•Question 1: Do stereotypes exists in the media today? Explain and if yes, give examples - if no, explain why you believe they do not.
Of course stereotypes exist in the media today. The media is comprised of humans, who each have individual prejudices and are incapable of being completely subjective. Stereotypes aren't even exclusively negative either--we have to stereotype, or our minds would never be able to process information quickly enough. And some stereotypes are good. For example, if you were walking down the street and saw a man with a knife dripping blood, leering at you, you would probably "stereotype" that man into a "dangerous", "sociopath," or "murderer" category.
However, this doesn't excuse some other types of stereotypes. For example, the advertisement to the left displays blatantly sexist ideals.
Or this video, which is obviously stereotyping Arab people while advertising the Volkswagon.
In conclusion, while I do believe that stereotyping is alive and well in the media, I think that as long as we're careful not to take it to an extreme, and as long as we're sensitive to any issues, not all stereotyping is negative.
Of course stereotypes exist in the media today. The media is comprised of humans, who each have individual prejudices and are incapable of being completely subjective. Stereotypes aren't even exclusively negative either--we have to stereotype, or our minds would never be able to process information quickly enough. And some stereotypes are good. For example, if you were walking down the street and saw a man with a knife dripping blood, leering at you, you would probably "stereotype" that man into a "dangerous", "sociopath," or "murderer" category.
However, this doesn't excuse some other types of stereotypes. For example, the advertisement to the left displays blatantly sexist ideals.
Or this video, which is obviously stereotyping Arab people while advertising the Volkswagon.
In conclusion, while I do believe that stereotyping is alive and well in the media, I think that as long as we're careful not to take it to an extreme, and as long as we're sensitive to any issues, not all stereotyping is negative.
•Question 2: There is the possibility that people will be immersing themselves in the world of mass media to a point to where they begin to tune out the real world. What might happen if people begin to overly distance themselves from the reality of the outside world? Are there examples of where this has already happened?
I think that if we allow ourselves to become tuned out to the real world, we will just be using the media to isolate ourselves and insulate ourselves from uncomfortable topics and issues. The media, at least print journalism, was first established as a way for people to stay connected and informed, as outlined in the Journalist's Creed.
If we continue to insulate ourselves from the "real world," I believe that there is a distinct possibility that we could become completely oblivious to the world around us, including being ignorant of any unpleasantnesses and tragedies in our world. Already, when you walk around campus, you see hundreds of people listening to iPods. When people are asked about the candidates' policies, they draw a blank; they have no problem, however, reciting what happened on The Office last night.
While I do believe that people cannot allow themselves to become too immersed in the media, I also think that, to a certain extent, the media connects us. In the previous example, while the hypothetical person couldn't talk about the election, they would have been able to make conversation and connections through The Office, another type of media.
Therefore, I believe that taking things to either extreme is bad. If we completely reject media because we are afraid that it will distance us from reality, then we will become distanced from the rest of society, since no one is really completely separated from media. However, if we immerse ourselves in music, entertainment, radio, books, etc., we also miss out on important human interaction and communication.
I think that if we allow ourselves to become tuned out to the real world, we will just be using the media to isolate ourselves and insulate ourselves from uncomfortable topics and issues. The media, at least print journalism, was first established as a way for people to stay connected and informed, as outlined in the Journalist's Creed.
If we continue to insulate ourselves from the "real world," I believe that there is a distinct possibility that we could become completely oblivious to the world around us, including being ignorant of any unpleasantnesses and tragedies in our world. Already, when you walk around campus, you see hundreds of people listening to iPods. When people are asked about the candidates' policies, they draw a blank; they have no problem, however, reciting what happened on The Office last night.
While I do believe that people cannot allow themselves to become too immersed in the media, I also think that, to a certain extent, the media connects us. In the previous example, while the hypothetical person couldn't talk about the election, they would have been able to make conversation and connections through The Office, another type of media.
Therefore, I believe that taking things to either extreme is bad. If we completely reject media because we are afraid that it will distance us from reality, then we will become distanced from the rest of society, since no one is really completely separated from media. However, if we immerse ourselves in music, entertainment, radio, books, etc., we also miss out on important human interaction and communication.
No comments:
Post a Comment