Chinadaily BBS - World Affairs Today - Exposing the Modern Racist Paradigm

: 中文 Français

China's Global Newspaper

CHINA FORUM

Guest: Login | Register | Search | FAQ

Chinadaily BBS » News Talk» World Affairs Today» Exposing the Modern Racist Paradigm

Last Thread

Next Thread

changabula
Super Member
Rank: 6

UID 122842
Digest Posts 0
Credits 7261
Posts 7128
Registered 2007-1-6
Location Milky Way, Universe
Status Offline

Exposing the Modern Racist Paradigm

Exposing the Modern Racist Paradigm
By TotalitarianTipToe

In order to effectively address the racist paradigm today, it will have to be divided into 6 parts; this is necessary so as to give the readers a cohesive picture which enables them to connect the dots:

1.) European Imperialism
2.) The White Media (really the Zionist White Media)
3.) Internalized Racism
4.) White Denial Mentality
5.) The Color Labels Must Go
6.) Schematic of the Racist Social Hierarchy

http://opposingdigits.com/racistparadigm/

2007-6-30 07:37 AM

changabula
Super Member
Rank: 6

UID 122842
Digest Posts 0
Credits 7261
Posts 7128
Registered 2007-1-6
Location Milky Way, Universe
Status Offline

European Imperialism

In order to understand and expose the underlying global social hierarchy today, it's imperative for researchers to trace back its historical roots. Obviously this is an overwhelmingly daunting task to say the least, for the problem of racism is almost as old as Humanity itself. Therefore, we must at least try to trace it back to a more immediate past in order to comprehend the racist quagmire encompassing the world today. Now we can attest to the fact that Historical Global European Imperialism / Expansionism / Colonialism has had the most impact on reshaping the world in the last several centuries. Clearly, it has had the most influence, by far, in the world of politics, economics, education, commercialism, you name it. Furthermore without European Imperialism, "America" as you currently know it would not exist. In addition to that, had it not been for European Imperialism, White institutional control would not be so globally pervasive. Below are some research sources pertaining to Global European Imperialism:

http://web.cocc.edu/cagatucci/cl ... ines/htimeline3.htm
- African Slave Trade and European Imperialism

http://www.jlhs.nhusd.k12.ca.us/ ... m.html#anchor425471
- European Imperialism in Cameroon, Egypt, Tunisia, Angola

http://members.aol.com/sniper43/Imperialism.html
- An Overview of European Imperialism

http://www.britannia.com/history/euro/2/2_1.html
- Europe in Retrospect: Expansion

http://www2.sunysuffolk.edu/westn/imperialism.html
Sunysuffolk.edu - European Imperialism in the 19th Century

http://www-chaos.umd.edu/history/modern.html#western
European Imperialism in China: The Western Powers Arrive

http://www.counterpunch.org/petras11132004.html
- a report on Neoliberalism and Class Politics in Latin America

http://www.casahistoria.net/imperialism.htm
- links on European Imperialism

http://www.aldridgeshs.eq.edu.au ... mperial/titlepg.htm
- References on European Imperialism

http://www.aldridgeshs.eq.edu.au ... group1/settlers.htm
- Settler Colonies & White Dominions: South Africa

http://mclane.fresno.k12.ca.us/wilson98/Assigments/ImpCH11.html
- Imperialists take Africa, Southeast Asia, and Muslim lands

http://www.smplanet.com/imperialism/toc.html
- Age of Imperialism: An Online History of the United States

http://www.sagehistory.net/worldpower/imperialism.htm
- America and Imperialism: The Growth of Imperial Ideas

http://www.teacheroz.com/19thcent.htm
- 19th Century America | Primary Documents

http://home.earthlink.net/~gfeldmeth/lec.mandest.html
- Expansionism and Manifest Destiny

http://odur.let.rug.nl/~usa/H/1994/chap5.htm
An Outline of American History: Westward Expansion

http://odur.let.rug.nl/~usa/E/manifest/manif1.htm#coi
- A Movement As Old As America Itself

http://odur.let.rug.nl/~usa/E/manifest/manifxx.htm
- Manifest Destiny: The Philosophy That Created a Nation

http://members.aol.com/mrremm/private/USHIST/civilwar.html
- Notes on Manifest Destiny

http://www.globalpolicy.org/empire/history/1979/79westwardexp.htm
- The Making of The United States: Westward Expansion 1783 to 1890

http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/40/index-dca.html
- World History Archives: United States Imperialism in Latin America

http://mondediplo.com/1998/09/02schiller
- Towards a New Century of American Imperialism

http://members.aol.com/TeacherNet/World.html#LAIC
- European Imperialism in Latin America

http://www.marxists.org/archive/novack/works/1941/oct/01.htm
- The Aims of American Imperialism

http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0215-22.htm
- American Imperialism and the Politics of Fear

European Imperialism is responsible for shifting the balance of power between the cultures - a global shift which gave most power and clout to the White race. This explains why Whites (particularly White men) dominate / control most authoritative power positions in the world today. This control is also highly prevalent in the corporate media.

[ Last edited by changabula at 2007-6-30 07:45 AM ]

2007-6-30 07:41 AM

changabula
Super Member
Rank: 6

UID 122842
Digest Posts 0
Credits 7261
Posts 7128
Registered 2007-1-6
Location Milky Way, Universe
Status Offline

The White Media

Whoever controls the big media wields the most influence on society, especially on the youths of society. Of course, it is no surprise that, because of European Imperialism, the media today is under the control of mostly Whites (particularly White men). Please read the research in this link White Authority in the Media. In that link it states the following:

Most of the decision-makers in North American news and entertainment media are white. Media ownership is mainly concentrated in the hands of white males; white journalists dominate the mainstream media; and white people hold most creative positions in the entertainment media as actors, writers and directors. All these factors contribute to the prevalence of whiteness in media, and help to reinforce white privilege as the norm.

Most mainstream media content also reinforces white privilege by featuring white characters and addressing white interests and experiences. When programming does feature non-white characters, they usually appear in supporting roles.

Obviously this consolidation of media power into the hands of one group will naturally tend to represent itself more (and more positively for that matter) than other groups which it cannot naturally relate or identify with. This is why it is so critical to address and expose this centralization of power. Failure to dissolve this centralization of power will only contribute to the ongoing process of mass indoctrination which involves more and more people subconsciously seeing the world and themselves according to what the media owners want them to. When the masses are constantly fed the same themes in the media, they will begin to internalize those things subconsciously. This is how the Subconscious Mind operates:

"The subconscious works simply by expecting that which is most common."

[ Last edited by changabula at 2007-6-30 07:52 AM ]

2007-6-30 07:49 AM

changabula
Super Member
Rank: 6

UID 122842
Digest Posts 0
Credits 7261
Posts 7128
Registered 2007-1-6
Location Milky Way, Universe
Status Offline

This reports on a study which finds that the brain is impacted by subliminal images even when the person is unaware of having seen those images:

Image Attachment: mindcontrolm.jpg (2007-6-30 07:54 AM, 304.83 K)

2007-6-30 07:54 AM

changabula
Super Member
Rank: 6

UID 122842
Digest Posts 0
Credits 7261
Posts 7128
Registered 2007-1-6
Location Milky Way, Universe
Status Offline

Experts in the field of propaganda and Psychological Operations (PSYOPS) know that the fundamental means to indoctrinate / brainwash is through the use of repetition and subliminal imagery. They know that the subconscious mind always gravitates around the law of repetition and subliminal messages.

http://www.psywarrior.com/

Keeping the above points in mind, the readers should at least, at this point, be aware of how the mind can easily be manipulated by said propaganda tactics. Being able to recognize the process behind mass brainwashing is essential to being immune to it. Unfortunately, most people in today's society are not consciously aware of the pervasive patterns so well hidden in plain view in the media. If people were more keen and circumspect in their observation skills, they will undoubtedly come across a widely pervasive subliminal pattern of Whiteness in the media.

Below are some of the many subliminal patterns of Whiteness prevalent in the mass media:

2007-6-30 07:58 AM

changabula
Super Member
Rank: 6

UID 122842
Digest Posts 0
Credits 7261
Posts 7128
Registered 2007-1-6
Location Milky Way, Universe
Status Offline

The constant propagation of White Male Sexuality:

Image Attachment: biasedcastim.jpg (2007-6-30 07:59 AM, 682.02 K)

2007-6-30 07:59 AM

changabula
Super Member
Rank: 6

UID 122842
Digest Posts 0
Credits 7261
Posts 7128
Registered 2007-1-6
Location Milky Way, Universe
Status Offline

Repetitive themes depicting Asian Female Submissiveness to White Men:

http://www.asianmediawatch.net/lax/index.html
("China Doll", the exotic and submissive Filipino Woman | screen captures below)

Image Attachment: afwmstereotm_a6ebd87.jpg (2007-6-30 08:02 AM, 467.73 K)

2007-6-30 08:02 AM

changabula
Super Member
Rank: 6

UID 122842
Digest Posts 0
Credits 7261
Posts 7128
Registered 2007-1-6
Location Milky Way, Universe
Status Offline

Mahdzan.com states the following:

   "These stereotypes of Asians in the American media have been socially constructed by the powerful institution we call Hollywood. Hollywood movies have long been promoting white dominance in its films. It upholds the belief that being white and male and heterosexual is state of being privileged, though many White heterosexual men would not realize this until it is pointed out.

   For example, a white man is able to have a sexual relationship with an Asian woman, but an Asian man cannot be seen having an intimate relationship with a white woman. White guys always win the battle against the Asians. White men are always portrayed stronger and more intelligent than Asian men are....

   We then asked ourselves, what are the purposes of these negative stereotypes of Asians in popular media in general and how do they reflect the social hierarchy that we are accustomed with here in the United States?"

http://mahdzan.com/fairy/papers/asian/asian10.htm

2007-6-30 08:04 AM

changabula
Super Member
Rank: 6

UID 122842
Digest Posts 0
Credits 7261
Posts 7128
Registered 2007-1-6
Location Milky Way, Universe
Status Offline

Asian American Studies professor Darrell Hamamoto (University of California at Davis) solidifies the above point even further by his evaluation on the American Adult Industry:
http://dir.salon.com/story/sex/f ... 0/asian/index.html.

The source states the following:

"Asian porn is a popular genre and female stars such as Asia Carrera, Annabel Chong and Mimi Miyagi are household names to adult video fans. But straight porn is short on Asian-American males and Hamamoto wants to do something about it. For Hamamoto, an Asian-American studies professor at the University of California at Davis, the project is his statement about Asian-American sexuality, and if all goes as he plans, the start of an Asian-American media company.

Hamamoto wants to start a discussion about Asian-American sexuality, which he says has been damaged by years of colonialism and racism that has turned Asian women into a sexual fetish and Asian men into eunuchs. Asian-Americans have internalized these attitudes, Hamamoto says, causing a rift between the genders and perpetuating the stereotypes."

2007-6-30 08:06 AM

changabula
Super Member
Rank: 6

UID 122842
Digest Posts 0
Credits 7261
Posts 7128
Registered 2007-1-6
Location Milky Way, Universe
Status Offline

Asian women are usually portrayed in the media with 2 most common stereotypes: the "China Doll" stereotype and the "Dragon Lady" stereotype. Below are sources which describe both:

1.) China Doll Stereotype - http://mahdzan.com/fairy/papers/asian/asian08.htm

   The Asian woman is supposedly sexually active, exotic, overly feminine and eager to please. This character is termed "China Doll," and appears countless times in popular movies. Examples include Return to Paradise. The movie sets itself in Malaysia where three white male Americans spend their time laying on the beach, sniffing cheap cocaine and sleeping with the local girls. Even though the Asian female actors in this movie were not Asian American and only appeared for a few minutes in the beginning portion of the movie, nevertheless it still conveyed the message that Asian women take pride in sexually serving white men because the men are white and rich. When Asians are constantly depicted as one way in movies, it predominantly effects the way people see Asian Americans.

   What Hollywood may have failed to portray about these Asian women is that these Asian women are prostitutes merely trying to support their families by offering sexual services to men whom they see rich. Because they come from poor families and lack education, some Asian women earn their living by these means, and preferring to sleep with a man due to his skin color has nothing to do with it: money talks.

   Another example of the China Doll character appeared in The Year of the Dragon. The leading actor, a white police chief who is deemed racist towards Chinese in this movie, tries beyond his best to eliminate violence in New York's Chinatown. He befriends an Asian American female news anchor to get his crack-down-on-Chinatown-violence stories on TV broadcast. The police officer is depicted as arrogant and selfish man, and the Asian American woman dislikes him immensely because he makes derogatory remarks about her being Chinese. She refuses to air his story. However, when the police officer swings by the woman's house, he coerces her into having sex with him, and she submits to him, despite giving him rejection slaps on the face prior to engaging in sexual intercourse. This movie not only showed that Asian American women were passive and indecisive, but it also stressed that Asian American women do want to have sex with white men, even if she says no initially.

2.) Dragon Lady Stereotype - http://mahdzan.com/fairy/papers/asian/asian09.htm

   "Dragon Lady" refers to an Asian woman who is perceived as seductive, desirable but at the time she is untrustworthy. Movies from the early century have been successful in portraying this stereotypical version of the Asian woman. "Daughter of Fu Manchu" is one of them. Scheming, treacherous and dangerous, the Dragon Lady is the female version of the Asian bad guy, only with a slightly different approach to defeat her enemies. She has the power to hypnotize her male rivals, gains trust by seducing them, and when they least expect it, she rids of them through sabotage or backstabbing (Espiritu).

2007-6-30 08:07 AM

#10

changabula
Super Member
Rank: 6

UID 122842
Digest Posts 0
Credits 7261
Posts 7128
Registered 2007-1-6
Location Milky Way, Universe
Status Offline

More about the White-male / Asian-female Combination here:
http://mahdzan.com/fairy/papers/asian/asian07.htm.

It is described below:

In Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) starring Pierce Brosnan and Michelle Yeoh, the plot centered on James Bond, a white secret detective, who initially had an Asian female reporter interfering with his duties. Tension builds between them until they start cooperating in their operations and predictably fall in love in the end. It has been a common sight seeing a white man paired off with an Asian woman in the movie scene, but seldom do we see an Asian man paired off with a white woman. Asian women are often depicted as easily falling in love with white men, sometimes even at just first sight. This scene has been termed the "unmotivated white-Asian romance" because the woman easily falls in love with a man because he is white (MANAA).

We have also seen news broadcasts on television where the news anchors consist of an Asian female and a white male. An example of an Asian female news anchor that we observed on television paired off with a white male news partner was Juju Chang for ABC news. Anchor team for CBS news, Connie Chung and Dan Rather was also a popular pair on the news broadcast several years ago. We have yet to see an Asian man paired off with a white woman on the news. The only times we observed Asian men in news broadcasts made them appear solo, e.g., the weatherman on the Weather Channel or as Asia-based correspondents on CNN (Interracial).

2007-6-30 08:09 AM

#11

changabula
Super Member
Rank: 6

UID 122842
Digest Posts 0
Credits 7261
Posts 7128
Registered 2007-1-6
Location Milky Way, Universe
Status Offline

Asian men are commonly portrayed as 1-dimensional characters possessing no sexual life whatsoever:
http://mahdzan.com/fairy/papers/asian/asian06.htm

Asian men are portrayed as passive, old and speak broken English. The term "Yellow Uncle Tom" was coined to describe Asian men of this type. The Karate Kid (1984) was a movie we saw that depicted the Asian actor as such a man. In Karate Kid, Pat Morita plays Mr. Miyagi, an old Japanese American World War II veteran who calmly trains an enthusiastic white teenage male the Japanese martial arts of karate. Despite the fact that Mr. Miyagi was an American WWII veteran, he was still portrayed speaking English with a foreign accent (Wong).

The myth that all Asian men know some form of martial arts was also stressed in this movie when Mr. Miyagi surprises Daniel (the white male leading actor) with his karate moves after appearing passive and bashful during the first portions of the film. It reminds people to be aware of Asian men in general because passivity may not appear to be what it seems.

2007-6-30 08:10 AM

#12

changabula
Super Member
Rank: 6

UID 122842
Digest Posts 0
Credits 7261
Posts 7128
Registered 2007-1-6
Location Milky Way, Universe
Status Offline

White men are often portrayed as romantic partners for Asian women. In contrast, Asian men are almost never portrayed as romantic partners to Asian women:
http://mahdzan.com/fairy/papers/asian/asian05.htm

Asian men are depicted as men who do not have the capability of being ideal partners to women of their own racial groups. This is emphasized when movie producers start pairing Asian women off with white men instead of men of their own races. These women supposedly prefer to be with white men.

In the family-oriented movie based on Amy Tan's book, the Joy Luck Club portrayed Asian men as undesirable male partners. Joy Luck Club was a story of the relationships of first generation Asian American mothers and their grown-up daughters. Out of the four daughters that appeared in the movie, only one married another Asian man while the rest of the daughters married white men. Even at that, the Asian man turned out to be a stingy, selfish man with little regard for his wife. On top of that, the husbands of the mothers in this story were abusive and promiscuous Asian men. In other words, Asian men were seen as irresponsible and do not value their families.

2007-6-30 08:11 AM

#13

changabula
Super Member
Rank: 6

UID 122842
Digest Posts 0
Credits 7261
Posts 7128
Registered 2007-1-6
Location Milky Way, Universe
Status Offline

Further analysis:
http://mahdzan.com/fairy/papers/asian/asian11.htm

   In an article entitled "Portrait of White Racism" by David Wellman and Howard Pinderburghes, they mention that the creation of self requires the social construction of another. "Self implies other; without Other, there can be can be no Self." To put this assertion in congruence with our findings, without the appearance of malicious Asians in these popular movies, white appearances have no identity, no power and no privilege. The Asian male character is portrayed as being less adequate than the White male leading actor to emphasize that there is discrepancy between the two characters, and for the White man to uphold his position in the American society, the Asian character must lose the battle against his White rival.

   As shown in our analysis, Asian men are constantly being depicted as evil because being evil is unfavorable, socially unacceptable and deserves to either be isolated from the rest of society or just die out of existence.

   The Asian man must also display no competition to the White man in terms of courtship with women, especially Asian women. Out of irony, the Asian man is not allowed to have an intimate relationship with a white woman because the white woman cannot be subjected to the Asian patriarchal system, which is seen as inferior and potentially degrading. Asian men are portrayed as weak and less masculine to emphasize that they do not have the ability to attract women into entering companionship, unlike the white men who always successfully grab the attention of the Asian women.

2007-6-30 08:12 AM

#14

changabula
Super Member
Rank: 6

UID 122842
Digest Posts 0
Credits 7261
Posts 7128
Registered 2007-1-6
Location Milky Way, Universe
Status Offline

Additional sources pertaining to the above:

http://www.modelminority.com/article385.html
(Unmotivated White male-Asian female romance)

http://www.asianmediawatch.net/lawandordersvu/index.html
(Asian Stereotypes and Themes)

http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/MRC/americansons.html
(Redefining Asian American Masculinity: Race in Contemporary American Cinema)

http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/MRC/Amydoc.html
(Vanishing Son: The Appearance, Disappearance, and Assimilation of the Asian-American Man in American Mainstream Media)

http://www.calstatela.edu/faculty/sfischo/OffenseJMP.pdf
(Offensive Ethnic Cliches in Movies: Drugs, Sex, and Servility" - Written by Stuart Fischoff, PH.D., Ana Franco, Elaine Gram, Angela Hernendez, and James Parker from Media Psychology Lab. California State University, Los Angeles (based on a paper presented at the American Psychological Association, Boston (August 21, 1999).

http://www.greenmanreview.com/film/film_lastsamurai.html
(This study identifies the racial cliche of the White man/Asian woman romantic tendency found in the movie "The Last Samurai")

2007-6-30 08:14 AM

#15

changabula
Super Member
Rank: 6

UID 122842
Digest Posts 0
Credits 7261
Posts 7128
Registered 2007-1-6
Location Milky Way, Universe
Status Offline

Do not be deceived to think that Asians are the only ones being misrepresented in the big media. In truth, Non-Whites in general are being downcasted and misrepresented while Whites are being exalted simultaneously. The consistency of these double-standards and biases is staggering. It is a highly observable fact that White men are being presented as the main protagonist in most films, t.v. shows, commercials, video games, etc. And even though diversity in the media has obviously increased, the same old double-standards still far outweigh the current momentum shift. In fact, the current momentum shift to increase diversity is merely used as a means to further conceal the underlying presence of the dominant subliminal racist patterns and themes in the media. It will only serve as a false reason for the media apologists so that they will claim that racism is no longer an issue.

Media apologists will also often attempt to downplay elitism's role in the deliberate propagation of racist patterns and false stereotypes in the media. However upon further research, Yale University refutes their opinions:

"The media have and will continue to portray a self-serving negative stereotype of the African-American community. The societal and economic factors of racism have become more than just a bias. They are also a profitable industry, in which the elite will continue to suppress the lower class in order to maximize profits. According to Harvard professor Cornell West, 1 percent of the elite holds some 48 percent of America's wealth. This means that media, racism, and stereotypes will continue to be employed so that those elite can be sure of their continuing economic stability."

http://www.yale.edu/ypq/articles/oct99/oct99b.html

So who exactly are those "elites" which Yale briefly mentions? Confused Answer: they are the Zionists who control the global corporate media:

2007-6-30 08:15 AM

#16

changabula
Super Member
Rank: 6

UID 122842
Digest Posts 0
Credits 7261
Posts 7128
Registered 2007-1-6
Location Milky Way, Universe
Status Offline

Zionist control of the media:

http://zionismexplained.org/media/media.html
http://www.the7thfire.com/9-11/P ... ture_in_America.htm
(Zionist power structure in the United States)

Related research:

http://www.serendipity.li/zionism.htm
http://www.wrmea.com/html/focus.htm

2007-6-30 08:17 AM

#17

changabula
Super Member
Rank: 6

UID 122842
Digest Posts 0
Credits 7261
Posts 7128
Registered 2007-1-6
Location Milky Way, Universe
Status Offline

Media Awareness

http://www.media-awareness.ca/en ... inorities/index.cfm

states the following about the negative portrayals of Non-White people in the White Media:

Anyone who examines North American entertainment and news media will notice that members of ethnic and visible minorities are inadequately represented in entertainment and news media, and that portrayals of minorities are often stereotypical and demeaning.

This tendency is particularly problematic in a multicultural country like Canada, where 15 per cent of the population are immigrants and visible minorities comprise 25 to 51 per cent of the larger urban centres. Toronto is the first city in the Western world in which the majority of inhabitants are people of colour. "Without much fuss," says historian Gwyn Dyer, "We’ve become the most spectacularly diverse country in the world." Why, then, have the media not kept pace?

2007-6-30 08:19 AM

#18

changabula
Super Member
Rank: 6

UID 122842
Digest Posts 0
Credits 7261
Posts 7128
Registered 2007-1-6
Location Milky Way, Universe
Status Offline

http://www.media-awareness.ca/en ... _entertainment.cfm:

   When asked, in a 2002 poll, whether the government should preserve and enhance multiculturalism, 82 per cent of Canadians said yes. So why, asks Lionel Lumb, from Carleton University’s School of Journalism, "are the millions of minorities that are so visible on our streets and in shopping malls, our offices and health care centres, so invisible on our television screens?"

   Seventy per cent of the dramas, sitcoms and series that Canadians watch are produced in the U.S. Images of minorities are lacking on those screens and they’re lacking on Canadian screens as well.

   The "White-Washing" of Entertainment

   Back in 1993, the American Screen Actors Guild (SAG) began to collect statistics on the number of ethnic and minority actors appearing in American television and films. The results were grim. Members of visible and ethnic minorities were significantly under-represented across the whole range of entertainment media. The face of North American entertainment was overwhelmingly white, mostly male and young.

   Critics and advocacy groups began to pressure the industry to produce shows and films that adequately reflect the racial and ethnic diversity we find in our communities and there have been significant gains. In its 2000 report, SAG announced a seven per cent increase in industry jobs and record numbers of roles for performers of colour, with African Americans accounting for 15 per cent of all characters in television and film. However, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) pointed out that of the four major networks’ 26 new prime-time shows for the 2000 season, none featured people of colour in lead roles.

   Canadian television—both public and private—is well known for creating programming for children and young people that reflects our multicultural society. But critics of our adult programming echo concerns voiced in the U.S. A 1994 study by Magali Dupont and Fo Niemi found that minorities in Quebec-based dramas were cast in secondary roles, usually in poorly paid occupations and unstable domestic situations, and non-white men tended to be less heroic and virile than their white counterparts.

   A small study released in 2002 by researchers at B.C.’s Simon Fraser University shows similar patterns. In the nearly 70 hours of Canadian programming examined, visible minorities made up 12 per cent of 1,200 characters—not far below the actual percentage of visible minorities in the national population. But again, it’s the way these minorities are represented that comes under fire.

   "What we’re seeing is a very superficial level of inclusion, says researcher Shane Halasz. These characters aren’t too central to the story line," he points out; and the workplace "seems to be a convenient place to include a person of colour for cosmetic purposes—without being obliged to look at their culture or what happens in their homes."

   According to Canadian actor Dhirendra, the problem of treating minorities like props is rooted in the producers’ discomfort, behind-the-scenes, with challenging the status quo. Nor, he adds, do writers like to write about things they don’t understand.

   Misrepresentation in Video Games

   Though television has established a learning curve with respect to fair minority portrayals, the video games industry seems not yet to have got the message. A 2001 study by the U.S. organization Children Now, entitled Fair Play -- Violence, Gender and Race in Video Games examined some of the most popular games to assess the extent of stereotyping. It found that:

   -most protagonists (86 per cent) were white males

   -non-white males were portrayed in stereotypical ways—seven out of ten Asian characters as fighters, and eight out of ten African-Americans as sports competitors

   -nearly nine out of ten African-American females were victims of violence (twice the rate of white females)

   -79 per cent of African-American males were shown as verbally and physically aggressive, compared to 57 per cent of white males

   The Impact on Viewers

   Entertainment media say a lot to their viewers about who counts in society. Temple University professor George Gerbner is concerned that portrayals of minority characters in entertainment media affect the ways children see themselves and others. Children Now’s 1998 study A Different World: Children’s Perceptions of Race and Class in Media supports that conclusion. Their research found that children associate white characters with various attributes: having lots of money, being well educated, being a leader, doing well in school, and being intelligent. Conversely, they associate minority characters with breaking the law, having a hard time financially, being lazy, and acting goofy.

2007-6-30 08:20 AM

#19

changabula
Super Member
Rank: 6

UID 122842
Digest Posts 0
Credits 7261
Posts 7128
Registered 2007-1-6
Location Milky Way, Universe
Status Offline

The media's influence on the youths of society should not be taken for granted.

Texas Tech University states:

"The lack of diversity in Friends is also destructive to its viewers. Cultural diversity is what makes our country the most beautiful and powerful nation in the world. Without tolerance for all cultures, this powerful nation will tear at the seams. Friends, comprised almost totally of Caucasian characters, is not representative of our nation. Children Now, a child policy and advocacy organization, asked viewers to “Imagine an America where Latinos are a mere 2% of the population, and where mostly persons of color occupy lower-rung occupations.” Children Now states that this is the America that prime-time network television is showing you. Friends is supporting that illusion. Throughout an entire season of the show, characters of ethnic backgrounds other than Caucasian are rarely given even a minor role. One African-American character lives in an alley outside of the main characters’ apartment building. He was only seen for one episode, in which he begged Ross for money, and when turned away, began to mildly harass him. Another example is a Hispanic character that steals a car outside of the coffee shop where Rachel works. Are we to accept that all African-Americans and Hispanics behave in a criminal manner? This type of ignorance breeds hatred and discrimination. How can people learn to respect each other when shows like Friends preach that no respect is necessary? The lack of culture in Friends is unrealistic, and it will do nothing but harm the minds of its viewers."

http://english.ttu.edu/KAIROS/7.2/sectiontwo/marchant/Friends.htm

2007-6-30 08:23 AM

#20

Printable Version | Email to Friend | Subscription | Favorites


Forum Rules	Feedback	Privacy