Media Stereotypes

Margaret Mead once stated that “Instead of being presented with stereotypes by age, sex, color, class, or religion, children must have the opportunity to learn that within each range, some people are loathsome and some are delightful.” We should be presented with a view that doesn’t group people together as a whole but instead show both the differences and similarities we share with each other. We should be shown a view that shows that a person can be good or bad no matter their sex, age, color, class, or religion. Social media was created to unite us and give us the ability to connect with those who are far away from us. Instead, it has reinforced negative stereotypes about those who look or think differently from us. The media propagates stereotypes on us in multiple ways and starts to enforce these views on us when we are most impressionable. They start when we’re young and still learning where we stand in the world and what we believe to be right and wrong. Instead of enforcing positive images that would help humanity thrive and prosper, the media is showing stereotypes that are detrimental to our growth as a species.

Over the past couple of decades the usage of offensive stereotypes have played a big role in popular films, TV shows, music videos, and comedy routines today. In fact one can only argue that these offensive stereotypes have increased considerably and will only continue to grow. There are many reasons as to why these stereotypes have only increased and have led to the creators of these films making millions and millions of dollars. The main reason behind this is making fun of race, color, poverty, and other cultures and using straightforward offensive words to do so is humorous to a large part of the US population. Although most of us would feel insulted if these

In what ways do the media perpetuate stereotyping and prejudice? Provide examples to support your assertion.

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 found myself recognizing the conditioned ideologies that white media has continuously and successfully disseminated. I believed the illusions of success by accepting the exceptional exceptions in the black community that we are constantly reminded of. Developing the if she can do it so can I and the stop making excuses mindset, failing to recognize that the realities of the common black folk in America were less than par. They fed me their images and I ate them up without thought. After a certain age, I realized that white media had an agenda but it never dawned on me on how this centuries long campaign had really taken root and sprouted. Convincing our people to believe they were inferior and accepting inadequacy as fate was one of the greatest campaigns presented to the American people. Using black inferiority to justify slavery and to keep us at arm’s length even after the physical chains were broken. This movement is one worth noting being that 400 years later it is

Harmeen Jones, a former Fox Technician, was fired after filing a complaint to Human Resources of the unfair treatment he was receiving by his colleagues at Fox for being African-American. Jones claims ‘he was subjected to a steady stream of "racist, sexist, and extremely offensive comments,’ against blacks, Muslims, Jews, women and Hispanics” (Shifrel). Unfortunately, not only does the network available to 87 million households make flippant remarks in it’s work environment, but it also promotes racist stereotypes on air. During an episode of The O’Reilly Factor, host Bill O’Reilly made an insulting remark when telling an African-American guest, “Say you 're a cocaine dealer—and you kind of look like one a little bit” (Hall). Stereotyping minority races has existed since the creation of the United States, and continues to be a problem. The privileged social group in society often oppresses minorities, and advertises false statements of the other races. Media, a big contributor to the spread of racial stereotyping that occurs in the United States, often provides viewers with stereotypes that continue to promote racism, and the discouragement of success in a minority group. The media portrays the dominant race in a positive way, while minority groups are depicted in ways that provide people with an invalid reason to feel hatred toward minority groups.

Gender stereotypes are everywhere. Even before we can understand what this means, people are constantly exposed to them through advertisements, toys, clothes, and the media including television shows and movies. To evaluate the prevalence of gender stereotypes in television programs targeted towards young children, I chose to watch four different shows called Phineas and Ferb, Little Einsteins, Horrid Henry, and Sofia the First. When picking what shows to watch, I intentionally selected at least one that looked targeted towards boys, another that appeared to be targeted towards girls, and finally one that seemed gender neutral. I also made sure to watch at least two episodes of each program to determine whether the themes I observed were

Getting rid of stereotypes is not an easy task that can be fixed overnight and it takes time to try to eliminate these problems. We need to be united and comprehend each other to eliminate the problems that offend one another. There is no need for the existence of these stereotypes that all they do is hurt others. Most of the television shows and commercials created by the media that help create stereotypes are derived from the idea of an individual or a group of people. Just as these individuals create stereotypes in the media society should use the media to their advantage and campaign against use of stereotypes in a lot of the media. There is many ways to accomplish getting rid of stereotypes but the main thing we need to accomplish to

The media plays a big role in how one gets and stays informed about all the local, national, and international events. Media can be local and national news channels, newspapers, social media sites like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Even though all media reports on the same event that does not mean that all the information is the same, the way it is reported, the same or the way people perceived the information. Most often the way media may report an event affects the way one looks at the event, how one remembers it and the way one creates, and justify any racial bias or stereotypes that one may have. Some prime example of this is the how media portrays Eric Garner, Michael Brown and Trayvon Martin compared to White male shooters.

Everyday people like you or me are affected by media in ways most people are oblivious to. Media shows what they want to show moreover the public is none the wiser. This subconsciously convinces the viewer that what is shown is real and/or the norm. When racial stereotypes are brought into the equation, it can be harmful for one’s self image. With the many forms of media minorities have to face certain stereotypes depending on the circumstance.

Throughout this class I did not know what to expect or what I could gain from it, after the groups we have had I walked out of class each day more informed than when I came in. I absolutely feel that I have changed my entire outlook on the media bias and stereotypes. I felt that before this class I was unaware of how negative these stereotypes and portrayals really were. Almost if I was being selfish for being unaware, because I felt some of these stereotypes or media bias did not affect me. Now that I reflect on what I was thinking at the time, I know better, I especially know that as a woman and person of color, the media and stereotypes equally target us, maybe women more. In this paper, I will reflect on three past groups such as

Turn on CNN or Fox and Bias pounds you over the head. They each have their own talking heads or political correspondents to decry their “ expert opinions”. Since the advent of the 24 hour news cycle back during the Gulf War, when CNN was launched, the”news- junkie “ was born. News became less of a journalistic report of the facts about what was happening in the world and more about infotainment, it became more biased when Fox news came along and all of the other stations. Media has always been slightly biased according to the owner or publisher of the journal or the media source. The target audience of Fox news is a very conservative group, the aim is to entice them to be infuriated by the opinion of the host and guest. Occasionally a bit of truth is broadcast.. The exact same can be said for the audience of Mother Jones, MSNBC, and other forms of media. The headline grabbing story I have chosen is very important as it is a matter of National Security.

The mainstream media focuses on the viewers and what the viewers would like to know. Most people watch the news to obtain information about what is going on in the world. If the topic that is brought up on the news sounds interesting or sounds like it will affect the viewer will watch to see what is happening. Appealing to the emotions of the viewer will make the person want to know more and see what will happen. The consumers of the information tend to believe what they see or hear. Viewers tend to believes these sources because a news network may be based on the same political views as the viewer. Some people will not watch certain news networks because of what is put out there about the political aspect of the world. Although that is one of the reasons viewers watch the news, the views may just be watching this one news network because it may be the only network available to the person. Viewers care about can be seen with the eyes, since not everything a person

We live in a world of technological innovation where mass media is a major part of us today. People make assumptions on what they hear. They do not try to analyze the situation to see who is right and who is wrong, and mass media is the main source of manipulating one's mind. The concept of propaganda has changed over time. Propagandists create ideas stereotypically through the use of propaganda and use media to promote it and target people's minds to have influence on their views towards a certain group of people. These ideas create negative or positive images in the intended audience's minds. However, it is notable that the information is only the one that is exemplified through media and therefore, can be

he United States has claimed for years to be a melting pot, where race or various preferences do not define our role in society. Most everyday people do not even realize or notice the amount of stereotyping that occurs in mass media. It is important to understand the different types of discrimination marginalized groups face. Stereotypes can affect everyone, whether it is based on their race, gender, or sexual preference. Media makers could easily find ways to not discriminate against people, but perhaps this would make that specific media outlet less popularly attended to.