Opening: I believe that Media promotes racial stereotypes. Stereotype means a simplified or standardized conception and/or image of a particular group. There are several stereotypes perpetuated by different media outlets that highly influence the way that the every day person thinks or feels about particular groups of people. Two-forms of media that portray racial stereotypes in a negative manner, include movies and television. Argument 1: One of the many media outlets that define racial stereotyping would be movies.
Judith Lorber breaks down the semiotics that is engraved in the concept of gender in her piece “The Social Construction of Gender.” She explains how gender affects our lives by controlling our identities. Lorber explains that gender in its essence is semiotic. Hence, there are many risks being taken when exposing children to the lifestyles of these fictitious characters all due to the semiotics that seeps into a child’s subconscious. Through these films, children are taught the difference between beautiful and ugly, strong and weak, happy and sad, manly and womanly, etc. Lorber says “Individuals are born sexed but not gendered, and they
Crash The movie crash does a very good job exposing how common stereotyping people really is. Many people are affected by this every day. I really hope this movie helped people realize how much they affect people by what they say or how they act towards people just based off of stereotypes. Stereotyping is defined in our book as exaggerated generalizations associated with a categorizing system. Stereotypes may be based on a kernel of truth, but they go beyond the facts at hand and make claims that usually have no valid basis.
They are based on white females, black females, and black males. Within theses TV shows racial stereotypes perpetuate the way one’s character is portrayed while others feel differently about the subject. Have you ever wondered how the producers go about choosing people for these reality shows? Pay close attention to the way the plots seem to always go as planned and there is more drama added to the situation than what there would normally be. The producers change some of the techniques of editing to portray the stories they want to tell, but they provide much more juicy and exciting concepts to tell from the want to be famous (Lowry, p. 16).
The movie "Crash" was a great example of how people of different cultures can be prejudice and stereotypical toward one another. It showed how ideas and feelings are adopted and can be carried down from generation to generation. People tend to place their own culture on a pedestal while placing others that they don't understand beneath them. You see and hear things about a race and assume that all or most act out those same behaviors. People also base those feelings on how a person is dressed.
A stereotype categorises a person in order to separate them from other people by distinguishing their main features. Stereotypes allow us to identify with the person being stereotyped, to give us a larger insight into what they may be like. These thoughts or beliefs may or may not accurately reflect the reality of what the person is truly like. Stereotypes can often be extremely broad and offensive, especially if a person isn’t categorized into a particularly positive group. ‘emos’, ‘goths’ and ‘geeks’ are all examples of stereotypes used by media producers.
There is no doubt that the media influences our everyday lives. Consumerism and the modern ways of Western advertising is what drives our culture. This is evident within ourselves as well. We are constantly bombarded with harmful advertisements that have an impact on our body image. The media portrays very distinct and very firm representations of gender.
The videos are made in a way that help make people better aware of the affects these harmful substances can have on anyone’s life. These speakers and authors were helpful in being informative not just doing the “Hollywood gossip talk”. This gossip that goes around in the world only makes the situation harder on
These shows and movies help the acceptance into society. For example, when people watch these shows and movies, they understand the differences of society. Some people may not understand the differences and may be scared of someone different from them, so with these shows they provide character and may even change people’s minds about cultures and diversity that did not know about. One good television show is Glee. This show is a multi-culture show and has all races, sexual orientation, religion, and cultures, which all people come together as a team to provide the ultimate performance with amazing
Moreover, there still remains the stereotype that women cannot escape the abusive relationship because of financial fears and family obligations. While this only shows half of the picture, it does not show the whole image of the problem. Some people argue that domestic violence is not a gender problem, but a humanity one. However, as we see in everyday life, domestic violence as shown on television concentrates on the female victim and the public’s hate is directed at the perpetrator who is the male. This public view on domestic violence is influenced by the media.