We should all be equal, most people agree with this concept. I question that when I look at the news and find Jena Six and Michael Vick.
The Jena Six case is horrible, but I'm not sure that it's a reason for the country to cry racism. True, the black kids might be treated unfairly, but we can't overlook the fact that they beat a boy until he was unconscious. It doesn't matter what the boy did, it was six against one. And it also doesn't matter what color any of them are, even if the area had bad race relations, when it's six against one the aggressors should be severely punished.
I also question race being an issue with the Michael Vick case. It doesn't matter if dog fighting is supposedly part of the black underground culture, it's animal cruelty, hateful, and murder. If something so negative is associated with a certain group of people, maybe the group members should try to come with a solution for the problem instead of blaming the problem. For example, people who complain about the President but didn't vote. They know there's a problem but have no way to resolve it.
More than anything, I think it's sad how the media portrays races and genders stereotypically. Instead of focusing in on the color of the people's skin in these instances, it would be a good opportunity to look at the hate crimes and aggression in todays society. I don't think skin color should be an issue when dealing with...anything. We are all equal and should be treated like it, whether we want to admit it or not.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Stereotypes and Envy
I found the handout on "Asian Superiority" very interesting. It's frustrating when a group of people are stereotyped, but what if they were stereotyped in a positive way? It doesn't sound as bad, but I think that it is.
Asian-American's have a stereotype tagged to them that they are excellent academically, especially in math and science. An Asian-American may feel inferior because they can't live up to this image. In some ways this may be worse than a negative stereotype. When a group of people has a negative stereotype placed on them, they are expected to fail. This is HORRIBLE, don't get me wrong, all I'm suggesting is that when people overcome the obstacle of their stereotype and become more than people expect it is more uplifting than when someone falls short of what's expected.
The same is true with gender: men are expected to be better at science and math and women are better at grammar and literature. When the gender excels at a subject out of their gender stereotype, it is commended, but if they fall short in their supposed subjects they feel like something may be wrong with them.
People are envied sometimes due to a certain stereotype, which leads to the stereotype pressure. For example: you are terrible at singing, but feel that all Hispanics sing amazing. This is flawed logic. Possibly a greater percentage are more talented singers, but possibly not. This envy leads to uncalled for pressure on that group to perform a certain way. Stereotypes are very frustrating. It would be wonderful if every person was valued not by their gender/race/sexual orientation/ect. but by their actions and values.
Asian-American's have a stereotype tagged to them that they are excellent academically, especially in math and science. An Asian-American may feel inferior because they can't live up to this image. In some ways this may be worse than a negative stereotype. When a group of people has a negative stereotype placed on them, they are expected to fail. This is HORRIBLE, don't get me wrong, all I'm suggesting is that when people overcome the obstacle of their stereotype and become more than people expect it is more uplifting than when someone falls short of what's expected.
The same is true with gender: men are expected to be better at science and math and women are better at grammar and literature. When the gender excels at a subject out of their gender stereotype, it is commended, but if they fall short in their supposed subjects they feel like something may be wrong with them.
People are envied sometimes due to a certain stereotype, which leads to the stereotype pressure. For example: you are terrible at singing, but feel that all Hispanics sing amazing. This is flawed logic. Possibly a greater percentage are more talented singers, but possibly not. This envy leads to uncalled for pressure on that group to perform a certain way. Stereotypes are very frustrating. It would be wonderful if every person was valued not by their gender/race/sexual orientation/ect. but by their actions and values.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Stereotypes in a different era
Looking through a 1973 Time magazine, I find myself in a whole different world, when women stayed at home and raising the children was their profession.
The pictures of women are usually when they are with their husbands and are always in a dress/skirt. The women are extremely stereotyped. They are shown kissing, dancing or sewing.
The only woman I saw acting androgonous, a tennis player, was poked fun at on Battle of the Sexes. A man played women's tennis in a bonnet and dress! That's unbelivable. The Watergate scandal was also in this issue. A picture of the courtroom showed that out of 75 + people less than 5 were women. There were two pictures of primarily women: a fashion show and musical.
Well, at least I can look at these and thank god that I'm in a time of a more equal media. Not equal, but more equal.
The pictures of women are usually when they are with their husbands and are always in a dress/skirt. The women are extremely stereotyped. They are shown kissing, dancing or sewing.
The only woman I saw acting androgonous, a tennis player, was poked fun at on Battle of the Sexes. A man played women's tennis in a bonnet and dress! That's unbelivable. The Watergate scandal was also in this issue. A picture of the courtroom showed that out of 75 + people less than 5 were women. There were two pictures of primarily women: a fashion show and musical.
Well, at least I can look at these and thank god that I'm in a time of a more equal media. Not equal, but more equal.
Minorities
Learning about the different models and views of minorites in the media realy made me think about the world around me and what I've done to shape it.
I agree with schema theory and stereotyping, in that people tend to view others in a certain unfamiliar group almost the same. If you've only met a few people from Brazil and they were all good at martial arts, then you might develope a stereotype that people from Brazil are good at martial arts. This, of course, isn't true, but this is the way that some view people in the media.
The media spits out the images of black people being ignorant criminals, Mexicans as being illegal imigrants not willing to learn English and white people as...what? White people tend to be in all aspects of the media, but they aren't put in a constant bad light as other races are.
This is why I agree mostly with the newer theory that asks us "What do people do with the media?" I believe that the media is biased, but it's what people do with the "biased" information that matters. There may be a black woman wanted for a dangerous crime. The importance of the situation isn't that she's black or that a white woman may not of had such a loud outcry, but that people know that they're in danger. True, the media shouldn't choose how we view groups of people...but it does. If we don't like the media, we should change it, but first we can take what the media gives us and decipher it into useful information.
I agree with schema theory and stereotyping, in that people tend to view others in a certain unfamiliar group almost the same. If you've only met a few people from Brazil and they were all good at martial arts, then you might develope a stereotype that people from Brazil are good at martial arts. This, of course, isn't true, but this is the way that some view people in the media.
The media spits out the images of black people being ignorant criminals, Mexicans as being illegal imigrants not willing to learn English and white people as...what? White people tend to be in all aspects of the media, but they aren't put in a constant bad light as other races are.
This is why I agree mostly with the newer theory that asks us "What do people do with the media?" I believe that the media is biased, but it's what people do with the "biased" information that matters. There may be a black woman wanted for a dangerous crime. The importance of the situation isn't that she's black or that a white woman may not of had such a loud outcry, but that people know that they're in danger. True, the media shouldn't choose how we view groups of people...but it does. If we don't like the media, we should change it, but first we can take what the media gives us and decipher it into useful information.
News Habits
My news intake is primarily from the internet, Yahoo! front page. Occasionally flipping through the channels I'll stop on the news if it sounds interesting, or I'll pick up a newspaper, if it's free.
I read the news a few times a week, but not every day.
Offline, I usually hear/read about world or local news, like the war in Iraq, all the violent crimes that happened overnight, who got arrested for what, etc. Online, I more often read about entertainment type or high profile news, not local. I read about my favorite bands, what's happening in the political world, or the new breakthroughs in science.
Sadly to say, I hardly ever seek out news, possibly an hour a week. Instead I engage in it out of boredom, not knowing what to look up online, waiting in an office lobby or nothing on TV.
In the news media, I believe that the minorities and woman are overlook or placed in a bad light. Women are sexualized constantly, as anchors, sports casters or news subjects. I assume that the majority of executives for the news companies are white men. This isn't necessarily bad, but it reflects what they put out to the public.
I read the news a few times a week, but not every day.
Offline, I usually hear/read about world or local news, like the war in Iraq, all the violent crimes that happened overnight, who got arrested for what, etc. Online, I more often read about entertainment type or high profile news, not local. I read about my favorite bands, what's happening in the political world, or the new breakthroughs in science.
Sadly to say, I hardly ever seek out news, possibly an hour a week. Instead I engage in it out of boredom, not knowing what to look up online, waiting in an office lobby or nothing on TV.
In the news media, I believe that the minorities and woman are overlook or placed in a bad light. Women are sexualized constantly, as anchors, sports casters or news subjects. I assume that the majority of executives for the news companies are white men. This isn't necessarily bad, but it reflects what they put out to the public.
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