As our exposure to pop culture and various forms of social interaction help construct the self, we find that the numerous cultural narratives stored “within the book and volume of [our] brain” in turn become our ideological purview with which we see and understand the world. I am going further analyze equality in the U.S. and how the media portrays this agenda. I will be investigating how the self is affected through the pop-culture representation of equality; by analyzing media’s stance on issues with racial tensions, displays of biased, and play on politics and the issues that this nation faces. I will study how race, gender, and class play roles in how equality may be an issue. As well as further investigating the issues that mass media masks. This essay will inquire with the portrayals of equality through mass media how the self would perceive where this country’s stands. Among race the self is affected heavily, the color of one’s skin has a large impact on how the self can develop; this variation contributes to the way one will be treated among those in a varying races. Mass media’s portrayal as to how people are treated based on their skin color shapes the self. The article “Race Equality is Still a Work in Progress,” outlines that there are still many inequalities, but among general company races are treated fairly equal; the exception would be found among the criminal justice system. “Fully 80 percent of all Americans say more needs to be done,” but how does this
Chao and Felix Gutierrez are both well recognized professors in the University of California. Felix Gutierrez is well known for his expertise in journalism and changing the news industry (on race and ethnicity) over the past few years. Lena M. Chano is known for her academic work that has been in several journals over the united states. This particular book looks at how racial and ethnic inclusiveness has grown to be more important as our society has become increasingly diverse. Racism, Sexism, and the Media: The Rise of Class Communication in Multicultural America examines how people of color fit into the fabric of America and how the media tell them and others how they fit. Authors Clint C. Wilson, Félix Gutiérrez, and Lena M. Chao perceive the rise of class communication as a result of the convergence of new media technologies and continued demographic segmentation of audiences as people of color grow as targets of and markets for the media. This book goes in depth and solidifies the stance point on how much the media plays a part in all of this. This books Gives you an idea on exactly the way the media
The first and most crucial step to solving an issue is to recognize that the issue actually exists. Many people fail to recognize that race has a correlation to the way that a person is treated in their society. In many aspects of American society, a person's race is a major determinant to how they are treated. Race impacts the way a person is treated in the workplace, by police and in the doctor’s office. Race grants privilege to those who it
The social perception of racial equality is still a topic of debate today; however, it is in stark contrast to the perception forty years ago. In fact, the media still portrays many situations where black people are discriminated against and are not treated equally. Sadly, one often misinterpreted notion has
In today’s world, the exchange of information between individuals is largely based on the media alone. Conversations are held through social media sites, the news channels become the deliverers of new waves of specifically chosen stories, and the rest of the media effects the subconscious of the society. Movies, television shows, and “general” knowledge contribute to the rest of the mass media that affects the minds of people. The subconscious of the people can form the characteristics of the young and solidify ideas within the older population. The problem of the current society is that the subconscious ideas transferred to the media is particularly in the favor of Caucasians. This excludes people of African descent, Latinos, Asians, and other recognizably new minorities such as transgender. The overall effect of this subconscious problem is not very measurably but it can have disastrous consequences within each respective culture. Among all the minorities listed, African Americans and people of African descent have a tendency to be the most often misrepresented.
White people have a 65% higher per capita income than African Americans. This is why we must look at the causes of this racial bias and the effects. We cannot ignore the obvious disadvantages minorities face in America. When examining the ways that systemic racial bias affects the lives of Americans, it is important to first define what systemic racial bias actually is. For the purposes of this research paper, it is the tendency of racism to exist in a specified process. Throughout the past centuries, the presence of this bias changed significantly but not disappeared. In an age of media at every turn, the can influence so much and be so powerful. Unfortunately, one of the most apparent outlets of systemic racial bias is this proclaimed media, which tends to reflect and produce social perceptions of Americans and results in impacts on all Americans.
The election of Barack Obama as the 56th president of the United States raised many hopes that the “Black struggles” was finally over. For conservatives, Obama victory reassured their beliefs that there was no longer such thing as racism and that every American had equal rights and opportunity to pursue the American dream. While many people have come to believe that all races have equal rights in America, Tim Wise argues in his documentary “White Like Me” that not only does racism and unconscious racial bias still exist, but that also White Americans are unable to simply relate to the variety of forms racism and inequality Blacks experience. This is mainly because of the privileges they get as the “default.” While Wise explores the variety forms of racism and inequality today such as unconscious racism, Black poverty, unemployment, inadequate education system, and prison system, the articles by the New York Times Editorial Board, the Human Rights Watch (HRW), and Adam Liptak further explore some the disparities in the criminal justice system. Ana Swanson points out in her article, “The Stubborn Persistence of Black-White Inequality, 50 Years after Selma” that while the “U.S. has made big strides towards equal rights,” significant gaps still remains between the two races. With the Supreme Court striking down a “portion of the Voting Rights Act that stopped discriminatory voting laws from going into effect in areas of the country with histories of disenfranchisement,” civil
Inequality in today's america towards people of color is the result of a history of slavery in segregation in the united states. Michelle Alexander, a highly acclaimed civil rights lawyer and author of the book “The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness” talks about racial hostility in
The media has always played a significant role in influencing and shaping individuals’ perceptions of race in U.S. society. The way the media interacts and portrays people of color (POC) reinforces the universal stereotypes and systematic racism that take place in both the media and other social systems. These systems unconsciously privilege Whites and oppress POC while maintaining racial tensions and inequality. By understanding and engaging in critical self-reflection, the role of media can play a part in improving the racial consciousness in order to improve the social realities of people of color.
Movies and entertainment outlets speak volumes about the current state of a nation’s culture. Cinematic creations in the United States allow small voices to be heard and controversial issues to be addressed. However, a repetitive and monumental issue continues to be addressed, yet continues to persist in our 21st century culture, racial inequalities. Since the inception of the United States, black men and women alike have been disenfranchised at the hands of the “white man” in America. Instead of continuing the conversation today, the issue is continually silenced referencing the successes and achievements of the Civil Rights Movement in the 20th century. Nonetheless, an unfortunate reality looms upon this great land; racially based systems and structures continue to exist in 2015 the in United States. This paper synthesizes three films focused on racial inequalities in different time periods. Separate but Equal (1991), Selma (2015), and Crash (2005) illustrate how influential the Civil War amendments are, while serving as an uncanny reminder of how the racial prejudices during the 20th century continue to exist in our great nation today. Needless to say our nation has made great strides, but still has a long way to go.
What’s one thing that most Americans have in common? It can be seen as they walk down the streets with their head hung low, wait in doctors’ offices as they lean against the wall and on the bus or train as they seclude themselves in a world of their own making. Give up? The one thing that most Americans have in common, but don’t realize it is their mutual dependency on all forms of media to get them through the day. While media has it perks, there are some drawbacks where certain ethnicities are concerned. Take for instance the black man and his black female counterpart, often, are given roles that display black people in a negative light which in turn assigns them negative stereotypes. The negative media bias towards those of African Americans
It pains me to say that as a Black man in the U.S. when I make a mistake, do something deviant, or brake a law my skin color will be looked upon to decide my fate. Once I fit the stereotypes that society possesses of black men, I no longer am an individual but, simply a Black man. To be a Black man in this country means you are: a monster, a danger to society, and other. My white counter parts will never suffer such a fate. As Jay Coakely says in his book Sports in Society, “stereotypes provide ready-made evaluative frameworks for making quick judgments and conclusions about others...” (232). And so, when Ray Rice a Black man and Josh Brown a white man assaulted their wives; Rice was fired indefinitely while, Brown the white man was only
It is common knowledge that the topic of race is being examined all over the world. Frequently, more efforts are made through formation of policies, enactment of laws, and abolition of practices to obliterate racial discrimination. The pace of success of this endeavor is being delayed by the media because the media constantly portrays race in an inappropriate and derogatory manner. A race as described by Yolanda. T. Moses is a group of people who share similar and unique characteristics, while racial stereotypes are automatic and mental pictures held about all members of a particular social group. When people are stereotyped racially, they do not take into account individual differences .The media’s poor understanding of the true meaning of race has been communicated to the general public, making people think race is a biological phenomenon whereas it is socially and culturally constructed (Moses 735) and this has caused the increase in racial stereotypes by media’s continuous portrayal of negative stereotypes of different races all over the world.
Race is a social construct used to categorize people who share biological traits that a society thinks are important. It is commonly used to organize people and distribute power within society. As Cornel West implies, “it is an important factor in determining the life chances of certain groups of people in the United States” (West, 358). Race plays a huge role in how people are perceived, and therefore the opportunities that are available to them. A person’s race influences a whole host of social outcomes, from their education, to their income and their experiences with the criminal justice system. Just like race, minorities are categorized and distinguished by physical or cultural difference, that a society sets apart and subordinates. Typically, minorities occupy a lower status in society and have less access to the levels of societal power. Non-Hispanic white Americans, which is the majority group in United States society, have higher incomes, live in better neighborhoods, and are more likely to have more prestigious jobs and better educations than racial and ethnic minorities. Because of these disparities, minorities often face prejudice, a rigid and unfair generalization about an entire category of people. Prejudice often takes the form of stereotypes, which are exaggerated and simplified descriptions that are applied to every person in a category. Negative stereotypes enforce racism, or beliefs, thoughts, and actions based on the idea that one race is innately superior to another race. These thoughts can lead to harmful actions, or discrimination, towards different groups of people. Some people believe that race is tied up in structures of power and that races with less societal power are inferior. For example, it’s not unknown that black men are seen as violent in today’s society. Because of this stereotype, African-American people are more likely to fall victim to police brutality. An analysis of the available FBI data by Vox's Dara Lind found that US police kill black people at disproportionate rates: “Black people accounted for 31 percent of police killing victims in 2012, even though they made up just 13 percent of the US population”. In an effort to end this injustice, people of all races
The concept of gender and race representation in media has reminded me that the representation of people of color is not visible. The push for people of color to act on certain stereotypes shows that the media wants them to be portrayed in a certain way. The media pushes white people into positive leading roles that make it difficult for people of color to gain opportunity. Media uses its power to dissociate themselves on their reasoning on why they do not cast people of color for roles. In their article, “Gender, Race, and Media Representation”, Dwight E. Brooks and Lisa P. Hebert states, “Western industrialized societies are stratified by hierarchies of race, gender, and class that structure our social experience” (Brooks & Hebert 298) This hierarchy provides the placement of where people will be casted into media. The representation of gender and race in media has clarified that the hierarchy they have created, has
Although our culture is said to be completely removed from the idea of racial discrimination, this sense of inequality can be seen occurring behind the scenes within our society. Within the subtopic of race, several areas including our current culture, social psychology and the current format of our social institutions allow for the production and often the reproduction of racial discrimination in our day and age. Throughout this course, the various readings and class lectures have been very beneficial when examining the impact that racial discrimination and inequality has on our society. In this paper, I will delve into the subtopic of race and ethnicity and expound on how it is greatly influenced by our culture, social psychology, and social institutions around us today.