“Shameless” on Gentrification

Shameless is a comedy/drama TV series about the Gallaghers, an Irish American family, who lives in the South Side projects of Chicago. The show is known for touching upon various “real-life” topics such as the effects of being part of the LQBTQ community to the effects of being out of “the hood”.

The video shown above is a small clip from the second episode of season five in which the father of the Gallaghers, Frank, recognizes the typical and straightforward signs of gentrification in their neighborhood. He is currently in The Alibi, a local bar of the neighborhood. As the show progresses throughout the season, The Alibi becomes “overrun” with hipsters who love the “authenticity” (which in the comedy shows references to the “crazy” Russian bartender and the overall “hood” vibe) of the bar. The Alibi, making more money off of the newcomers, then starts to cater to the new customers leaving the locals without their favorite spot. The show also introduces a lesbian couple, who being the symbol of gentrification, often has conflicts with the surrounding neighbors .

Although the show is a comedy, it manages to condense into a one minute scene how gentrification is perceived in mass society and the negative connotations that it has to those who have seen it for themselves and fear its effects. This fear and understanding is amplified in the show because these words come from the mouth of Frank, who in the show is one the least responsible and most reprehensible characters. Even a character such as this, however, still recognizes the negative effects of gentrification.

I chose this video because it reminds me of the articles Gentrification and Displacement written by Lance Freeman and Frank Braconi and Does Gentrification Harm the Poor? written by Jacob L. Vigdor. These two articles faced and challenged the “typical” perception of gentrification which includes migration of more affluent residents into lower-income neighborhoods thereby displacing the lower-income residents of that area. Although their articles argue and provide evidence that displacement of lower-income residents is not necessary to show the negative effects of gentrification, public perception and understanding of gentrification still might resonate with the typical model.