Theory in Television The scene I will describe is from the show Gossip Girl. The setting is present-day Manhattan, New York, which revolves around the lives of privileged teenagers attending a prestigious private school. The scene shows a threesome with their "leader", Blair Waldorf, on the steps of their school where they often meet. Jenny Humphrey, an enthusiastic lowclass freshman willing to do whatever Blair Waldorf commands, approaches the trio with handmade invitations for Blair's upcoming party that she created with the hopes of receiving one herself for all the hard work . She in turn gets one as Manhattan's "it" girl, Serena Van Der Woodsen, also arrives on the scene. Blair and Serena have a light showdown and the scene ends with the trio leaving the "it" girl on the steps all alone. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay. The attitude expressed between the characters, Blair Waldorf and Jenny Humphrey, shows that social class differences clearly still exist. Conflict theory states that society is “characterized by pervasive inequality based on social class, gender, and other factors” (Smith 2013: 3.1). Jenny Humphrey was not only a freshman, but she is considered poor in the eyes of people like Blair Waldorf. Humphrey lives in Brooklyn and takes the bus to school every day and his father is a middle-class man who sells low-level art for a living. In contrast, Blair Waldorf's mother is one of the most adulated fashion designers in New York, delegating herself to being one of the most elite people in society. It is evident that the interaction exchanged between the two could be seen in two ways: the poor and the rich. Jenny Humphrey is a hope every time she meets an elite and wants to be one and live their life. Blair Waldorf simply isn't interested in knowing that someone beneath her exists unless she believes they direct a relevant cause towards a plan she has at the time. This exemplifies macrosociological inequalities – “part of sociology that deals with issues involving large-scale social change” (Barkan: 3.1) – within society. Based on their social class, Blair Waldorf believes she has the upper hand in the situation against Jenny Humphrey who is not as fortunate. Someone like Jenny Humphrey is more likely to immediately commit to whatever endeavor someone like Blair Waldorf proposes to her because Blair is seen as a superior being. Blair uses his sociological perspective, the “belief that people's social background influences their attitudes” (Barkan: 1.1) to strive through his efforts towards wealth status. Utilitarianism, otherwise known as exchange theory “emphasizes that when people interact, they seek to maximize the benefits they gain from the interaction and reduce the disadvantages” (Barkan: 3.1). In the scene, Jenny Humphrey evidently “seeks the benefits” of the “interaction” she exchanges with Blair and his two minions. She sees the opportunity to be accepted into their society, a "group of people living within a well-defined territory and sharing a culture" (Barkan: 1.1) of prestige and wealth. Conflict theory has an impact on this scene because the social classes of rich and poor clash. Although Jenny applies exchange theory here by assembling the party invitations to receive one herself, she is still at a disadvantage, even if she doesn't realize it now. This is where conflict theory comes in. It may seem like Blair was kindly opening up an opportunity for Jenny to have a place in the spotlight, but in reality.