Stereotyping in the Media

Stereotyping is found everywhere and it cannot be avoided. The media has come a long way with stereotyping but it is still found in many programs today.

Female stereotyping was very strong in the 50’s. Women were portrayed as stay at home wives that did the cooking, laundry, and pleased their husbands. I Love Lucy portrayed an image of a silly, trouble-prone wife which was the exact opposite of what Lucille Ball really was. She was a very independent woman and received many awards and honors throughout her life. Women in the 50’s were more independent and self-sufficient which soon became the new stereotype in the 70’s and 80’s. Shows such as The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Roseanne portrayed women who were assertive and independent.

Ethnical stereotypes are very strong in the media and actually cause some despair within ethnic groups in America. After The Sopranos went on air, Italian Americans were upset because many Americans associated Italians with the Mafia. Racial stereotyping has been even worse. The media usually depicts African American characters such as prostitutes, pimps, killers, and drug dealers. The media has come a long way though by introducing shows such as The Bernie Mac Show and My Wife and Kids that stops the negative stereotyping of African Americans.

While reading this chapter, the media has put negative stereotyping on women, ethnic and racial minorities, elderly people, and even people with disabilities and mental illness. The media has gotten better throughout the years, but there will always be stereotyping and it cannot be avoided. Shows such as the O.C. depicted characters that lived extravagant lifestyles which is not the true case with real people that live in Orange County. Shows like the O.C., Rosanne, I Love Lucy, The Sopranos, and many more create stereotypes in order to have high ratings and good programming. As long as people watch these shows, stereotyping will continue to exist and it can never be truly avoided.

Media Coverage

One thing that I felt was really important in Chapter 11 was media coverage. The media is trying to cover all segments of society whether if it deals with race or lifestyles such as being homosexual. I think that the media is moving in the right direction by covering all aspects of society. The New York Times is now publishing same-sex marriage announcements. A lot of the readers were angry about this but I think that the Times is doing the right thing. How is it fair if all other marriage announcements are being published, but not homosexual marriages? I really liked the quote on p. 387 that said “Journalists have a simple duty to cover all segments of society fairly and accurately and to make informed distinctions.” I definitely agree with this quote because everyone should be treated fairly and the media has an obligation to carry out that rule when covering stories.

There are a limited number of African Americans and Hispanics represented in the media; however, the entertainment industry has been trying to improve that. There has been a small number of African American characters starring in T.V. sitcoms because of the lack in interest of white audiences. But shows such as The Bernie Mac Show and My Wife and Kids have appealed to white audiences as well as African American audiences. Journalists are trying to improve their coverage of African Americans as well, but it sometimes is stereotypical. There was a survey in Chapter 11 that examined the coverage of African Americans in newspapers and found that half of the people were either sports figures or entertainers. The study suggested that African Americans are only “curiosities or sources of amusement” (p. 387). Journalists definitely need to step up and include more minorities in their stories and keep it as fair and accurate as possible.

Morally Offensive Content

One thing that stuck out in Chapter 10 which reminded me of our discussion last week was “Sex Sells.” In the world of media, that is definitely true. Just last week we were talking about the Hardees commercial with Paris Hilton. It was a very sexy commercial with Paris Hilton washing a car in a bikini as she was eating a Hardees burger. The commercial had absolutely nothing to do with the product but I’m sure that Hardees still got a lot of attention because of the controversial images. I think that the commercial pushes the boundaries of ethical standards and that is one of the reasons which made it so popular. Even though there was no pornography, I think that it shouldn’t be viewed by a younger audience. In order to make the commercial more ethical, it should only be aired late at night so that it is not viewed by younger children.

Another thing that stuck out in the chapter was deciding whether or not to show shocking and disturbing visuals. This reminded of the video we saw in class of the little boy about to be hit by a police car. Some stations decided to air the video while others didn’t. That is a very hard ethical decision to make because you want to show the audience what happened while also having respect for the victim’s family. Even though you did not actually see him get hit, the video was definitely disturbing. In order to make an ethical decision like that, you need to understand all sides of the issues and trust your moral instincts. I personally would not show the video mainly because it was very shocking to me when I first saw it. If it was shocking to me, I know that it would be a million times worse if it was seen by the victim’s family.