Race and Gender Stereotypes in the Media

Feb. 18 5 p.m.
New York Times
Chimp-Stimulus Cartoon
Racial Stereotypes

Feb. 22 4:00 p.m.
Legend’s Restaurant
Personal Conversation with one of the cooks
YouTube video
Gender Stereotypes

Feb. 23
The Onion
Use of ‘N-Word’ May End One Star’s Career
Video
Racial Stereotypes

Feb. 24 9:30 a.m.
Gaylord Hall Rm 1040
Classroom Experience Professor Krug
Discussing Boyd Street
Gender Stereotypes

Feb. 24 5:30 p.m.
Michigan Journal
Bikini firing was coup for sexism, NBC was wrong
Gender Stereotypes

Feb. 25 7:00 p.m.
Legend’s Restaurant
Personal Conversation with my manager and the man I was waiting on.
Discussing my future job opportunities
Gender Stereotypes

Feb. 26 10:30 p.m.
The Onion
CIA Awkwardly Debriefs Obama on Creation of Crack-Cocaine
Racial Stereotypes

Feb. 26 11:00 p.m.
Slate
How will Obama’s Presidency change Hip-Hop?
Racial Stereotypes

Feb. 27 2:30 p.m.
YouTube Video
Gary’s Mattress Commercial
Racial Stereotypes

Feb. 27 3:00 p.m.
PerezHilton.com
Just askin’: which one of the American Idol(s) contestants are gay?
Gender Stereotypes

I was not surprised by the amount of stereotyping that exists in the media. Our society feeds off of sensational news threads and scandals that engage the media. We care more about who wore what at the Oscars than the on-going battles in Gaza. Of course, I was disappointed with the vast amounts of stereotyping done publicly, but I am aware that stereotypes exist and that our society exonerates them.

I was shocked on the 18th, when I stumbled across the NYT cartoon image of a shot and bloody monkey that represented the new stimulus package. There was one episode of Family Guy were Brian cracked a joke about something being lamer than FDR’s legs and no one laughed. His response was, “uh, sorry guys, was it too soon?” Same thing goes with the cartoon. However, the media did such an excellent job of satirizing black people as apes in earlier decades (please catch my sarcasm) that an image like the one NYT published should never be acceptable.

I read a lot of satirical news on The Onion and Slate. This week, The Onion posted a video about a porn star using the n-word while filming a shot. The video explored the controversy of the word, relating it socially with many different groups of people. The irony behind the video was that she was having sex while she said it…Thus all who watched it and were interviewed were ‘masturbators’ or ‘adult video clerks’, etc. The point behind the video was that no one likes that word and it is inappropriate to use in all circumstances. I just appreciated that The Onion could use a humorous medium to express that fact.

THIS VIDEO CONTAINS EXPLICIT LANGUAGE THAT IS UNSUITABLE FOR CHILDREN UNDER THE AGE OF 18 AND ALL THAT BUSINESS.

Use Of 'N-Word' May End Porn Star's Career

When I received the blunt end of gender stereotypes this week I was made to feel…uncomfortable, to say the least. On Sunday, I experienced it when one of the cooks at work insisted that I watch this YouTube video because “it’s so cute and I know you’ll love it.” The video was of a cat. Sleeping. Doing cute cat stuff. Now my question is, would he have insisted that I watch this video if I were male? Probably not, but the video was cute and I’m good friends with the cook, so all is well.

The second time I was stereotyped at work was by my manager. I was discussing law school with one of my regulars who is a lawyer. We were talking about the subject casually, expanding upon the LSAT and court lawyers, etc. Suddenly my manager popped by my side to step into the conversation and say “Ooh, yea! You should be a lawyer, you would look hot dressed up like one with a bun or something? Or maybe you should be a cop, you know, carry one of those sticks around. I would definitely stop for you.” I was disgusted and embarrassed. If I were a lawyer, it would NOT be because I looked hot. Yet that is how he viewed me, as something to look at, not the brain with which my being is created.

The media has the ability to shape individual and societal views on race and gender. Children are raised by the media and unfortunately this is what they see. The YouTube video of Gary’s Mattress Commercial showed Gary dressed up as an Asian, wearing a rice hat (sorry if that’s a racist term, I don’t know what else to call it) and saying ‘we have rearry row prices! Come on ova!’ He wore a Jewish hat and said ‘even I would buy this.’ He was trying to be funny, but it was the stupidity of the act that was most humorous. The cultivation of images in the media affects perspectives and leads people to think that is what they are really like…

BIG 12 Race Based Admission

Iowa State - NO
Kansas State - NO
University of CO - NO
University of Kansas - NO
University of MO - NO
OSU - NO
Texas A&M - NO

I was surprised to find that all the universities I spoke with said they did not have race based admission. I called each school and spoke to an admission's officer personally and, interestingly, I had to explain what race based admission was to over half of the people I talked to.

Tim Wise Reflection

http://hwww.exactitudes.nl/

o Tim Wise provided a view of privilege that he believes to be present throughout many functions in life. He talked about housing, job opportunities and education, all of which society depends upon to succeed within the mass conceptualized idea of the American dream. My previous views of privilege reflected my naiveté toward racial discrimination; I focused more on my lack of privilege that is reflected by my gender. However, I realize now that privilege does not rest solely on the issue of who one-upped the other, it goes much deeper than that. Privilege has another definition, one seen in material wealth, intellectual surroundings and positive motivation.
Wealth is such a commodity in today’s society. Without money, you cannot attend college, buy a new coat every winter or fix the kitchen window that chills the house’s temperature during the snowy months. Wealth is a privilege that many people take for granted. For many Americans, securing a household and establishing assets is not a the top of the priority list; instead it’s more meager solutions, such as struggling to pay for child care after working 40 hour weeks, let alone saving money for your child’s education.
Without the inspiration of my mother I would not have the sound mind I possess today. It was a privilege for me to grow up around people who were smart and achieved prestigious careers. For some people, that fact is not a reality. Growing up in the slums, surrounded by meth-heads, violence and poverty is not something one wishes for, it is a situation in which one deals with.
Positive motivation, in relation to privilege, can be described more as a solution. Privilege is a factual matter, in simple definition and in large, but it evolves as people evolve. Wise spoke about a black man who struggled to move up the business ladder, but with patience and diligence, he succeeded where many gave-up.
o I do not fully understand how the media uses privilege in media representation. White people are in the majority, thus there are many more white couples brushing their teeth with Colgate than there are black couples, which could be deemed unfair. I suppose media exposure to some racial groups is less, or that stereotypes are played out. One form of privilege that stands out is the white male dominance on the television. However, with the expanding availability of news information, the selection enlarges and people can subjectively select where their news comes from.
o I do not think society still believes in the one-drop rule. Our society is progressive and intelligent. I would assume those that still believe in it are over the age of 60. Thankfully, the youth and majority of the adults today realize the idiocy behind that idea.
o I agree with Tatum in that society does have the responsibility of advanced knowledge. Wise states that it is our job to seek new knowledge, but in order to utilize that knowledge one must understand it. Privilege is an issue many people don’t think about, or understand. My roommate looked at me when I mentioned white privilege and said, “now what is that, Amanda,” with a grin and eyes full of disbelief. It is not that we, as a society, have to change it right now, it is that we have to understand that working together towards a common goal is ultimately how we can achieve equality. America has become the melting pot of the world, combining cultures and people, who are all striving together towards the American dream. Unity, in this form, will only arise when knowledge and tolerance are adorned.

http://ethics.sandiego.edu/theories/Race/index.asp

Race in the Media//Personal Reflection

Race matters. In politics, in schools, on television and in church, race matters. On the cover of a magazine, race matters. Of the character in a children’s book, race matters. Our society has driven steadily past the question of defining ‘who’ you are to try and address ‘what’ you are. No matter the importance, the benefit or the relevance, race matters.

As a cognitive society we seek to understand others, addressing gender, socio-economic background, sexual orientation and race. We, as a people, feel the need to categorize one another to better understand each other. She is a short Asian who wears glasses. He is a tall, gay brunette. What is lacking from those definitions is the attempt to really know someone and look past all the presumptions associated with a person’s physical demeanor.

As definition, race is a social construct. Being that, it is also cultural.

Race’s roll in the media is defined through the eyes of the viewer. Society censors itself through the selection of preferred media outlets, movies, television shows, etc. We see what we want to see, thus our definition of race fits our mindset. Granted we live in a world where messages are spit on our doorstep daily, we can choose what we want to see and what we want to believe.

The demise of human intelligence does, unfortunately, coincide with the lack of ability to connect with another being of a different race. It is the inability to understand the concept that a fair-skinned redhead may share a more similar genetic makeup with a dark-skinned person of African descent than the dark-skinned person’s cousin. We are not that different. What makes us different is our mind-set, our background and our knowledge of the world around us.

And now I’ll finish this ‘preachy’ blog with a much similar ‘preachy’ quote from The Beatles, who said “I am you as you are me and we are all together.”

http://www.visualdiaries.com/

Gender in the Media//Personal Reflection

When I think of the American face in terms of prominent women, the first three that pop into my head are Hilary Clinton, Paris Hilton and Condoleezza Rice. While those three make up a very eclectic group, I believe they sum up social stereotypes of women made by the media. You have the woman who wants to wear the pants, the beautiful, dumb model and the bitchy woman who manipulated the president and cast doubt within the American public of the White House.

The media has chosen these three women to represent the majority, casting stereotypes and ill-posed photography as the way to portray these prominent women. Fortunately for all women, we do NOT fall into those three categories.

The media has done an excellent job at painting these women’s personalities. Through tabloids, blogs and satirical news sites, these women are made to look inadequate and incompetent. While they do not necessary portray the woman I would like to be in five, ten or twenty years, these women contain more depth than the media shows.

Hilary Clinton has come great distances to attain the plaque of Secretary of State. Married to former President Bill Clinton, she has stood beside him through numerous scandals, including trials that tested her role as a politician and a wife. Her 2008 run for the White House proved that the media enjoys stereotypical embellishment towards what and how a woman is supposed to act. While she is an excellent politician, she does not fit the shape of a Barbie doll, and let’s face it, who would you rather look at…Hilary Clinton or Sarah Palin?

Paris Hilton, on the other hand, could be coined a Barbie doll. The media has done an excellent job showing her in all her glorious idiocy. But in 2008, when John McCain compared Obama as a celebrity in comparison to Hilton, she took it upon herself to show McCain that he was, in fact, the old, dumb politician as she promoted and endorsed herself in a mock TV news show. Maybe she shows a little more spunk than Barbie…?

Lastly, the issue of media stereotypes has fallen to Condoleezza Rice. Rice has defied all political notions of superiority; being a black female, I would say she has done quite a bit to improve social stereotypes. Unfortunately, her association with former President Bush has set her back in social favor. The media has done an excellent job portraying her face as one in constant fervor and heated anger. Did you ever see a woman so angry??

In today’s society, the media dictates thoughts and opinions, shaping views in a little as nine second sound bytes. My advice to you is to question what you are told and to not allow social stereotypes to formulate independent thought.

http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/64ad536a6d/paris-hilton-responds-to-mccain-ad-from-paris-hilton-adam-ghost-panther-mckay-and-chris-henchy