Gender In Dexter

Rhimes is often praised for her revolutionary casting and taking risks. However, after being inducted in to the National Association of Broadcasters’ Broadcasting Hall of Fame in 2015, Rhimes gave a speech in which she said: diverse casting is not brave, it is human. She is proof that a successful black woman behind the scenes of multiple hit TV shows means that there can also be successful shows on television with nontraditional casts. But why doesn’t this happen with someone like a white male behind a TV show? The 2015 Hollywood Diversity Report also studied why white males might not cast a person of color as a lead. “Individual stakeholders in the industry (typically white and male) look to surround themselves with other individuals with whom they feel comfortable, with whom they feel they have the best prospects for producing a successful project,” (Hollywood Diversity Report, 54). If shows and movies with minority representation have proven to be successful when done right, then it seems strange that there is still such an over representation of nonwhites in mainstream entertainment.

However, the most typical type of portrayal that can be seen in modern television is the one that includes black actors to portray black characters without prejudices or ideas about their “otherness.” As suggested in the study by Parks and Kumar (2003), it is normal for the modern television to contain images of black bodies in the same contexts as the white ones (p. 423). Instead of pointing to his blackness, the authors of the Criminal Minds have included Derek Morgan as an ordinary character into the team of behavioral profilers who do the same job. The only distinction of Derek Morgan from other members of the team is his ethnicity. Therefore, this type of stereotyping should be discussed along with the other efforts of the TV series creators to include a black role model, a “good guy” into the

Shameless is a Golden-Globe nominated show with a white dominated cast. One of the siblings on the show is black, but is identified as a White male contrary to the character’s skin tone. “When it comes to representations of Blacks on television, the 1980s can be seen as a decade of elevated inclusion both in terms of the quantity and quality of roles -- which remains the norm today. (Tukachinsky, Mastro, & Yarchi, 2015). Over the years, we will see more shows gearing their audiences to the black community. Producers add in a few social issues to reel viewers in, but the fact remains the same that a prime time heavy hitting shows, will most likely have less than 20% of their cast of African descent. In consonance with researchers, blacks currently constitute between 14-17 percent of the prime-time population. (Tukachinsky, Mastro, & Yarchi, 2015). The lack of representation in the media can lead to some interpreting that the Caucasian race is the superior race, and in retrospect, can influence the attitudes and beliefs of viewers. Prior research has shown that exposure to counter stereotypic exemplars in the media can have a positive effect on inter-group relations. (Scharrer, & Ramasubramanian, 2015) In order to reduce the misrepresentation from taking over the media, we must depict a positive image on the lives of minorities and portray them as successful, thriving human beings. By

People of all races enjoy a good film or tv show but, they sometimes are not being represented equally. Representation matters because, it is important to teach the younger generations about their race’s worldview on what they find normal. Kenneth and Mamie Clark conducted a psychological study where, “children were shown two dolls, one black and one white. They were asked to choose which one they preferred, which one was ‘bad’ and which one was ‘good.’ The results were the same across races: the children generally preferred the white doll and saw that doll as ‘good’…. but it is really no surprise if you look at the media these children are consuming”(The

I believe we as a society are intrigued with shows like Dexter because they allow us a temporary escape from reality. A reality in which we witness injustices occur in our court systems such as a legal loop hole allowing a guilty person to essentially walk free and justice not being served for the victim. I will attempt to explain why these characters are thriving as pop culture icons.

Over the years television has been known to be one of the major educating and socializing institution in America. Television in today’s society is able to play a powerful key through which individuals can be informed, hold forums, and voice their opinion‘s. Television is also important because it offers us glimpses into minority life and minority figures. When sociologists examine minorities in television they document how minorities are portrayed and how those portrayals have changed over the years. Through time, minorities in television have been able to make moderate gains whether they are in front of or behind cameras. However, they continue to remain significantly underrepresented as leading actors in films, as writers, and as TV show creators. Even though minorities are significantly underrepresented in today’s society the TV industry has been pushing to give an opportunity to many minority groups in succeeding in the media. Several TV shows and commercials have succeeded in the TV industry to try and change how minorities are underrepresented, however, there are also shows that reinforce stereotypes and are prejudice towards minorities.

Later on Donnelly starts to talk about popular culture and its influences on the show. She says, “Popular culture thrives on explanation as a way of abating fears of violence and fears of Otherness” (Donnelly 21) which season seven and eight are all about. Dexter searches constantly for a real reason to explain why he is the way he is. He wants a better understanding of himself to make himself fit in. Morals have been developed to single out the abnormal and throughout his whole life Dexter was singled out. The consumers of the show can identify a killer as a monster, making the person less than human in our minds. Therefore if Dexter thought the same as us; killing a killer is the same as squishing a bug because both are lesser than humans and their lives do not make an impact on ours. Dexter realizes in season eight that he is an even worse monster that he believed himself to be.

Throughout the course, we have learned how race and discrimination against race are present in our daily lives. Racial issues have not just started occurring however, even when we were children discrimination could be seen every day through the media we were exposed to. From beloved childhood cartoons to announcers on TV for sports, we can really see how whitewashing and colorism may be more present than ever thought.

Television and film is a huge part of American culture. As the “face” of America changes, it is expected for our media to reflect it. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Since the beginning of film, minorities have been misrepresented and underrepresented. While there has been a significant increase in minority actors since the beginning of film, there is still a huge underrepresentation present in American television and film. Our media needs to reflect out diverse country. This topic is always important and relevant because race, gender, and sexuality, in general, have been issues throughout the growth of television and film. Even today, minorities are subject to

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

During the process of producing a television series, the demand for the producers to introduce their characters with only their highlighted traits make it impossible for viewers to gain a deep understanding of the community that the characters represent. One of the stereotypic traits that is usually seen on movies and television shows is societal difference that each race is placed into. Michael Omi in his article In Living Color: Race and American Culture stated that “in contemporary television and film, there is a tendency to present and equate racial minority groups and individuals with specific social problems” (546). There are many films and television shows found today that ground racial minorities into a specific social problems that are related to the color of their skin. It can be inferred from the current popular culture that this stereotype still persists.

I agree completely with Monika’s claim that lack of representation, whitewashing, and stereotypes are the issues in American media. I think the media don’t understand the importance of diversity and how it positively impact society. In fact the author’s stated that absence of minorities in shows where set in cities that have high present of minorities population which means that there are a race better than others and that’s what is going in the media displaying white race as more intelligent, affection and other races can’t survive without the white race .In the article the one the issues with whitewashing was replacing minority roles to white actors. However, The media argues that representing the minorities as mine characters may lead to

We are all people with different interests, but something that connects us is films, series, and television in general. If one pays attention, one can see that there is an unequal race diversity within the Hollywood industry. This is not as shocking because, since the beginning, the United States was being built upon race inequality. To illustrate, Africans were being brought to this country to be taken away their rights as a human being, Native Americans were being robbed of their own land, and other people of color were being treated as lesser than a white man. As time went on, progress was being made, but people of color were still being seen as minorities.

In a study of 414 films and television series, only 33 percent of all characters were women, and only 28 percent were of racial minority status (Associated Press). Casting diversely in entertainment has been an issue for years and has recently spawned many controversies such as the 2016 Oscar Controversy where an outrage occurred due to a lack of minority Oscar winners. Many cultures and races fell underrepresented and cast aside by film and television. The entertainment industry should cast more diverse actors because it increases viewership, provides a broader perspective, and creates a more realistic setting.

Frequently, most superheroes in cinema are portrayed by male characters rather than women, creating a distinction between gender roles. Indeed, through the passage, “These results may suggest to viewers that women are less important, knowledgeable, and capable than men – and less likely to be a hero” (Miller et. al) women are much less likely to be featured as the hero within the film, and more likely to be featured as the “damsel in distress” of the story. Furthermore, women are much more likely to be depicted in a sexualized fashion, even when displayed in the role of hero. This feature of women with a lack of dominance defies feminism, as they lack roles in superhero films and they are portrayed with the sole purpose of boasting