Renters: Disgust, judgement and marginalization of the dirty poor

Abstract

Renters, an Aotearoa New Zealand reality television programme by Greenstone productions, is currently in its ninth season with 77 episodes at the time of writing. It is clearly a popular series, but why? According to Kristeva (1980), we are morbidly drawn to the abject and subsequently enjoy the cathartic experience of purification. However, the psychology of dirt means that we are simultaneously compelled to reject the creator of the dirt that provokes our disgust, particularly when they belong to an extreme out-group. Disgust prompted by dirtiness may therefore fuel dehumanization and diminish sympathy and engagement of the viewer towards the tenants featured in the series. Renters satisfies by providing the viewer with ‘filth porn’ and a rewarding clean-up with the bonus of a marginalized other to condemn. The morality play element is a familiar format that validates the viewer’s in-group status and sanctions judgemental impulses. An underlying subtext exhibits a neo-liberal attitude to the poorest elements in society, blaming them for their own predicament. This article will analyse selected scenes from Renters to highlight how the producers promote stereotypes that marginalize and dehumanize the underclass of unsuccessful renters, or ‘dirty poor’, in Aotearoa New Zealand.