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Influence of media on politics
Influence of media on politics
Racism in the media
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INTRODUCTION A decade into the 21st century and the United States is still plagued with the prejudice, oppression, and discrimination that have dominated since its founding. Despite the advances in technology and education, there remains an archaic practice of communication and interpersonal relationships. In fact, the prejudice, oppression, and discrimination practiced today is far worse than that of years past because of the advances in technology and education. People have learned to camouflage their notions with plausible excuses, infusing these ideals into news, film, music, and publications. These negative ideas fester like a wound serving as a catalyst for the injustices perpetuated against the diverse members of United States culture. TELEVISION Never before has society been so “connected” and over loaded with information. At any hour of the day, there is access to what is happening across the United States or on the other side of the world. There are six major media (General Electric, Walt Disney, News Corp., TimeWarner, VIACOM, and CBS) conglomerates in the United States that own 90+ percent of the television and radio broadcast and programming; entertainment movie studios; publishing companies, integrated telecommunications; and online holdings, thus controlling most of the information we receive. (Free Press Action Fund) According to Nielsen, the average American spends 20 percent of their day watching television and nearly a third of their time online. (The Nielsen Company) (The Nielsen Company, 2010) Whether voluntary or involuntary, many of the messages are an extension of hatred and the desire for uniformity. Television is by far one of the most influential forms of media due to its availability and the combi... ... middle of paper ... ...nership/chart/main Krajicek, D. (n.d.). America's Missing: 2,300 a Day. Retrieved January 31, 2012, from trutv.com: http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/criminal_mind/forensics/americas_missing/2.html Osunsami, S. (2012, January 18). Getting More People to Care About Missing Black Women. Retrieved January 31, 2012, from abcnews.go.com: http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2012/01/getting-more-to-care-about-missing-black-women/ The Nielsen Company. (n.d.). Television Measurement. Retrieved February 5, 2012, from nielsen.com: http://www.nielsen.com/us/en/measurement/television-measurement.html The Nielsen Company. (2010, August 2). What Americans Do Online: Social Media and Games Dominate Activity. Retrieved January 20, 2012, from blog.nielsen.com: http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/online_mobile/what-americans-do-online-social-media-and-games-dominate-activity/
Michael Parenti (2002) declares media in the United States is no longer “free, independent, neutral and objective.” (p. 60). Throughout his statement, Parenti expresses that media is controlled by large corporations, leaving smaller conglomerates unable to compete. The Telecommunications Act, passed in 1996, restricted “a single company to own television stations serving more than one-third of the U.S. public,” but is now overruled by greater corporations. (p. 61). In his opinion, Parenti reveals that media owners do not allow the publishing of stories that are not beneficial and advantageous. Parenti supports his argument very thoroughly by stating how the plutocracy takes control over media in multiple ways: television, magazines, news/radio broadcasting, and other sources.
When watching a movie such as “Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson,”it is easy to assume we have transcend above malicious acts towards minority groups. We are often unable to see trends of one hundred years ago and apply these same behaviors to those in place today. Although some examples may not be as severe as those in 1910, we can still find behaviors and attitudes that perpetuate ideals of discrimination, racism, sexism, and stereotypes today. Not only do these negative behaviors affect the victims of this, but we also see a trend of passing these ideals on to the next generation. Until we can recognize our short-comings and admit when we as a society have continued these ideals of discrimination, we will continue to be in the endless cycle of discriminating acts and passing these teachings to the next generation.
Our book opens us up to the world of diversity and inequality in the United States. It presses on issues about groups that hold superiority towards inferior groups for multiple reasons. In “Imagine our country” our book blatantly calls out America’s problems and how we in some cases are only increasing the chances of them continuing. It helps define the differences between racism and discrimination, which I never thought about enough to distinguish before taking this class. These chapters also offer hope and ways to combat these differences, because while we may be stuck in a social loop-hole there are available ways to challenge these and make society aware of changes and in act upon them!
One of the mediums by which this cultural shift has continually happened is through television. Not only does culture affect choices made by those in the television industry, but popular series and talk shows, whether intentionally or not, name what culturally acceptable regarding many social issues. Television, TV for short, is referring to the telecommunication medium by which ideas are transmitted into moving pictures. The Television industry will be defined as the group of brains behind the creating process of a television show of any genre. Genres each have their own purpose and effect on the audience; talk shows mean to engage, while sitcoms, drams, mini-series, and television comedies are meant to entertain. Regardless of its intentions, each genre of TV has an affect on the people who internalize what they are watching.
Racism and discrimination continue to be a prevalent problem in American society. Although minorities have made significant strides toward autonomy and equality, the images in media, specifically television, continue to misrepresent and manipulate the public opinion of blacks. It is no longer a blatant practice upheld by the law and celebrated with hangings and beatings, but instead it is a subtle practice that is perceived in the entertainment and media industries. Whether it’s appearing in disparaging roles or being negatively portrayed in newscasts, blacks continue to be the victims of an industry that relies on old ideas to appeal to the majority. The viscous cycle that is the unconscious racism of the media continues to not only be detrimental to the white consumers, who base what they know about blacks on what is represented on television, but also the black consumers, who grow up with a false sense of identity.
The internet is truly a modern marvel that contains all known information instantly at ones’ fingertips effortlessly. With the rise of the internet American thought has shifted to the point where people assume that all information presented is true. This has led to media outlets posting what their specific audience will read and believe for profit which is also a problem Postman associated with modern television. Ushering in a new age, where the accuracy of information is skewed so it gets attention and goes viral before anyone even checks the facts behind the statement. Television, the internet, and the era of mass media is a devolution of discourse and technology and needs to be reversed by remembering that man invented television and that we need to control it and not let it control
Throughout the past one hundred and fifty years, race relations have progressed markedly, emanating from the demise of legalized slavery and segregation in America. African Americans today have many rights that their ancestors were denied, such as the right to vote, being paid for their work, and being allowed to use the same restrooms and drinking fountains as white people. However, despite the many strides we have taken toward racial inequality as a country, there are still many ways in which African Americans and other minorities are unfairly treated today. For all the civil rights breakthroughs of the past several decades, racial adversity still materializes through numerous and often times far more insidious methods. It pervades in nearly
In the United States, racial discrimination has a lengthy history, dating back to the biblical period. Racial discrimination is a term used to characterize disruptive or discriminatory behaviors afflicted on a person because of his or her ethnic background. In other words, every t...
“Nowadays in the modern world, society if affected by more things we can think of. Society is affected by movies, TV shows, TV reality shows, magazines, and books. A report was recorded over a six-month period about Television shows and daily news broadcasts. From September 1, 1999 through February 29, 2000; The Grand Rapid Institute recorded and viewed a few programs and at the end of the month the Institute tallied up the number of letters sent after a recorded program and it showed how unfair the programs were and how people became a democracy to let them know” (TV News 1).
Before television existed people had to depend on Radio stations to receive their little bit of entertainment and news. But in 1878, the invention of TV began. The first TV made didn’t look anything like the way TV’s look today. It was a mechanical camera with a large spinning disc attached to it (Kids Work). But as over the years, of course, inventions of different TV’s progressed and by the 20th century about 90 percent of our population had a TV in their household (MGHR). Television today is mainly used for people take a break from their life by relaxing and enjoying some entertainment.
Racial and ethnic diversity on television is not something that I have ever really noticed as a problem, but sitting down, and paying very close attention to the people, their roles in the show, I was able to see that there was a lack of diversity on TV. I chose a random TV channel, one that I probably would not watch, and studied the characters in the show and in the commercials for over two hours, I realized that I had never paid that much attention to the people in the show. I noticed after I was done that the largest group of people in the show and on the commercials, were white people, although there was some diversity, maybe one or two people of a different nationality, gender, or race, that overall the lack of diversity was minimal compared
The media play an indispensable role in modern life, and are considered amongst the most powerful and inaccurate sources of social information, education and entertainment. Our mass media is an electronic (TV, film, video, videogames, internet) visually dominated media with print (newspaper, magazine)...
Racial discrimination, from the early fifteen hundreds until today, continues to be a major problem in the United States and in other countries. Despite the different acts and laws put into place, hardly any reassuring results was shown to prove that racial discrimination has ended throughout society. Racial discrimination can vary from housing location to stereotyping to police brutality to comedians mocking a specific race or ethnicity.
Television is a vital source from which most Americans receive information. News and media delegates on television have abused theirs powers over society through the airing of appealing news shows that misinform the public. Through literary research and experimentation, it has been proven that people's perception of reality has been altered by the information they receive from such programs. Manipulation, misinterpretation, word arrangement, picture placement and timing are all factors and tricks that play a major role in the case. Research, experimentation, and actual media coverage has pinpointed actual methods used for deceptive advertising. Television influences society in many ways. People are easily swayed to accept a belief that they may not normally have unless expressed on television, since many people think that everything they hear on television is true. This, however, is not always the case. It has been observed that over the past twenty to thirty years, normal social behavior, even actual life roles of men and women and media, regulatory policies have all been altered (Browne 1998). Media has changed with time, along with quality and respectability. Many Americans receive and accept false information that is merely used as an attention grabber that better the show's ratings and popularity. Many magazines and Journal reviews have periodically discussed the "muckraking" that many tabloid shows rely on to draw in their viewers. This involves sensationalizing a story to make it more interesting, therefore increasing the interest of the audience. "Along the way, all sorts of scandalous substance and goofy tricks appear, but not much mystery in the logic," (Garnson 1997). People often know that these shows aim to deceive them, but still accept the information as truth. Many times, people have strong opinions on certain topics. Yet, when they are exposed to the other side of the argument, they may be likely to agree with the opposite view. As Leon Festinger said, "If I chose to do it (or say it), I must believe in it," (Myers 1997). This is an example of Festinger's cognitive dissonance theory, which pertains to acting contrary to our beliefs. Television influences many people to change their original beliefs. It has the viewers think that the majority of other people hold the contrary idea. Once these views are presented, people have the option to hol...
Over the past twenty-five years, the amount of missing persons reports has sharply increase from 150,000 to 900,000...