Stereotyping in the Media
Mass media is a powerful factor which influences our beliefs, attitudes, and the values we have of ourselves. It is said that today's mass media is just as influential as religion was 500-600 years ago (Brym, Lie 103). The average American spends 39.3% of their time interacting with some component of mass media (Brym, Lie 103). With the advent of TV, digital media, and the Internet, Americans have become more reliant than ever on these and other forms of mass media for news and entertainment. TV can now be found in over 98% of American households (Brym, Lie 103). Today's youth are constantly exposed to the images they see on TV, and from it they form a sense of reality. From the TV and mass media children are learning about gender roles, and ethnic and racial identification; the result of this self-socialization is that children are learning from a skewed sense of reality. This raises the question, "What effects do racial, ethnic, and gender stereotyping in the mass media have on society today?"The media have the main influence on our notions of ethnic groups. When turning on the TV for a daily dose of channel surfing, the ethnic stereotypes that are presented to the viewer create an expectation of different group members. In
If Blacks are consistently portrayed as violent or inept on TV, this will eventually change our view of blacks and their roles in society. The representation of American white males in fictionalized TV roles is 29% higher than their actual population in the US (Brym, Lie 416). 0075% of Italian Americans are in the mafia, and that only . Studies have shown that Blacks typically occupy one of four roles in TV or film. The first is the "mammy" who is usually a good-hearted caretaker of Whites, but is also a strong-minded person. Society will need to learn that they are in control of their own lives and free to make their own choices and formulate their own opinions. In the mass media, men are usually portrayed as being domineering, aggressive, in control of their emotions, and successful in their career. An often overlooked effect of gender stereotyping in the mass media is that it can also lead to abuse or violence to ourselves or others. Much like ethnic stereotypes, racial stereotypes in the mass media have a great impact on how a race is perceived on society. 3% of organized crime members are Italian Americans (SicilianCulture). One of the ways that masculine and feminine roles are learned is from a process called social learning, which states that individuals, especially children, imitate or copy modeled behavior from personally observing others, the environment, and the mass media (Macdonald 16). The second is the "coon" who represents the inept Black who is unable to adjust to White society. White males are often portrayed on TV as successful, upper-class citizens such as a doctor or a lawyer. In order to counteract the stereotyping imposed upon us from the mass media, awareness has to be implemented in society at all levels. Blacks on the other hand are usually seen as inept, unintelligent, and lower class.
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