distorted picture of reality can influence the opinion of those who have no knowledge of historical reality, demonstrating racial equality that did not exist at that time.
Great Britain in the “crown” of royal productions
The United Kingdom is the star country in producing royal-looking soap operas. Away queen charlotte, Other series about royalty (or the nobility) eg the crownAnd The city center of the monastery also Catherine the Great It is distinguished from the rest. It is no coincidence that the United Kingdom, the monarchical country par excellence, is the main producer. “The relationship seems obvious. I have a monarchy, so I have physical and potential interest from the population,” notes Boheguis. “It is quite understandable that the UK is the leader in producing this type of series,” says Hernandez.Being international is also important. A series about the Dutch monarchy probably wouldn’t have that much of an impact.”
Queen Charlotte Shows after the latest polls where Acceptance of the British monarchy was at an all-time low. according to which he made YouGov, 58% support the monarchy (it was 62% in 2022). According to him National Center for Social ResearchOnly 29% consider the monarchy “very important”.
And what about Spain? The Center for Social Research (CIS) has not asked citizens what they think about the crown since 2015. Spain is a country traditionally associated with television, compared with newspaper consumption. “With the late arrival of democracy, television has already formed part of the media culture of Spaniards,” says Cardinale. The population is more attached to the new formats. As Giovanni Sartori said, “We in Spain are paparazzi.”
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