
The field of politics is very diverse in its jobs and qualifications. While there are some people who work very hard and want nothing more than to better the country, there are also people who only want the money, and would throw their own family into a bus just to keep a political position. The shows Parks and Recreation and Veep show each of these two people at work trying to attain similar goals.

The fourth season of the show Parks and Recreation is about a misfit band of politicians trying to get a hard-working woman, Leslie Knope, into one of 5 city council seats. The catch however, is that the group as a whole has literally no idea what they are doing. In season 4, Episode 11, Leslie is beginning her run for the council seat, and decides to begin at a local ice hockey rink. This leads to her and her group of “political advisors” shimmying across the ice in high heels, carrying a three-legged dog, towards a half-built stage with no stairs, while most of them are wishing they had just gone to the bar. Despite this, Leslie proceeds to keep calm, joke about herself, and comeback from her embarrassing entry, even after a man breaks his arm in front of her trying to make a dunk on an ice rink. This is an example of a woman who can use her hard work and determination to offset her lack of knowledge of the field, allowing her to come across as a “real woman” to her voters. The show as a whole provides a very cheerful and optimistic outlook on politics, showing that the people running the country really do care, and only want to help you, no matter how stupid they look doing it.

In season 4, episode 10 of the show Veep however, we see a much more cynical and pessimistic approach to politics. The show depicts a group of greedy politicians who want to win the presidency for the money. The episode takes place during the final vote count for the presidency, which ends in a tie between Selina Meyer and her opponent. Following this, we see her running mate immediately stab her in the back after finding out he has gone from potentially being the vice-president, to becoming the president of the united states. Along with this, her advisors have absolutely no idea what to do whenever the election ends in a perfect tie. This situation depicts a much bleaker outlook on politics, and runs with the viewers distrust of the government, depicting anybody who works in it as shallow, greedy, and two-faced.

These two shows give two very different views to politics: an optimistic view, and a pessimistic one. By showing corruption and greed as the motivating factors of politics, Veep gives the viewer much to think about. First, Veep was created alongside many correspondents from within the American Political system. This creates a very grim view within the viewer, because the show itself was made by insiders, who know exactly what is actually going on within the government. Parks and Recreation however, gives a much more optimistic outlook on politics, showing how politicians really just want to help others, but it also is made by outsiders to politics, which means it is only scratching the surface involving the reality it is describing. This implies, that Veep would appear to be the more accurate of the two involving the innerworkings of the American political system.

Both Veep and Parks and Recreation show personal views of the government, whether good or bad, and allows viewers to try and understand what it is like in the world of politics. Along with this, the two shows allow the viewer to imagine which the government is really like, and take a side for themselves. Lastly, it shows viewers two different types of people in the government, one who is a hard worker and one who is greedy, and shows the reward they get for their work: Leslie Knope ends feeling content with the presentation, and Selina Meyer ends getting stabbed in the back after tying for the presidency.