Racial Stereotyping (Part 2 of 2), Television: Inside & Out

Racial Stereotyping (Part 1 of 2), Television: Inside & Out

Television

From http://www.babyboomercaretaker.com/elderly-law/age-discrimination/stereotype/Stereotype-Examples.html, "The Asians are stereotyped to be good at mathematics; the blacks are stereotyped to be good at athletics and dancing. These can be regarded as positive stereotypes. Other stereotype like "All Muslims are terrorists" is a negative stereotype.There are examples of gender stereotypes too, often perpetuated by the media. Many films, advertisements and television programs show men engaged in physically demanding pursuits such as sport, rock-climbing, and beach surfing or canoeing. They also show young boys playing with action toys such as trucks, robots and super-hero figures. This depiction of men strongly suggests that they are strong, adventurous and active paving way for them to be stereotyped in that manner. On the other hand, the same media shows young girls putting on make-up, brushing their hair and generally worrying about their overall appearance. Some other advertisements show mothers serving meals to their families. The depiction of women in such roles suggests that they are good at performing household chores and taking care of their appearances and they are eventually stereotyped by these traits. Examples of gender stereotypes are ‘Men are masculine”, “Women are good cooks”, “Men are strong, adventurous and brave”, “Women are in charge of the house and Men are in charge of finances” etc."
These are just a few examples of stereotyping in television and all media in general.

The next two posts I found on YouTube. They are a two part video about racial stereotyping of African Americans. The topic is Racial Stereotyping as reported by Carolyn Craven for Rona Barrett's "Television: Inside & Out" broadcast of Saturday, December 19th, 1981. These videos display a clear example of how the media can and does use stereotypes. These clips were filmed in 1981 and show TV clips from the 60's forward.

Many people are quick to judge everyone that belongs to an ethnic group because of what they see and hear on television. Back before the technological age of the Internet, television and radio were all people had to see the world. Most didn't have enough money or resources to leave the country, let alone the town in which they lived. Therefore, the images of people different than themselves were obtained mainly by what they saw and heard on TV and radio.

Cartoons/Editorials

Stereotyping has, unfortunately, always been a part of American humor. Cartoonists use stereotypes to communicate complicated ideas quickly and  effectively. Stereotypes may represent ideas, nations, or groups of people. In addition to racial and ethnic characteristics, indicators of economic status, such as clothing, may be used in cartoon stereotypes. Without easily interpreted stereotypes, cartoons would require paragraphs of text and much more detailed drawings to transmit information. If the reader does not understand aspects of the characters or dialogue included, then they will not understand the underlying joke and the comic is pointless. With stereotypes and symbols, the reader can with one quick glance understand what is going on and what is implied. Without certain stereotypes and well known symbols, it would take the reader too long to think the cartoon over and try to figure out the meaning. Or, they may not be able to figure it out at all. At one time or another every race, gender, nation, etc... has been the object of stereotyping. Some say that these cartoons are not meant to display prejudice or racist attitudes, but to get it's message across quickly and easily.

"Crash"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHS1WzGPq2s&feature=related

The YouTube video link above is a clip from the 2004 movie "Crash". Jean, played by Sandra Bullock, is explaining to her husband Rick, played by Brenden Fraser, why she wants her locks changed again in the morning. The locksmith that was sent to her house fits her image of a "gang member".


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ue8XaSWYDaQ&feature=related

This is a link to a second of several examples of stereotyping in the movie. Anthony, played by Ludacris, is explaining to Peter, played by Larenz Tate, how racist people are in the area of town they are in.

This movie shows us the different point of views in our society, it gives us an insight of the stereotypes we have built within our society, within the world. It invites us to see and understand how such a small stereotype and negative attitude can go a long way and affect people in different ways.  It is important that we learn how to overcome prejudice and the stereotypes we hold against those different than us. Since these are attitudes and feelings that are learned and not innate, we can teach ourselves to get rid of these negatives behaviors by not being judgmental and predisposing ourselves negatively towards others.
The key to changing stereotypes and prejudice is largely the responsibility of individuals. Each of us should examine the assumptions that we make about others and ask ourselves where those assumptions came from. Where did they come from? Are they based on personal experiences with others? In what context? Might "the other" be different in different situations? Are assumptions based on things you have heard from others? Learned from on TV or movies or school? Is it possible that some of your negative images are wrong?"
In most cases,  the negative images are wrong.  Most groups have moderates and extremists, getting to know people as individuals, instead of groups, will reduce the stereotypes you hold of others, and it is also likely to reduce the stereotypes others hold of us.

Hurricane Katrina - "Two Photo Controversy"

An excellent example of media stereotyping that we saw early on in our course was the coverage of Hurricane Katrina. The pictures show a white couple carrying food that they "found" and a black man carrying food that he "looted". The photographers claim that the photos were captioned that way because they did not see where the white couple got the food and assumed they found it floating in the water and they saw the black man coming out of a store with his food. Judge for yourself:
(http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/resources/educational/teachable_moments/katrina_2_photo.cfm)









In this same link, you will see the following photos:


 

			Looters hit a drug store in the French Quarter dustrict of New Orleans in New Orleans, Louisuana, following Hurricane Katrina. Fresh floods, fires and looting rode in the destructive wake of Hurricane Katrina, deepening a humanitarian crises that left hundreds feared dead and sections of New Orleans submerged to the rooftops. (AFP/James Nielson)		As one person looks through their shopping bag, left, another jumps through a broken window, while leaving a convenience store on the I-10 service road south, in Metairie, La., Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2005, in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. This photo was taken during a helicopter tour of the area that included the governor of Louisiana. (AP Photo/Bill Feig, Pool)

It seems that they same stereotypical view has been applied to these photos. The black people are looting and the white people have a "shopping bag".

Media Literacy

I am participating in a project for my Media Literacy class at UMass Boston. This blog has been set up to show the effects of stereotyping in the media. My goal is to show how stereotyping is presented in the media and the problems that it can create. These include: reducing a wide range of differences in people and placing them in "categories", transforming assumptions about particular groups of people into "realities", being used to justify the position of those in power and encouraging social prejudice and inequality. Media stereotyping doesn't just effect one group of people. It can, essentially, at one time or another, include all of us, no matter what your color, gender, sexual preference or religion.