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Cover -- Half Title -- Title -- Copyright -- Dedication -- Contents -- An Introduction, of Sorts -- Acknowledgements -- Part 1: Theoretical Concerns -- Am I a Siamese Twin? -- Popular Culture for Pleasure and Profit -- Discovering Pop Culture -- The Ugly Ones: Images of Americans in Asia and Elsewhere -- Part 2: Comics -- Politics in the Comics -- Unflattering Definitions: Significant Stereotypes of Americans in European (French and Italian) Comics -- Dagwood in the American Psyche -- Part 3: Television -- Television as an Instrument of Terror: A Theoretical Perspective -- The Last Word (Television Columns from Focus Magazine) -- The Six Million Dollar Man -- Part 4: Advertising -- Analyzing the Advertisement -- Pale Horse, Pale Bather: An Analysis of the White Horse Advertisement with the Lady in the Bath -- Women and Advertising: Selling with Sex -- The Wednesday Specials as Theatre of the Absurd -- Part 5: Humor -- Humor as a System of Communication -- Huck Finn as an Existential Hero: Making Sense of Absurdity -- The Great Game of Academic -- Part 6: Fads, Foods, Artifacts -- Status in Foods, or Cuisines as Codes -- Yanqui Bread: The Great White Way -- Some Thoughts on Threads -- Varieties of Topless Experience -- Part 7: Amongst the UK -- Hamburger Heaven -- London's Underground as a Work of Art -- Upstairs, Downstairs -- The Pub Life is Changing -- English Encounters

The United States has completed a vast three-decade-long sweep of unprecedented housing achievement. While a relatively small proportion of record production levels was targeted directly to America's poverty population, the latter's housing condition improved markedly as a result of the much-maligned filtering process. But this success will face very serious inhibitors in the future. The breakdown of the traditional political housing alliance, the stagnation of real median family incomes, the growing number of persons under the poverty level, and a housing finance system subject to full market forces and credit competition—for the first time since the New Deal—characterize the early 1980s. Within this context, housing for the middle class is an issue of much more political potency than the housing needs of the poor. But without the reformation of a broad-based housing constituency, one of the great achievements of the last generation—the improvement in the shelter provisions of the poor—must quickly abort.

During the past three decades, the US has made unprecedented gains in housing. Although not directly targeted in housing production, the poor benefited considerably in the period of housing growth as a result of the much-maligned filtering process, ie, improved housing made available by the trading-up of more affluent social sectors. Government housing data show that during the 1950-1970 period, the proportion of housing designated as substandard declined from 37% to 9%. Nevertheless, there are serious restraints on the continued improvement of housing for the poor; these include the breakdown of the traditional political housing alliance between homebuilders & thrift institutions, the stagnation of real median family incomes, the removal from the market of nearly half a million low-cost housing units each year, & the increase in the number of poor persons. While these factors have brought attention to the housing problems of the Mc, political concern for the poor remains weak; by 1982, housing programs for the poor had almost disappeared. Critically needed housing reforms can only come about through the development of a broad-based housing constituency. 8 Tables, 1 Appendix. Modified HA.

The 30 years since rapid post-World War II suburban residential development began have seen an in creasing diversification in the characteristics of the suburbs. The principal dimensions of diversification include the age of housing, age of the population, and distance from the central city. Since suburbanization proceeded outward from the central city, the signs of this aging process are most pronounced in the inner suburbs, with densities and an aging population. As first-round suburbanites progress through the life cycle, their housing preferences can be expected to change, resulting in a large supply of older housing on the market. The primary source of demand for these units in the inner suburbs appears to be the upwardly mobile black middle class seeking to leave the central city. While black suburbanization is in creasing in some localities, however, black demand appears to be below the level expected based on income. In suburban home purchase, the availability of equity associated with previ ous homeownership may be a better index of buying power than current income. Historical limitations on black home ownership thus continue to limit black suburban home purchases. Public policy initiatives are needed to counteract these trends, facilitate middle class black migration, and contribute to the viability of the inner suburbs.

THE 30 YEARS SINCE RAPID POST-WWII SUBURBAN RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT BEGAN HAVE SEEN AN INCREASING DIVERSIFICATION IN THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SUBURBS. THE PRINCIPAL DIMENSIONS OF DIVERSIFICATION INCLUDE THE AGE OF HOUSING, AGE OF THE POPULATION, & DISTANCE FROM THE CENTRAL CITY. SINCE SUBURBANIZATION PROCEEDED OUTWARD FROM THE CENTRAL CITY, THE SIGNS OF THIS AGING PROCESS ARE MOST PRONOUNCED IN THE INNER SUBURBS, WITH HIGH DENSITIES & AN AGING POPULATION. AS 1ST ROUND SUBURBANITES PROGRESS THROUGH THE LIFE CYCLE, THEIR HOUSING PREFERENCES CAN BE EXPECTED TO CHANGE, RESULTING IN A LARGE SUPPLY OF OLDER HOUSING ON THE MARKET. THE PRIMARY SOURCE OF DEMAND FOR THESE UNITS IN THE INNER SUBURBS APPEARS TO BE THE UPWARDLY MOBILE BLACK MC SEEKING TO LEAVE THE CENTRAL CITY. WHILE BLACK SUBURBANIZATION IS INCREASING IN SOME LOCALITIES, BLACK DEMAND APPEARS TO BE BELOW THE LEVEL EXPECTED BASED ON INCOME. IN SUBURBAN HOME PURCHASE, THE AVAILABILITY OF EQUITY ASSOCIATED WITH PREVIOUS HOMEOWNERSHIP MAY BE A BETTER INDEX OF BUYING POWER THAN CURRENT INCOME. HISTORICAL LIMITATIONS ON BLACK HOMEOWNERSHIP THUS CONTINUE TO LIMIT BLACK SUBURBAN HOME PURCHASES. PUBLIC POLICY INITIATIVES ARE NEEDED TO COUNTERACT THESE TRENDS, FACILITATE MC BLACK MIGRATION, & CONTRIBUTE TO THE VIABILITY OF THE INNER SUBURBS. 1 TABLE, 1 FIGURE. MODIFIED HA.