pleasantville: a sociological character study!!! 

the people of pleasantville, mainly the mayor, believe that the way they live is the best way and when things begin to change they are afraid and want to stop it from happening.

many ethnocentric phrases and actions are done by the townspeople and they often boast about how wonderful and "pleasant" the town is. in the beginning of the movie, the marathon is described as a "flashback to the good ol' days" which is ethnocentric to the culture of the time. when the way of life is threatened, some people want to change it back to the way it was.

bill johnson is one of the main characters that is a threat to this way of life; he has a passion for art and painting and fell in love with bud's mom; two things which were not considered in the norm withing the community.