Downton Abbey and the Great Socialist Plot
Downton Abbey: The British costume drama currently in its second series in America
Downton Abbey the British costume drama resplendent in its wonderful outfits and sumptuous settings is finding a welcoming home for itself across the pond in the hearths and homes of the settlers of the New World (over 4 million for the premier of Season 2), who watch it with the romantic wistful longing for a world they never knew but would certainly fit in to should they be given the chance. But are these good honest hard working Americans also being indoctrinated by a secret seditious socialist agenda preaching left wing values and redistributive justice?
Probably not, no, in fact that’s a silly idea, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t certain things about the show which are distinctly un-American. Obviously it’s un-American, one might rebut, its British, and the best sort of British i.e. quaint, romantic and anachronistic, however, a certain value is propounded in Downton Abbey which is alien (and sometimes even anathema) to a traditional (dare I say conservative) American worldview; a worldview based on the founding principles of America, a country founded in direct opposition to certain aspects of the old world.
Highclere Castle, used for interior and exterior filming of Downton Abbey. Source: JB + UK_Planet on flickr.com
One of these aspects is of course class. In Downton Abbey, as was indeed the case in British society in the pre-First World War Era, there was a strict class system. There was the upper class aristocracy, the middle class bourgeoisie, and the working class labourers and servants. Downton Abbey presents an idealised relationship between the upper class and the working class, the masters and the servants. In the show everybody knows their place, the servants are not jealous of their masters in fact the reverse is true; they take great pride in them, and the masters are not scornful of their servants. Characters believe that they have their place in society and are content with it, there is no envy of the upper classes from the servants, and the masters do not treat their servants poorly (I am discussing the television show here, which presents an idealised picture of the relationship and there would have been many many instances where the relationship was not so agreeable or pleasant).
Most importantly the masters believe that they are fortunate to be where they are and this imbues them with what is known as noblesse oblige (the obligations of the nobility), this is the belief that as one is fortunate to be born into a good position one must behave nobly and honourably to all, especially those less fortunate than you. Therefore it is the duty of the master to look after the servant in every possible way, should the servant become sick or be in some desperate need, the master should offer all possible assistance, something that does seem to happen quite a bit in Downton Abbey, for instance Lord Grantham making sure that the cook Mrs Patmore has every comfort and the best of care when she goes to London for her eye operation, and Lady Sybil doing everything in her power to help her maid Gwen find a job as a secretary.
One of the founding beliefs of America is that anyone, if they work hard enough and try hard enough can be President; there are no restrictions on class mobility because there is no class. This belief was very recently espoused by Republican Primary candidate Newt Gingrich who during a South Carolina Republican debate on 16th January 2012 said:
“I believe every American of every background has been endowed by their creator with the right to pursue happiness … I’m going to continue to find ways to help poor people learn how to get a job learn how to get a better job and learn someday to own the job.”
What Former Speaker Gingrich was saying was that in America everyone is endowed with the same opportunities, there are no limits or restrictions on the individual, imposed by class or hierarchy and so success or failure is down to the individual in question. If in England it was the class system that prevented social mobility, and if America is a classless society then everyone has exactly the same chance of reaching society’s apex and/or abyss. Now obviously this sounds really great, but there is one slight problem… IT’S SIMPLY UNTRUE!
Source: david_shankbone on flickr.com
It’s very well known that in America whether you are more likely to go to college or prison is highly dependent upon your race, and race is only one factor that determines one’s opportunities and life path. The income of your parents, whether your parents went to college, your school district and even your religion all make statistically evident difference as to whether you will end up in the stars or in the gutter. Socio-economic factors are fundamental to the life you might lead, and to say there is no class system is quite frankly a lie, there might not be feudal hierarchy but there are certainly classes.
Now I am not going to suggest that what America needs is a rigid hierarchical class system, I’m saying it has one already and what it needs to do is recognise this. In the recognition of the fact that some are born fortunate whilst others are not you do not believe that people are poor because it is their own fault. What the old British class system did, as exemplified in Downton Abbey, was create a world where people knew their place and those at the top knew they were lucky to be there, and that it was not down to the laziness of the working class and the servants that they were not also rich. This meant that through a hierarchical society people were prepared to care for and look out for each other; redistributive justice if you will.
If there is a message to be taken from Downton Abbey it is this; if you live near the top of the pile (the 1% maybe) you are fortunate, you have been born into the right family and with the right opportunities, those who are less fortunate than you are probably not lazy and have had to encounter many many more challenges than you. Not everything was easy for them, they were faced with tough socio-economic challenges; that they are not your peers is not their fault. Do not be scornful of them, do not look down on them. Whether that makes you think you should be taxed more or just be more generous with your charity is up to you. But as America watches the trite anachronistic classist romantic dross you have been imported, notice the way the classes treat each other, because in the end a little bit of kindness and respect can go a very long way.
As a coda to this I’d like to refer you to this excellent TED talk by Alain de Botton who talks about the psychological problems that arise with believing you live in a classless society.
*NB: Yes this article was written by a Brit, and yes we have serious problems with social mobility as well. However, this article was written to America because of what has been witnessed recently especially with the rise of the Tea Party and a cruel conservative streak which seems to be taking a certain joy in the suffering of the less fortunate, believing them to be deserving of their ill fate. I appreciate not all Americans feel this way, but I do believe the advent of such a malicious feeling comes from the popular belief that America is a classless (and thus fair) country, and thus success and failure is the responsibility of the individual alone. Also if after reading this article you feel like watching Downton Abbey, don’t, its not very good, well except for Maggie Smith who’s always wonderful!
Excellent article! Very insightful and thought-provoking - and written in the tone of a sensible discussion, something that is increasingly rare these days.
Another great talk by de Bottom: Atheism 2.0. http://www.ted.com/talks/alain_de_botton_atheism_...
Brilliant brilliant, quirky article that uses a great 21st century media analogy. Of course not all the 1% are there through family-born wealth; some HAVE scrapped their way up from the gutter...
downton abbey not very good? you've GOT to be kidding!
[...] with mass consumerism, flagship stores and restaurant chains progress and does it reflect changes in British society as a whole? Source: [...]