Racial and Gender Stereotypes

02-24-09 6:30 p.m.

Personal Conversation with Kyle XXXX Friend

Argument about how guys are better than girls at everything

Gender stereotypes

 

02-24-09 10:00 p.m.

Social Experience at O’Connell’s

Beads were being passed out to “hot” girls

Gender stereotypes

 

02-25-09 2:00 a.m.

Television

Bow Wow music video

Black girls wearing tiny swimsuits were dancing inappropriately for Bow Wow vying for his attention

Racial and gender stereotypes

 

02-25-09 3:00 a.m.

Film

Doris Day movie, Don’t Eat the Daisies

Gender stereotypes

 

02-25-09 12:30 p.m.

Classroom experience Professor William

Class discussion about healthcare

Racial assumption/stereotypes

 

02-25-09 3:30 p.m.

Personal conversation with roommate (prefers not to be named)

Conversation about crime in Oklahoma

Racial stereotypes

 

02-25-09 10:00 p.m.

Social Experience at Logan’s

A group of girls were inappropriately dressed trying to get free drinks from the bartender

Gender stereotypes

 

02-26-09 11:00 a.m.

Television

South Park

Jesse Jackson episode

Racial assumptions/stereotypes

 

02-27-09 1:00 a.m.

Television

Cheaters

Racial and gender stereotypes

 

02-28-09 5:00 p.m.

Television

Dr. Phil

Racial stereotypes

Reflection:

I was not surprised by the amount of stereotyping in the media at all.  I always notice the way television in particular portrays black people as thugs or athletes, and women as sex objects or stupid.  It is easy to stereotype a group of people and turn it into an entertaining sitcom.  Also, as people commonly say, “sex sells,” and rappers and singers use women as products that sell their music by having them dancing half naked in the background.  One thing that I haven’t noticed though is the amount of comments my friends and classmates make that could easily be considered racist or prejudice against women.  I think we get used to inappropriate racial jokes and jokes against women and we don’t even realize how wrong they are anymore.  “It’s just a joke” is a common thing people say in order to justify their prejudice behavior.  It was very disheartening for me to notice how many racial slurs my friends’ use on a day-to-day basis because they find it humorous.  This assignment made me open my eyes and notice how offensive those comments really are.  Also, instead of laughing at the comments my guy friends make about women, I should be appalled.  They claim to respect women but then make prejudice comments. Saying “it’s just a joke” should never be a justification for racial or gender stereotyping.  It is just another form of discrimination.   

I think the constant portrayal of women as sex objects is one of the main reasons my guy friends don’t respect women as much as they should.  When young men are constantly seeing women dancing half naked on TV and loving attention for it, how could they possibly see us as equal?  We are often seen as “arm candy” instead of appreciated for whom we are inside.  I also think the way the media portrays black people is one of the main reasons white people are still racist today.  The media portrays minorities as less educated and less cultured and consequently society thinks that is reality.  All of the TV shows I noticed with black stars, the writers had them using bad grammar and bad manners instead of portraying them as smart.  Black people are also underrepresented in regards to having powerful job positions and are instead more commonly depicted as thugs, athletes, or blue-collar workers.  The media creates racial and gender barriers instead of breaking them down by showing equality.  I definitely think the media plays a major factor in the racial and gender issues America has today and something needs to be done about it. Women and minorities are being misrepresented in the media and it is causing hurtful stereotypes in society.  

Extra Credit 2/17

Due to Hopwood v. Texas (1996), academic institutions in Texas are not able to admit or provide scholarship support based on ethnicity or race.  Therefore, UT, AtM, Tech, and Baylor all do not use race-based admission.  Two other schools that I found that don't use race-based admission are Iowa State and Kansas State.

Assignment 2/13/09

Tim Wise discussed his perspective of privilege regarding race and I had never thought about privilege on a racial level.  When I think of privilege, I think of physical belongings that I am blessed to have because of my parents’ hard work.  If I were to think about privilege in regards to me being white, I think I would have a whole different outlook.  I think privilege is another word for freedom.  Privilege is being able to have opportunities to succeed in the U.S. and have all the benefits that come with being free.  If you are part a minority in the U.S., I don’t think you have all of the privileges of being free.  If you don’t get the same opportunities that come with freedom, I guess you can say you aren’t “privileged.”  I think the media utilizes privilege in media representation very poorly.  As a white person myself, I think the white society has no idea how bad racial discrimination still is in the United States.  I think we are sheltered and taught to believe racial discrimination is no longer a problem and the media does a poor job of representing society how it really is, and society still has racial issues.  Throughout the week I reflected on some basic privileges I have that I have never noticed or considered before.  Here are some of them:

1.     1. The privilege to feel comfortable and not out of place in class

2.     2. Being able to drive a nice car without people thinking I stole it

3.     3. Being able to go to a bar with my friends and not feel like the minority

4.     4. Living in a nice neighborhood

5.     5. Having enough money to pay my bills

6.     6. Being able to get a new job easily

7.     7. Being able to go to the store without taking a shower or looking nice and not feeling judged

8.     8. I talked myself out of a speeding ticket; had I been a minority would that not have been possible?

These are privileges I noticed throughout the week that might be true for minorities, but I can imagine might not be true for them all the time.  I do agree that as a society, we have a responsibility to change the way we look at other people and examine new stereotypes when we become aware they aren’t true.  Even if you claim not to be “racist,” I think it is still important to keep yourself in check and make sure we aren’t stereotyping people.  Specifically, one stereotype I think is still an adamant problem today is the "one drop" rule.  If you are the least bit Native American or African-American, you are automatically looked at as a minority.  I don't think it's fair to label people who may not want to be labeled a certain way.  For instance, my boyfriend is half Mexican and half white but people automatically consider him Mexican even though his family has lived in America for over six generations.  Labeling people based on "one drop" is just another way of profiling people in order to discriminate.  Another example is Native Americans.  If they are even 1/8 Native American, they are automatically looked at as Native American even if they identify themselves as white.  Instead of stereotyping people or labeling them, I don't think your race should matter at all.  

Here is a link to see the definition of the "one drop" rule in case you don't know what it means:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One-drop_rule

Here is also a link to a site that talks about the roots of racial profiling, specifically cases dealing with police targeting minorities for traffic stops:

http://www.reason.com/news/show/28138.html

Thoughts on Tim Wise

After watching a speech given by Tim Wise on racial discrimination, I took a step back to examine myself.  Am I racist without even knowing it?  I think racial profiling is a lot more common among white people than we are willing to admit.  When you see a young black kid driving a nice car do you look assume he's a drug dealer or a professional athlete?  But when you see a white kid driving a nice car you assume his parents are rich and he's just spoiled.  Stereotyping people of another race is another form of discrimination that I think is many times looked over.  Tim Wise took a very direct approach and criticized the white community for turning our cheeks to racial discrimination.  It is still a huge problem in the United States that needs to be recognized.  At the beginning of his speech, Wise says his speech could only be given by a white person and as he continued I saw why.  Although what Wise was saying was true, the speech would have been offensive if given by a black person.  I don't think the white community is ready to hear criticism from the black community, but if the criticism is coming from one of their "own" they are more willing to listen.  Wise really drove the point home and as a white person, I found myself doing a  mental "check" on how I view people of different races.  Even people who say they aren't racist need to stop and think about how racial stereotyping is detrimental to society.  Below is a link to a clip of one of his speeches:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-7677528555527674049&ei=gZ2RSdT0CpSe-wGPpM2KCQ&q=Tim+WIse

Personal Reflection: 2/3/09

I would like to reflect on the misrepresentation of women in the media.  Although gender is a separate issue than race, it is still an important issue that interests me.  Advertisements and television shows display women who have no resemblance to the majority of females; they wear a size two, have perfect skin, and perfect hair.  I think the constant exposure to these unrealistic portrayals of women manifest in the minds of young women and, in turn, motivates them to attain the same high standards of beauty.  The way the media portrays women has a negative impact on how young women view beauty and consequently is the root of many teenagers' struggles with eating disorders and depression.  

The ideal female body image is much worse than in the past.  Today, women are supposed to be stick thin, but with large breasts- a near physical impossibility.  The body must be perfectly toned and if your body needs to be fixed, diet pills will do the trick!  Contrary to the images we see in advertisements, the average woman's size is a 14 in the United States, the size at which "plus-sized" clothing begins.  The media has created these unhealthy standards for women by only showing skinny, perfect girls in advertisements and on TV shows.  These media portrayals of women have been linked to eating disorders and low self-esteem among young girls.  

Advertisements often emphasize sexuality and the importance of physical attractiveness in an attempt to sell products, but this places too much pressure on young women to focus on their appearance.  Advertisements today that are aimed at women are promoting this "thin ideal" and the need to meet such high standards of beauty, and it is almost impossible to not be exposed to these messages when women are viewing so many advertisements on a daily basis. 

I think this is an extremely important issue that needs to be talked about this semester in Race, Gender, and the Media.  It is an issue that many times gets looked over but has such a substantial impact on young, female minds.