Question

A. How do media play a role in perpetuating racial stereotypes?

B. How does popular culture shape our worldview about people/situations/events? Explain with an example.

Answer 1

• a)A lack of diversity in newsrooms may contribute to an environment in which people from homogenous backgrounds make decisions that are more consistent with their own worldview and not necessarily inclusive of the rich culture that exists in this country of people from a variety of racial and ethnic backgrounds. The current lens that is being used is too narrow in scope and leaves much to be desired.
• For instance,in 2005, Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast, killing more than a thousand people and leaving tens of thousands homeless.But news media may have turned this natural disaster into a disaster for American race relations by repeatedly broadcasting images of black people who were often described as “looting” in the catastrophic wake of the storm.
• Other minority groups—“out-groups” in relation to the majority—are portrayed negatively in media as well. Research shows that Latinos are often depicted as low status, criminal, and as sexual objects, while East Asians and Native American characters are rarely seen in the media.
• When they are, East Asian characters are commonly depicted as devious villains and Native American characters tend to be depicted as animalistic and savage.
• Middle Easterners are often portrayed as terrorists in both news and entertainment media. These stereotypic depictions can lead us to feel and behave more negatively toward these groups.
• Yes, media have historically shown minority groups in a negative light, and these portrayals can exacerbate prejudice and discriminatory behaviors. But sometimes media are our only way of connecting with minority groups at all. Indeed, media may be the only contact some people have with minority groups, especially those living in homogenous communities.
• And its not just the news channels which display racial stereotypes but even telvesion programmes like for instance,The Simpsons was accused of racial discrimination related to the Indian or South Asian character of Apu especially the way he spoke i.e. his accent.In the name of comedy,a caricature portrayal of a South Asian was definitely a racial stereotype and depicting that this is how all Indians talk and believe in.
• Racial stereotypes in the media, whether for comedic effect or otherwise, unfortunately reinforce our prejudices (and in the case of children, help in forming those prejudices) against those who look, talk and behave differently.
• We then tend towards a narrow view of what constitutes members of "the other", when in reality the make-up of "the other" is much more diverse. They hail from different backgrounds, and have an abundance of talent.
• We cannot call ourselves a truly inclusive society, if racial stereotypes in the media and in daily interactions continue to be the stimuli for some of our loudest laughs.
• Due to time limit,remaining questions can be asked as another question,they will be answered,thankyou for your cooperation