The Last One...

Well, this is my last blog for TV, Minorities and Cultural Diversity and I have to say that of all of the courses I have taken here at BSC, this one was definitely one of the most beneficial. When I signed up for this course, I thought it sounded interesting, but I never expected to learn as much as I have. This class in particular has been incredibly eye-opening and its been great talking to you all on the discussion boards and gaining a better understanding of different cultural issues in the media that I knew very little about just a few short months ago. I am generally a visual learner, so I love classes that involve screenings and such, and I think I can honestly say that every one of the screenings in this class was absolutely fascinating. The class as a whole has made me more consciously aware of stereotypes and cultural limitations in television and has caused me to pay closer attention to the cultural issues present in the media that I use regularly. Anyway... I have thoroughly enjoyed this class and hope to continue learning more about racial and ethnic matters related to media in the future. Good luck everyone!

Stereotyping in "The Office"?

I wrote my final paper for class on the cultural representations in The Office and what those portrayals project to viewers. I originally intended to include a discussion about Grey’s Anatomy as well, but to stay within the assigned page count, there was a last minute change of plans and only The Office ended up in the paper. I love this show and have always thought of it as being relatively diverse, but when I actually stepped back and watched the show from a more critical viewpoint and compared the portrayals of the minority characters to some of the stereotypes discussed in the literature review, I was a little surprised by how many stereotypes there actually were. It seemed like a lot of the minority representation came through guest roles rather than main characters, which I guess I never really paid attention to before and I honestly never really read too much into some of the personality traits associated with characters like Stanley and Oscar for example, but they make a lot more sense now. I don’t know if it is the fact that the stereotypes are a bit shielded by the comedic aspect of the show, but for some reason, I did not pick up on the level of stereotyping until I was actively seeking it out.

What do you guys think? Do stereotypes come across as being less significant when they are used in comedy or do people just not realize what they are seeing?

Tiger Woods and Celebrity Coverage in the Media...

So I know a ton of people have written about this already, but how can I not mention the whole Tiger Woods situation? I mean, its been weeks since the story surfaced and its still all over the media. It seems like every time I turn on the television I hear something about one of his many mistresses, his cancelled appearances, debates over whether his wife should stand by him, questions about the future of his endorsement deals, and about a million other topics related to Tiger Woods. I don’t really understand why so much focus is put on celebrities personal lives in the media. If it were only on shows like E! News and TMZ, that would be understandable, but it seems like entertainment news is slowly infiltrating other aspects of the media as well, to the point where celebrity based stories are made to be just as important as hard hitting journalism. Maybe it is the fact that certain people are perceived as such great role models and when they hit a rough patch, it comes across as newsworthy? I don’t know… what does everyone else think? Why do celebrity news stories, such as Tiger Woods infidelity, get made out to be so important in the media?

Fort Hood Tragedy Raising Questions About Muslim Religion?

One issue that has been a major topic recently and that is somewhat relevant to class is the tragedy at Fort Hood. This is something that has been covered extensively in the media and one thing that I noticed was that many news reports seem to be putting a lot of focus on the shooter’s religious beliefs and the fact that he was Muslim. I read one article that said Nidal Malik Hasan, who is responsible for the shootings had gotten into arguments with his colleagues over religion and may have been ridiculed by some of his peers because of his religious beliefs, which may have contributed to his actions. However, does it seem fair that the media is bringing so much attention to the shooter’s religion as his potential motive for doing what he did? There are many people who follow Muslim beliefs and are not vicious, violent people. Based on everything else that has been said about Hasan, he was obviously mentally unstable and was influenced by more than just Muslim religious beliefs. It is sad that attention is being taken away from those who were victims of this horrible tragedy, and put on the idea that religion was a main motive. It is equally as unfair for those who are good people and just happen to practice the same religion. What does everyone else think?

And the Happiest People on Earth Are...

Okay, so I was just thinking about an episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show that I saw last month that set out to find the happiest people in the world and while this does not necessarily relate to race in the media, it was an interesting report about different cultures and what makes people truly content in life. Some of the cities around the world that were chosen as having some of the happiest citizens on Earth included Rio de Janeiro, Tokyo, Istanbul and Dubai. However, one that really stood out was Copenhagen, Denmark where people are said to be happier than most others around the world. Oprah went to Copenhagen to find out what makes people in Denmark so happy and discovered that things like unemployment and homelessness are almost nonexistent, healthcare is free, and people actually get paid to go to college… how amazing is that? In addition, people in Denmark are very aware of their effect on the environment and take active steps to make a difference, with many people using bicycles as their main mode of transportation. Most people also avoid all the clutter and live in very simple, serene homes. Geez, how could people living there not be happy? Anyway, I just thought this was interesting because it goes to show how much of an influence different cultures and ways of living around the world can have on those who experience them regularly.

Sammy Sosa is White? What?

I don’t know if you all have seen the images, but there have been pictures on television, online, pretty much everywhere, showing well known baseball player Sammy Sosa with two very different appearances. In the first, Sosa looks just as he did in his MLB glory days. In the second however, his skin looks shockingly white. Supposedly, the change in skin color is the result of a reaction to some kind of rejuvenation process, but there have been no shortage of theories and stereotypical, race related jokes about it in the media... among them, Michael Jackson comparisons and tacky comments about professional athletes and the relation of race to their sports skills. On a different note, someone speaking as a representative for Sosa attempted to explain the new color of his skin by suggesting the lighting at the time the photographs were taken contributed to the confusion. Hmmmm… could lighting really make that much of a difference? I guess anything is possible, but that doesn’t really seem like a logical explanation, does it?

Has anyone else seen this? Any thoughts?

Las Madres...

Of all the screenings shown for class thus far this semester, I think one that really left an impression on me was the documentary Las Madres. If I’m being honest, I actually found this one to be a bit difficult to watch at times because the events being recalled were so shocking, but the film was very eye-opening, to say the least. I had absolutely no idea that such atrocities were taking place in Argentina just a few decades ago. The fact that these people were putting themselves in harms way each time they took a walk down the street was absolutely mind boggling. How can anyone justify kidnapping an innocent person and holding them captive simply because they express views that may be different from the government, or because a few select people feel that they are a threat?

The most powerful moment in the film was undoubtedly the ex naval officers admissions regarding what happened to those who were kidnapped and how, once they were no longer wanted, they would be drugged and thrown from an airplane, or have their bodies cut to fit into an oven and burned, which ultimately drove the unlucky man assigned to this job to reach the point of insanity. The stories told by the mothers in this film were absolutely heart wrenching as well. Nobody should ever have to go through what these people went through, spending each day wondering what happened to their loved ones and whether or not they would ever see them again. At the same time however, the strength that these women displayed was quite impressive. They knew that by fighting back against authority figures and doing what they could to find answers and hold those responsible accountable for their actions, that they were essentially putting themselves in danger, but they took a stand anyway, which took a great deal of courage and was very inspiring to see.

What did everyone else think of the film?