Dangerous Stereotypes

T.V. shows are fun to watch. However, have you noticed that many T.V. shows have the same actors, in the same stereotypes, just because of how they look. But, have you noticed that many of these stereotypes have been taken to extremes? I believe that stereotypes in T.V. are unrealistic, and exaggerated. Stereotypes such as blondes being stupid, Nerds being weak, and awkward, and popular people being rude, all have been exaggerated by Hollywood to the point where it's unrealistic!

These reality television shows use stereotypes in many cases to continue to have an audience, and because people continue to watch these shows, these stereotypes are not only in television but they disseminate into

To individuals who knew few blacks in the past, stereotypes in film and television reinforced negative views about black laziness, sexuality, and criminality, making comedy shows such as Amos ‘n’ Andy easier to carry out as there was minimal explaining that was needed. By providing African Americans with inferior roles on television, it reinforced the idea that African Americans were not as valuable as their white counterparts. In essence, “we are what we consume.” The more audiences watched African Americans playing roles such as servants and buffoons, the more society began to see these roles as a reflection of the kinds of characteristics they possessed in reality. Pop culture, as such, is an expression of a communities shared experiences. Pop culture influences how people follow the general view of society. Such is apparent even in today’s society as celebrities such as Kylie Jenner “can put out a tweet or an Instagram photo and it becomes all the rage, she drives pop culture like no other celebrity does” (White). Her infamous lips have resulted in teens demanding lip injections in order to mirror her looks by asking doctors for “The

Some of the most popular television shows in today’s society are The Biggest Looser, Jersey Shore, and Big Brother. These programs and many others are classified as reality television. Reality television’s main purpose is to attempt to portray ordinary people in unscripted situations. Recently, however, many of these shows have achieved in creating the complete opposite, and have earned an immense amount of criticism as a result. Reality television programs are detrimental to society because they influence bad behavior among teenagers, do not produce authentic real life situations, and they humiliate many of the characters.

Reality television contains fictional aspects that allow producers to manipulate situations that appear to be “real” on screen. In order to keep their characters interesting and easily recognizable throughout the season, a show must clearly establish heroes, villains and supporting characters to keep their audience coming back for more (Tyree, 2011, p. 395). This involves the heavy use of racial stereotypes in their shows because it allows for quick character development as well as cheap entertainment. The way a particular race or culture is represented on reality television can adversely affect the way society views that

In Katha Pollitt 's essay entitled "The Hunger Games ' Feral Feminism," Pollitt writes about what reality television might look like if taken to extremes. Reality television is a huge part of our culture today, and I not only agree with Pollitt 's views and ideas of what reality TV would look if taken to the extremes, but I believe that we have already gotten to that point. Today 's reality TV shows such as "Keeping up with the Kardashians", "The Bachelorette" or any of the "Real Housewives" are among many of today 's popular shows that focus on extreme aggression, bullying, physical beauty, and sex appeal. These TV shows teach us that it is not only ok to compromise morals and values, but that type of behavior accepted and rewarded. In today 's age, reality TV generally has to go negative and go to the extreme in order for it to be interesting despite the lasting impact that it may have on viewers. Reality TV has an impact on the values of their viewers and alters how they may perceive real-life situations. Therefore, it 's important to take a look at some of the standards portrayed by reality TV.

In today’s society judging races and ethnic groups have left stereotypical images on them. Stereotypical images are seen all over, even in contemporary media. Hispanic Americans and Black Americans are two ethnic groups that I’ve recognized on having that stereotypical image in the contemporary media. Hispanic Americans and Black Americans are left with harm because of these stereotypes that have been shown in the contemporary media, for example in the television shows George Lopez and Everybody Hates Chris. It seems to be that stereotypes are being less focused on or just being allowed because of the humor they bring out in those television shows.

Stereotypes are part of our everyday life and are used not only by the media but by everyday citizens as well. A very large percentage of the media is feeding off by stereotypes of many types of people and their cultures. No matter if this label is negative or positive towards a certain group of people the media still uses stereotyping to attack, label, or simply make fun of others in the community. While it may seeming harmless essentially this subconsciously teaches the viewers that being unkind or straight out uncivil is

The negative stereotypes that are shown among viewers in reality television shows are black women. The capitalism and consumerism makes headway, since many people are watching these reality shows, which creates high ratings and cast members are getting paid; for acting out which formulate viewers to make stereotypes about black women that can be humorous to the audience (Skeggs, 2005). Cultural capital is becoming increasingly significant in making workers more 'enterprising' more valuable, in terms of giving people more of a capacity of internalizing who are the people that are acting “abnormal.”

Media influences the minds of those who consume it. Portrayals in media quickly become the norm as the consumers believe the strangest of headlines. Representations in media, specifically television, are subconsciously analyzed and placed into the mindset of the viewer. Racial depictions in television and the lack thereof, for example, influence the perspective of the consumer and portray a false reality. Although the future for more racial diversity in the American television industry looked promising, this white-dominated industry has proven that not much has changed in regards to hiring, including, and depicting more ethnic groups and people of color in entertainment. People of color are given stereotypical roles that presents the race in a negative manner; its depiction on television gives additional credibility to the stereotypes. “””Tokenistic representation hinders the nation's ability to see the reality of diversity in the world by limiting the numbers and types of people that are seen through the

Film, television, and newscasts all have profound effects on the way that their viewers see the world. For many people, the only exposure to the world beyond their own horizons is that which they get from these media outlets. Because of this, people who have no real-life experience with certain races or cultures outside of their own are often left to form a perspective of the culture in question based solely off of what they have seen on television or in the news. While forming perspectives based on media representation is not inherently bad, it can still serve as a catalyst for the perpetuation of negative stereotypes. Consequently, when

The exploitation of reinforced stereotypes in television is solely embodied for the sake of entertainment—it is to weave a compelling tale or to live vicariously through others in a world more or less different from our own. Regardless of the motive of a show’s creators, any cultural appropriation extracted from such fantasy is a mistake made by the viewer. Rational human beings are responsible for making distinctions between fantasy and reality; to let something confined by make-believe conform what one actually believes is irrational. Accordingly, this irrationality, not the inert portrayal itself, is what establishes and strengthens the negative stereotypes portrayed in

Studying the trends in regards to portrayals of minorities in media, in television and programming in relation to the impact portrayals have on viewers ' attitudes and beliefs, serves two main purposes: (1) it is important to understand the degree of how minorities are depicted so that changes, if needed, can occur; and (2) there is a need to determine if the portrayals of minorities on television exacerbate racial stereotypes (Mastro, 2000).

“Media stereotypes are inevitable, especially in the advertising, entertainment and news industries, which need as wide an audience as possible to quickly understand information. Stereotypes act like codes that give audiences a quick, common understanding of a person or group of people—usually relating to their class, ethnicity or race, gender, sexual orientation, social role or occupation.”

Although I agree, I would add that beyond the perceived realism – and therefore relatability – of reality television stars, reality television is gripping because it puts the relatable characters in situations that bring out their amoral qualities. In doing so, the viewer feels morally elevated by getting the sense that, “at least I’m not as bad as these people.” Becoming aware of this “holier than thou” complex that reality television sets up between viewer and character is a form of media awareness. Being aware of this complex, beyond ruining reality television for the viewer, helps to overcome the influence on your morals that television producers are trying to