Pimp my Ride!

Today I watched “Pimp My Ride: Esmeralda’s ’91 Pontiac Sunbird” an MTV reality show on remodelling old ran down vehicles into memorizing new ones.  This episode had a red ’91 Pontiac Sunbird convertible car that the girl had spray painted rims black, taped holes in the roof with red duct tape, and used a pair of pliers to start the engine. The beginning of the show starts with 70’s music, but the rest of the show sports modern Rock n’ Roll tunes to create a mood that is “pimping”. This car that is going to be “pimped” gets beat down in its description right from the beginning with sly remarks and put downs toward the owner. From the other perspectives the show targets in on the significance of this particular car to its owner. Most episodes of “Pimp my Ride” have a deserving individual that really relies on their form of transportation.

The show is hosted by Ice Cube and the rest of the cast members also have nicknames that are meant to be humorous or describes a funny characteristic they like to be known by. They wear clothes that are either baggy, being 3 sizes too large for their body types, or completely black, inspiring the gothic style. The entire cast of “Pimp my Ride” uses foul language while being filmed by the camera. When there are conflicts, minor injuries, or expression of overwhelmed emotion the words used are curse words censored by beeps.  There were points were the cast would act silly and slightly immature by laughing at misfortune or saying big put downs about others. There is some sexual content that is suggestive, such as talking about wood and inferring that it is an erection.

As the car transforms the cast gives the car human like characteristics, calling it by name, and giving it emotion. This car gets a complete makeover with a full paint, interior, stereo equipment , and any high end technical equipment they can give it. When the car gets stripped and remodelled the amount of time and cost is not portrayed.  Fast forwarding time is showed making a false sense of time perceived.

This show makes it “cool” to speak improper English, and to bash your friends. I think that the middle school male student watches this show for the “cool” factor. It is cool to “soop” up a car and have an unlimited budget to do so. Working with cars is a very stereotypic male gender and if male students act as they see on TV they would be perceived at “cool” from their peers. They possibly think “I wish I could do that”. I think that maybe students won’t recognise the sexual references or perceive the comments towards friends as harsh on the show because they are desensitised from watching MTV often, and living it in school. This show could be considered as a reality show that is unrealistic and does enable poor learned behaviour to be adapted by its view. “Pimp my Ride” is often staged, scripted and only imitating real life. Those “show biz” qualities are what will give middle school male viewers false impressions, but because of desensitization most students wouldn’t be affected by the use of censored language or the imagery portrayed by the show.