Diverse and alternative economic practice in the Trailer Park Boys series, 2002–2018

ABSTRACT

The Trailer Park Boys series has received academic attention, much of which has been overtly critical. This study utilizes Gibson-Graham’s diverse economies framework to evaluate the show and its film adaptations. It argues that the show exemplifies alternative and informal economic practices which include alternative (non-capitalistic) businesses; substitute employee payment modes; alternative currencies; unpaid labor; and varying non-market practices, the most common being theft. These resident-led practices aid characters with multiple identities and worker roles in surviving a life bound by limited opportunity of formal work. In chorus with illegal and legal economic schemes, the community economy of Sunnyvale Trailer Park stimulates ethical decision-making in character interactions and in decision-making around topics such as surplus labor and profit management. Ecologically, various characters have reconstituted their relationship with their waste-filled area of residence, and some have gone as far as to provide provisional public goods to other park residents.

KEYWORDS:

• Cultural economy
• diverse economies
• identity
• consumerism: Canada

Acknowledgements

This study benefited from the input of three anonymous reviewers. Comments raised pertaining to the similarities and differences of the TPB to other works of television and film helped develop key explanations of observable factors in my assessment of this show.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes on contributor

Alexei Anisin, PhD, is a Research Associate in the Institute of Political Studies at Charles University Prague. He has utilized different theoretical frameworks to research various cultural entities, films, and international relations related topics.

Notes

1 Interestingly enough, this real-world establishment was forced to close down because it could not compete in the local market. What's more, the Canadian government banned any “cheap” drinks under $2.50 – this adversely impacted the mansion as it was a popular hit with students who came for $1 drinks (CBC news 2010), see: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/bubbles-mansion-closes-its-doors-1.893794.

2 Take for example the Russian “Blat” system or the Chinese “Guanxi” modes of exchange and social ties that arose under a mixture of authoritative communist regimes (Ledeneva 2008). In the latter Chinese case (Guanxi), relationships between people are reciprocal and based on services as well as assistance requests that can be of importance on varying societal levels (from local to institutional) (Luo 2000). On the other hand, in the Russian case, blat arose during a period when the state was drastically unable to fulfill public necessities. This highly personalized network-based system of exchange involved favors and exchanges of services and goods, many of which provided exclusivity (Ledeneva 2008).