Research Paper on:
TV Comparisons of Friends and Three's Company

Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
by way of popular media (which includes television, music and now the Internet), perceptions of people and how they should act are processed and these behaviors and impressions are transmitted  throughout society. This learned behavior forms what is referred to as a culture, which represents the communal mainstream values of a particular society. Sociologists have defined values as  "collective perceptions of what is considered good, desirable, and proper -- or bad, undesirable, and improper - in a culture" (Schaefer & Lamm 74). Today, most of these values  in America are articulated through what has been dubbed as popular culture, which is influenced both by tradition and by the ever-changing times in which we live (Huey 89).  In America, television not only dictates the current trends of popular culture, in many ways, it has become popular culture. By watching television shows produced during certain time periods,  distinct conclusions can be drawn about the prevailing cultural attitudes and assumptions that guided their creations. America in 1977 was settling into a period of social conservatism, following the prolonged  political upheaval caused by Watergate, the resignation of President Richard Nixon, and his pardon by his successor Gerald Ford. When Christian democrat and one-time peanut farmer Jimmy Carter became  president, there were significant differences in attitudes among the older conservatives and young liberals. While an unmarried man and woman living together and engaging in a sexual relationship was  considered sacrilegious, many young couples preferred moving in together as a more suitable alternative to the "commitment" of marriage. Factored into this complex social equation was the fact that  America was also reeling from the effects of double-digit inflation and skyrocketing unemployment. At the time, people could live more cheaply together than they could separately. Enter an