Stereotypes in Media -- 6th blog entry

Eghbali, Mason

Professor Charles

July 29th, 2014

Stereotypes in the Media

Thesis Statement: Throughout my blog entries that I have completed this summer surrounding different racial, ethnic, and gender stereotypes, I have learned that the media, and people in general, can be very harsh and negative towards a particular group of people at times, while also being very open and positive towards another group of people. A stereotype is usually not an accurate image of the world, but rather something that has been brain washed into our heads through different types of media. Since media is the biggest industry of communication and advertisement in the world, no matter your age, the society you live in, religion, or gender you encounter different stereotypes based on different groups of people and you are bound to look at every person differently. 

Each ethnic/racial group face different struggles and stereotypes, some more hurtful than others. I have learned that going through the history of each group reveals a lot about what they have been through and what they are currently going through in this world. One of the best examples is the African American community, they have had the toughest past, going through slavery, always being the minority, and having to face segregation. According to the article "Images that Injure" by Linus Abraham, African American stereotypes predate today's mass media, they have been present since slavery, and have served and are even currently serving as a type of justification for slavery, segregation, and discrimination against them. In today's time, mass media still portrays and looks at African Americans as minorities and they still face harsh stereotypes, but at least our people have progressed and have become more tolerant towards the African American community.

I have also learned that everywhere in media gender stereotypes and stereotypes about the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) community are also present. In media, males and females are portrayed as exact opposites, whether it is which gender should be stronger, play sports, take care of the house/kids, and how each of them should act. The LGBT community is gradually growing in today's world and they are gaining more acceptance, especially with the coming out of homosexual athletes such as Michael Sams, Brittney Griner, and Jason Collins. Some of the stereotypes surrounding the LGBT community are as follows; high pitched voices, weaker in strength, and not as good in playing sports.

Overall, I believe that regardless of a persons gender, race, or thoughts, they could be able to act however they want, stereotypes in media should not alter their lives dramatically. As our people start to become more tolerant with the different kind of people in this world, the media will follow them, and stereotypes will slowly diminish  from our world.