Media Parallels

There are many parallels in the way the media portrays people. I turned on the television and there was a commercial on showing a Black women advertising a beauty product. Later, there was another commercial about a beauty product, but this time with a Latina woman. Both of the women had full lips and were advertising something about making them look more radiant and not dull. At that point I realized that there are many similarities between the way that Blacks and Latinos are depicted in America and by the media, specifically in television and film. Those two commercials were just one of the many ways that the media uses to portray the minority cultures.

Everyday information provided by the media is subconsciously put into the minds of the millions of viewer. One is supposed to trust the media to enlighten them on issues currently going on in the country and harmless entertainment. With that trust people put in the media, they are more inclined to believe everything that the media feeds them, negative or positive. In today’s society, the media pretty much raises the youth, so whatever the media portrays is getting carried on to the next generation automatically. The media has been influencing the population about ethnicities for years now. They tend to make it seem like all of the minorities are inferior and have negative traits. It seems like they are promoting racism by saying all of the minorities are negative in society. With all of the power the media has, it results in making all but the European culture seem lesser in society. All of the information needs to change from what it is currently projecting. The similarities are seen throughout television and movies. They want to put all the minorities in the same category, which is just a way to hold them down and make the European culture superior.

Critics of this would say that the media doesn't portray minorities in a negative light because of shows like Roots and The Cosby Show. Also their are movies that make fun of whites as well and not just blacks. There still is a hidden agenda for sure though. I don't think this is a good thing at all. The media shouldn't be this way because it is deceiving and giving the wrong impression about cultures in America. All minorities are not the same and every one's history and culture should be celebrated. The government or someone should stop this immediately because this is teaching society the wrong things and everyone is important to America.

Sources:

Balkaran, Stephen. "Mass Media and Racism." Yale University. Web. 8 Feb. 2012. .

"Television and Family-The Portrayal Of Family On Television." Television and Family. Web. 8 Feb. 2012. Family-Portrayal-Family-on-Television.html>.

Native American Culture

Another reading that we read was about Native Americans. They talked about the Disney film Pocahontas. It was telling about how the Disney movie was very different from the real story. In the Disney movie, Pocahontas falls in love with the white man. In the real story Pocahonatas was a young woman that saved the white man and he ended up raping her. That is a way people change history. Also in the reading they talked about a man that dressed up his kids in Native American outfits and stood outside of stores with them for money. He made enough money to send them through college. I don't know if that's a good idea, but that goes to show you the stereotypes of how America portrays Native American's and how ridiculous it is. I think that everyone in America should learn about the real history and culture of Native Americans and start to recognize it for what it is.

Source:

Bird, S. Elizabeth. "Introduction:Constructing the Indian, 1830s-1990s."