Discussion Question:
Please respond to the following prompt and engage in a substantive discussion with at least one classmate.
1. How are racialized minorities portrayed in the media in ways that create negative stereotypes? Use specific, contemporary examples from your own life. In your response, keep the following requirements in mind: Need Assignment Help?
- Your examples must come from this week only.
- You may not use older television shows, films, or music videos.
- You may not use the instructor's example or another crime-drama show.
Example Response:
The following is an example of the type of response expected. You may not use this example or another crime-drama show in your discussion.
I watch a crime reality television show called First 48. In almost every episode, the people involved in the murder are African American. There is rarely a white person on the show, and an Asian person is even rarer. This leads the public to accept a harmful stereotype - specifically, the incorrect view that African Americans are more violent compared to other racialized groups.
The show does not discuss how its episodes are selected. For example, there are no people of wealth featured on this show. This is most likely because wealthy individuals have access to legal protections that people living in poverty do not. When a television show portrays a group negatively without counterbalancing that portrayal with a broader range of experiences, it contributes to the construction of racialized stereotypes. In this example, the show constructs a stereotype of violent African Americans.