Racial Stereotypes Essay

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For decades now, popular culture has been tainted by the perpetual use of racial stereotypes that come to us through music, television, and film. These reactionary stereotypes are often unaddressed and often permeate the minds of those too young to understand what a stereotype is. Therefore the effects of these conventionalized ideas continue to prevail throughout our society as they are repeatedly swept under the rug. However, although seemingly less common, there are also forms of media with goals of bringing attention to toxic stereotypes while still entertaining their audiences. African-Americans, Arabs, and Latin@’s are three of the most prevalent minority groups represented in the media and by analyzing the films Aladdin, Django Unchained, and the television show Devious Maids, one can become much more aware of the racial stereotypes that they are calling attention to.
The popular Disney film Aladdin follows the story of “street-urchin” and orphan Aladdin and his pet monkey Abu. In the story, Aladdin falls in love with princess Jasmine. However, she is not allowed to marry anyone other than a prince. Meanwhile, Aladdin is swept away to become a part of a ploy by villain Jafar to search for and claim a mysterious lamp that is said to grant wishes. The movie is full of false representations of Arabia and Arabians. Seen by children, Aladdin perfectly exemplifies the idea that many racial stereotypes in the media easily go unnoticed. While these young boys and girls are excited by the story, they are blind to treacherous social constructions that are indoctrinating them.
The story begins with a song that immediately establishes a very specific description of Arabia. The lyrics are “Oh I come from a land a faraway place/Where ...

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...d once again of how images of minorities (specifically Spanish and Native Americans) in America have been reduced and simplified to such an inferior ranking. Since the moment that Americans claimed this land, our popular culture has continued to fuel this ranking by producing shows like Devious Maids.
Many forms of media fail to eradicate dangerous stereotypes that are keeping racism and discrimination alive. However, there are also forms of media that bring attention to dangerous stereotypes that have indoctrinated society for centuries. Through a careful and diligent analysis of these three pieces of media, racial misrepresentations and efforts to eradicate them become more noticed. Therefore, it is important to take a close look at the media that surrounds us so that we can distinguish and extinguish false stereotypes that limit our population’s social growth.

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