Abstract
Which different conceptions of the so-called “American Dream” are still alive or gaining ground in the increasingly polarized social climate of the United States during the Trump era? I intend to shed light on this question by analyzing the different types of success ethics presented in the highly popular Netflix series Cobra Kai (2018 - present). This will include an investigation into notions of merit and masculinity and how they are intertwined in the principal conflict between the two main characters: the blue-collar Johnny Lawrence and the affluent Daniel LaRusso – both of whom operate their own respective karate schools. I will embed this conflict within a theoretical framework undergirded by Michael Sandel’s observations on contemporary definitions of “meritocracy” and the associated “rhetoric of rising.” In addition, I will lean on George Lakoff’s linguistic concepts of the “strict vs nurturant parent,” and Lauren Berlant’s notion of “cruel optimism.” In doing so, I hope to illuminate the deep-seated workings of competing philosophies on what “it takes to get ahead” in today’s United States. One of my main findings is that Lawrence’s brand of hard-bodied, Reagan-era masculinity is mutually reinforced with LaRusso’s incremental and cosmopolitan approach, thereby perpetuating polarization and antagonism. The fact that both karate teachers are keen to impart their vision on a younger generation is also indicative of how this enmity represents a battle for the “soul of America.” Given ongoing trends toward increasing social, economic, and cultural divides within the U.S., it is of great importance to examine how these developments are negotiated in popular culture. Cobra Kai offers fertile ground for addressing this question.
Highlights
The series Cobra Kai (2018 – present), which is produced by Overbrook Entertainment, is currently among the most-watched shows on Netflix (Porter 2021)
What might read as an endorsement of a classical liberal notion of meritocracy, C reveals a few core suppositions that might clash with late capitalist and contemporary ideas concerning striving and success: Adams underlines that the “American Dream” is not primarily defined by material possessions or high-income status, that it does not purely revolve around ideas of absolute self-reliance1, and that it implies a more unconditional understanding of social recognition (“for what they are”)
Reagan’s interpretation of an already-existing “American Dream” defined by “pulling yourself up by your own bootstraps” and “winning a prize” is of vital importance for my analysis, because Reaganite success ethics are precisely what sets the main conflict in motion in Cobra Kai
Summary
The series Cobra Kai (2018 – present), which is produced by Overbrook Entertainment, is currently among the most-watched shows on Netflix (Porter 2021). The story revolves around the renewed rivalry between two middle-aged residents of the San Fernando Valley outside of Los Angeles, California: Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence. Both have ruffled feathers in 1984, when their personal animosity towards each other culminated in a youth Karate championship fight, which saw LaRusso come out as the winner (as portrayed in the 1984 blockbuster movie The Karate Kid). One that was formulated by Reagan during the original film franchise and has been rebooted by Trump in the late 2010s
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