The Media Has Influenced The Thinking Of The American People

Will and Grace may be appealing to the viewer if he/she finds the messages of the show to be challenging the old cultural belief that being gay is not accepted by most in America’s society. It is the first show to have main characters that are gay that is widely watched and accepted. Will is portrayed as the opposite of what society may find to be stereotypical of a gay man. Will does not speak with a lisp, he does not use flashy hand gestures, nor does he even appear to be gay. Rather, he seems to be an average character on a sitcom. Will also is shown to be a fairly successful lawyer, a respected job title. Throughout the show, Will is never made fun of for being gay, nor treated differently because of it. His sexuality is not emphasized and this sends the message to viewers that being gay is normal and that one should not be treated any differently because of it. This in turn makes gays more accepted overall (surprisingly, since the media is normally considered demanding and unforgiving). Will and Grace strongly challenges the old cultural belief by a putting a respectable gay man on a widely accepted series for the first time.

While many believe that homosexuality has only been seen in mainstream media for only a few decades, it has actually been with America cinema since the early 1920’s. The portrayal of homosexuality in film and TV has come a very long way since the 1920’s. What viewers see on TV about homosexuality is really just a representation of America’s changing public view on the subject. While we have come to accept the topic of homosexuality in American society more willingly, we have substituted much of our prejudice about gays with the stereotypes that we see on TV constantly. Because as a society we are constantly forced to see these stereotypes, we are being halted in our progression to accept all different kinds of lifestyles.

In the article “Media's portrayal of homosexuality as a reflection of cultural acceptance” Austin Rowe uses the contact hypothesis to address the topic of homosexuality in media. This article is about how in recent years since homosexuality has become a positive media has began portraying it as a positive as well. This article is for all people who support the LGBT community and who just want to see in a different perspective how media is portraying the LGBT community. The article was written by Austin Rowe who is attending college at Georgia state. Rowe uses evidence to his advantage to make a very effective argument.

Imagine being mocked for who you are and singled out on the way you act and dress—heterosexuals face that problem everyday seeing it broadcasted on shows and movies commonly seen in the genre of drama and comedy. Stereotypes on groups of people affect whether they are true or just a perception. The gay community is discriminated against and has to overcome stereotypes in the media, as seen in Modern Family, Glee, and Mean Girls showing how they are struggling to be represented accurately and positively. Before the 1960’s gay men weren’t shown in films, plays, shows, etc.

Teasing, bullying and abuse due to one’s nontraditional sexual orientation is something that has been going for an extraneous amount of time and I admire the people who put together the short film, “Imagine a World Where Being "Gay" The Norm & Being "Straight" Would Be the Minority”, because it creates an opportunity for ignorance to be seen in a light that almost anyone can comprehend. Those who are completely heterosexual while being on the fence about why same-sex couples deserve the same rights as everyone else, can view this film and be able to step into the shoes of the people who are discriminated against because of their sexuality. I chose this link for this assignment, because this particular topic is very close to my heart. I first saw this film many years ago when I was merely fourteen years old and it was so powerful, it left me in tears because of the bullying I’ve personally experienced due to my own sexual orientation.

Author Steven Seidman writes that “it is the power of the closet to shape the core of an individual's life that has made homosexuality into a significant personal, social, and political drama in twentieth-century America “(38). Those that are

The issue of sexuality and human sexual orientation is an increasingly hot topic in the American society today. Although this topic has made an upward spiral in society today, there seems to be little talk about the history of sexuality. The lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer community has been oppressed throughout history, making it difficult for them to feel safe in the public sphere where heterosexuality is the norm. However, pieces by George Chauncey and Ruth Hubbard have discussed ways in which the LGBTQ world was forgotten about in early society, and how it has evolved to be where it is now.

“I support gay marriage. I believe they have a right to be as miserable as the rest of us,” said Kinky Friedman, an American musician from Texas. Friedman’s exclamation may come as a surprise, coming from a man from the state of Texas, which for the most part is less accepting of homosexuals. However, the statement holds weight, even if said in jest, as it includes homosexuals in the conversation, something that needs to take place. The video I watched for this essay, Further off the Straight and Narrow highlights trends in sexual representation on television. Although equal representation of homosexuals on television is far from taking place overnight, due to the growing number of roles featured it appears change, albeit slow, is taking place. In this essay, I will explain my position on gay representation on television. To do this I will first, discuss my thoughts on the idea that gays should embody middles class standards to be accepted, then speak on my reaction towards explicit gay sexuality represented on television, and finally,

As the years went on, in the eyes of the media, and thus the eyes of the public, the homosexual changed from what was fundamentally a homosexual--something other--into what was first and foremost a person, and only secondarily something abnormal. “Nothing short of death,” Virginia M. Apuzzo said, “has been the price that we’ve paid for growth, and that is an expensive price to pay”--but it was paid, and the gay community

The media has been a vital component in informing the public. With the little resource that was used, such as the newspaper, it was enough to spread the word. Although it was important for the public to be aware about their environment, the information has been stretched to influence towards a specific opinion. The media has a massive amount of influence, and it has served as surveillance over the executive, legislative, and judicial branch. It is considered as the fourth branch because the amount of influence it has on the public that has placed it as, part of the other branches.

Over the past thirty years there has been an increase in power throughout the media with regard to politics. The original purpose of the media was to inform the public about relevant events that occured around the country regarding politics in the United States. The job of the media is to search out the truth and relay that news to the people. The media has the power to inform the people but often times the stories given to the people are distorted for one reason or another whether they are good or bad for the candidates. Media is now not only Newspapers, radio, magazines, etc but now media includes social media applications such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc where Media is now not only used to inform but as well

It wasn’t until the early 70’s that gay and lesbian couples popped up on screens across the country as reoccurring roles in TV series. The first gay relationship televised was That Certain Summer, a made-for TV movie which aired in 1972. This was the first instant where a homosexual relationship was shown as sympathetic rather being seen as a sin or acting wrongfully. (Rice,2015). This movie received countless awards for its storyline making it a game changer for the LBGTQ community on television. Although there was still a long way to go. One of the short lived series on ABC was Hot I Baltimore, a story about an older gay couple living

The concept of homosexuality has been explored by society for many years and is not a new concept. Gay roles portraying homosexuals as people with the same drives and desires as heterosexual people have only begun to surface in the last few decades.   Roles showing lesbian women and transgender seem to have been more widely accepted especially when they are used as humor. The role of the gay man in film and in society seems to be widely accepted when those roles are opposed or when the stereotype of a gay man is needed to inject some humor.   Homosexuals are only now receiving the same attention that other controversial roles have

Escaping the vast amounts of theories, viewpoints, and well written slants of the media is almost impossible for the common American citizens. America’s perceptions of the entire demographic has the capability of significant influence due broadcasts of various sorts. The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender community, or commonly referred to as LBGT, has been a core group fear, scrutiny, and confusion within the reports of varied mediums of exposure since as early as the 1950s. The highly convincing nature of the media’s influence is deeply rooted as truth within the minds of just about every person in America. No matter where you look or turn, in this day and age you cannot avoid the topic of homosexuality. It is being discussed in the news, books, television shows, movies, and as we have most recently now in politics. Since they are labeled to be a minority group, the LGBT community is viewed very differently by society. Although there are many people who think there is nothing wrong with being gay, there are many who still believe it is immoral and abnormal. With all the diverse views floating around about homosexuals different portrayals and stereotypes can and have definitely derived from everywhere. These portrayals send intentional or sometimes even unintentional messages to the people on the receiving end of those messages, thereby shaping how those people view homosexuals. Since the media has such an immense impact on how homosexuality is viewed, it is extremely

Being raised in a small town, it is easy to get accustomed to a societal view of how people should be. Everyone fits into a stereotype, whether it be the old Caucasian woman in the big house or the Mexican lunch lady at the local elementary school. These stereotypes are also enforced onto the gay community; Parents tell their young boys to avoid the new student who “acts gay,” and of course, everyone in the town knows about the high school girl who dresses like a tomboy. Coming into the city, these stereotypes are broken, and as time passes, it is clear to see what type of gay individuals there really are in the world.