Ew David! We’re not rich anymore: Schitt’s Creek and the Power Elite

What happens when the power is removed from members of the power elite? In Schitt’s Creek, the wildly out-of-touch Rose family finds out, as they are forced to maintain any semblance of dignity after losing everything. This picture depicts the Rose family, a family who were once billionaires, and who lost their money due to a financial advisor neglecting to pay taxes. In this photo, the family dons red-carpet-ready outfits, yet they are nowhere a prestigious event. Rather, they are outside of a motel, in the town containing their last remaining asset, a small, rural town, Schitt’s Creek. Comically detailing the trials and tribulations of a family’s fall from grace, the show brilliantly portrays what happens when members of high society are removed from this life. Season by season, the family adapts to this new life, but not without lots of complaining and misery. This photo, a still from the final season, is an encouraging picture since each of the characters smiles, representing how after multiple years of struggling to regain purpose, they were eventually able to fully enjoy life, without the complications and feigned happiness associated with high society. 

C. Wright Mills’ “The Power Elite”, discusses the highest class, the elite of the elite, or the most powerful people in the country. On page 3, he defines the powerful elite as composed of, “men whose positions enable them to transcend the ordinary environments of ordinary men and women; they are in positions to make decisions having major consequences,” (Mills 1956: 3). Mills explains that it’s not the decisions that the elite makes, rather, it’s the idea that they have the ability to make or not make decisions that impact countless people. He furthers this discussion by describing the three different groups that make up the power elite, or the groups that the power is distributed within. These three structures, economic, military, and political make up a triangle of power. At the top of the economic structure lies the corporate rich, made up of chief executives, or those who own and run the large corporations. Mills explained, “They have a greater share than other people of the things and experiences that are most highly valued,” (9). In this way, the elite possesses three important things– money, power, and prestige. Each of these commodities are cumulative, meaning that the more a person has, the more they are able to accumulate. 

C. Wright Mills may not have intended for his work to apply to an Emmy-winning television show, and yet his writing applies considerably to the Rose family’s downfall after losing their money and therefore status. The Rose family undoubtedly was used to being part of the powerful elite. Money, power, and prestige defined the Rose family and stranded without it, they became mere shells of their former selves. This proves Mills’ point that what separates the powerful elite from the everyday person is simply their position of power. The final season Rose family would be completely unrecognizable by their pre-first season counterparts. This is to say that the identity of the powerful elite is made up of their status. If you take the powerful status away from the power elite, they lose Mills’ three defining characteristics– money, power, and prestige. The Rose family lost their money and was forced to move to Schitt’s Creek. They lost their power, meaning that they no longer were trendsetters and big-decision makers. Finally, they lost their prestige, as other members of the power elite no longer wished to be associated with them. Yet, the show proved that losing membership in the power elite was not the end of the world. On the contrary, the Rose family were able to experience true happiness for the first time. 

Sources:

Levy, Daniel. 2020. “Schitt’s Creek Season 6 Promotional Poster.” Retrieved 17 April 2024.

   https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3526078/. 

Wright, Mills C. 1956. Revised in 2002. “The Power Elite.” Oxford University Press.