Let's get very anal-ytical111

[Mr. Mike]

I was curious to see if someone had used Classic H50 as the basis for a university thesis. I found two of them, which I put here:

http://www.fiveohomepage.com/anal-ysis

And you thought I am "anal-ytical"!!

The second of the two of these is full of horrible mistakes.

==========

He works most closely with Dan “Danno” Williams, played by Jack MacArthur.

James Coopersmith, Hawaii Five-O, season 9, episode 1, “Nine Dragons"...

However, “The Cop of the Cover,” which aired in 1977, diverges from the pattern and develops two story lines in order to respond to feminist claims.

Jerrold L. Ludwid, Hawaii Five-O, season 3, episode 4, “Time and Memories"...

Robert James, Hawaii Five-O, season 12, episode 2, “Who Says Cops Don’t Cry?”...

Most famously, almost every episode ends with McGarrett commanding, “Book him, Danno.” (This is totally untrue...)

www.mjq.net/fivo/tv/feb73.htm

www.miq.net/fiveo/lastseason.htm

[Todd]

Do you know whether the one from the UK was a thesis? I skimmed it and couldn't find anything saying that.

The other one was a Master's Thesis from SDSU.

Interesting that they were both focusing on "masculinity" of certain 1970s series, including Five-O, and both of these were written in 2016.

The UK one has this passage near the beginning:

His masculinity is also central to his role as a leader. McGarrett barks orders to his male detectives and female secretarial staff, including his famous catchphrase “Book ‘em, Danno.” As his orders are most often given to his Asian and native Hawaiian subalterns and as he is never in a position of deference to a non-white, Hawaii Five-O promotes a vision of white masculinity exercising hegemonic power. Finally, this masculinity is tied to the hero’s patriotism and militarism. As Hawai’i’s fictional top cop, McGarrett is a cold warrior fighting not only domestic but also foreign, often racialized, threats.

Terrible.

I hate when people in modern times attempt to analyze TV shows and movies from decades ago, and attempt to draw themes of oppression where they don't exist.

[Mr. Mike]

You are right, the first is just some "academic article" in a book. But I found it by searching for

"hawaii five-o" thesis

There are footnotes to both of these things which have further references to publications in journals and so forth which might be along similar lines.

[Todd]

It would be nice to see some studies of Five-O from more of a historical perspective.

I wonder if any exist.

It seems that both of these are more along the lines of, "omg omg omg look how sexist and racist TV was in the '70s".

Maybe if we can find a thesis written prior to 2010, we'll have a better shot of finding more of a historical version.

[Mr. Mike]

Well, an "earlier" anal-ytical look at the show would probably deal with issues like "Five-O was a prime example of violence on TV, which led to violent thoughts in whoever watched the show," etc., etc.

[Bobbi]

I agree Todd - people taking things out of context, it's done all the time!!

The biggest problem is that the social norms of the 1970s are not the same as those today. The people who do this kind of thing, they forget that.

I quit reading it a little past the part you quoted Todd. What I would like to know, how is "A Thousand Pardons -- You're Dead" considered racist? Say what!?

[Mr. Mike]

I discussed why that line could be considered racist in my re-view of the show:

WHAT DOES THE TITLE MEAN?

When Sims and Watanu arrive near the Diamond Head tunnel, Watanu tells Sims that he won't spill the beans. Watanu starts to feel pains in his chest and Sims takes his prescription bottle and throws it away, saying, "Oh, a thousand pardons. Here, let me help you find your pills." The expression "A thousand pardons" sounds like something you would hear in a movie about stereotypical Asians like Charlie Chan; as such, this has racist connotations, considering Sims called Watanu a "Jap" when McGarrett was talking to him earlier.

[Todd]

There were various racial slurs hurled between characters on Five-O -- something you wouldn't really see occurring on mainstream TV today.

However, the show never endorsed racism.

While it's true that McGarrett, head of Five-O, was white, that doesn't mean that this was done for reasons of white supremacy.

Hawaii Five-O wasn't a show for Hawaiians. It was a show for the United States, which especially in the 1970s, was a mostly white country. Thus, an actor was chosen whom they felt was most relatable to the viewers.

When McGarrett gave orders, it wasn't a matter of him talking down to people of color. That was the character's style. He barked orders to Danno and other white underlings, as well.

Similarly, the "masculinity" displayed by McGarrett was simply a tough, no-nonsense cop type character trait. It was not in place to demonstrate male supremacy or validate the subjugation of women.

In general I hate when people in the modern western left attempt to project racism/sexism/homophobia/etc onto straight white males, but it's even worse when these analyses are done of fictional characters from a different time period.

Often those writing about the time period did not live it themselves.

[Bobbi]

Thank you for the clarification Mr. Mike. A lot has happened since I last read your review of "A Thousand Pardons..." It just didn't occur to me the connotations of the title, maybe I'm oblivious :-)

I agree with you 100% Todd and those were my thoughts as I read the paper. Five-O is something of a time capsule because, as an example, when is the last time you saw a rotary phone in use? I know that's apples and oranges but the point is exactly what you said, "Often those writing about the time period did not live it themselves." I grew up in the '70s and many of the issues Five-O was discussing, while relevant to today, was over my head at the time because I was a kid. I find the whole thing fascinating and I think Karen Rhodes said it best in that show reflected society as it was at the time.

[Mr. Mike]

I think the URL in the first posting of this thread should be

https://fiveohomepage.com/theses/

[standarddef1]

Personally, I enjoy it when academics analyze an older show. The criticisms don't necessarily reflect poorly upon the people who made the content, but rather are observed as a means of sparking a debate amongst readers. I think to understand the content being created today, we need to analyze older content through a contemporary lens. I will not always agree with the analysis, but will occasionally find some interesting perspectives. Additionally, I take the publisher's gesture as a badge of honor for the series, being that something created over 50 years ago today is still being watched enough to warrant a deep dive analysis!