Changing the face of the players or amplifying their shortcomings. The moral lesson behind the story of the Lavigueurs from two perspectives (1986 – 2008)
To illustrate the viability of the socio-anthropological theory proposed by Georges Auclair and his successors, the author proposes to analyze the case of the saga of the Lavigueur family who in 1986 won a Lotto 6/49 jackpot. For this, he conducts a simple semic analysis on a body of articles, cartoons and television productions at two different moments; one, the moment when the family won the Lotto 6/49 jackpot until the announcement of the purchase of their home on Île-aux-Pruches; and two, the broadcasting of the television series Les Lavigueur, la vraie histoire. The analysis revealed that various facts surrounding the Lavigueur family had been reframed with the purpose of scaring Quebecers into abstaining from buying lottery tickets or engaging in gambling in general. By stigmatizing the Lavigueurs, journalists, cartoonists and television producers entrenched the idea that the lottery is an evil force that can not only transform human nature but also expose it out in the open. By way of this latter aspect, Quebecers were then confronted with a caricature of themselves.