One Day at a Time
Stereotyping has continuously been a topic of discussion on TV shows. Portraits of particular groups of people give the audience opportunities to know other people or a specific aspect of society. However, it is still controversial because many people think those shows narrate a “single story.” “One Day at a Time” is a show that describes a Latino single family. The family consists of three generations; two of the family members are single mothers. This structure could be considered as a typical Latino single-family in the states. Therefore, it is a comedy that represents many real-life issues, such as how single families run their lives, how marginalized people deal with racism and mental health problems. The audience could have resonance with the characters and get ideas to face real-life issues.
At the beginning of the pilot episode, the main character had a conversation with a female character. When the man first heard she is a Latino single mother, he acts as he knows it. It is a reflection of many people in real life; they have a stereotype and think marginalized women have troubles of marriages and struggle in poverty.
“One Day at a Time” is a representation of a single-family. There are exciting things that happen to them because there is no female character in this family. Also, there are conflicts and troubles due to this situation. The show brings a typical and ordinary single-family to the audience. For example, when the grandmother wants to set up a party for her granddaughter, they argued for a few weeks. The girl thinks she is a modern teenager and does not want to keep the Cuban tradition to celebrate her 15th birthday. The mother is put into an embarrassing position between them. The audience may involve the plots because similar things happen in life.
Racism is another theme of “One Day at a Time.” Since the family is a colored, Spanish- speaking family, other people are not treating them equally all the time. Referring to the scene that the main character complains with her colleague about a patient, usually, call her by the wrong name. The patient is, ultimately, racism. This kind of situation happens in our lives as well. A lot of marginalized people experienced racism by their ethnicity or only by how they look. However, the character gives a referenced example by her reactions. Even people say things about her background, she still works hard in her profession and takes care of her family whole-heartily.
Some people may be stricken when they face difficulties due to racism. It is impossible to change one’s biological identity, yet it will be more accessible by thinking in different ways. By watching this show, people may get inspired by the character’s attitude. If marginalized people could accept their own identities and concentrate on improving themselves instead of complaining about racism, there will be a lot of differences.
“One Day at a Time” points out the topic of mental health as well. The scene that happens at the psychologist’s office describes a conversation. We could find out it is tough for the character to expose her illness to others. This scene has a close connection with our daily lives. With the development of society, people get into a fast-paced routine. Mental health becomes a common issue that needs people to pay attention to. A considerable amount of people is like the character in the show; they do not wish to share all the things they are thinking about or have some concerns. There could be conflicts between the patients and the people around them because of different gender, age, and cultural background. In the show, the daughter compelled her mother to go to therapy, which represents the younger generation’s ideas about mental health issues.
As a conclusion, “One Day at a Time” presents marginalized people’s ordinary lives, how they face racism and mental health issues. It has some stereotypes about Latino single families to let other groups of people know them better. As an audience, I am pleased to see these people on the TV show. However, the stereotypes are similar to other shows of the same topic. A suggestion for future writers would be diversity. There are a bunch of different characters of another ethnicity on TV, and the audience is also willing to see Latino people’s lives in a different aspect.