It's Not Just Black or White (Race)

After watching the documentary Color Adjustment, I realized more of the struggles African Americans had to go through. The first really famous television series that was geared toward African Americans was Amos & Andy. The show originally was aired with white men who performed as black men in a radio show. Once the show got television time, the actors were black. The racist content of the show created much controversy amongst the black community. The NAACP created a formal protest against the show almost immediately after its television debut, ultimately cancelling the show.

    

Radio version - Successful and Original Amos & Andy -white men with stained black faces. 

TV version - Controversial Amos & Andy - African American actors



The next show I would like to talk about is the The Cosby Show, which was one of the biggest hits in the 1980s. This American situation comedy was the most successful television shows depicting African American experience in America. The Cosby Show reaffirmed the American dream of hard core middle class values: if you work hard, you are rewarded with good looking children, good looking wife, nice cars, nice households. This is the one image that is perpetuated in television. Anything that strays away from that norm will most likely no be successful or allotted prime time spots.

I believe it is important to televise shows that are targeted to every group in America, including African Americans. There are specific channels that are directed toward blacks, such as BET (which stands for Black Entertainment Television). Race can be a very touchy subject, which makes it complicated and hard to have a productive and educational conversation because often times people become very offended. Many don't know what politically correct word to use when discussing race. I believe that in order to reach a universal socially acceptable terminology, we need to talk amongst each other and break through comfort zones.

I'll Make a Man Out of You (Masculinity)

The media portrays men to be strong, aggressive, financially independent and heterosexual. It links masculinity to dominance, control and power. Tough Guise argues media offers an important perspective on social attitudes. It also argues that while the media is not the cause of violent behavior in men and boys, it does portray violence as a normal expression of masculinity.

Boys are exposed to masculinity in the media at a very young age. Disney movies, such as Hercules, Beauty and the Beast, Mulan and Lion King define what the ideal male should look like and how he should behave. Chiseled abs, barreled chest and massive arms are glorified in Disney movies. Masculinity of violence and dominance is very clear. The refusal of fighing is seen as pitiful. The end of Disney movies generally ends with a battle scene of two males fighting to win the female's heart or to maintain his current status. The relationship between the males and females in Disney films tell boys how real men should interact with females, which is men should view women as objects of pleasure or servants to please them.

"I couldn't care less what she'll wear or what she looks like - It all depends on what she cooks like." lyrics from Mulan. 

Another excellent scene from Mulan that displays masculinity is when Mulan is training to be ready for war:

Media cannot be soley blamed for boys and mens bad behavior, but I believe it is a factor. The way children are brought up is a huge determinate of how they behave. Parents need to take responsibility for their children's actions, rather than blaming it all on media.

As Seen Everywhere (Everyday pornography)

There are different extents to pornography, some of which can be seen on mainstream television. Not all pornography is X-rated; some can be softporn, which is aired on HBO or late night cable, others can be subtle sexual innuedos on primetime television. Television shows on MTV air many shows that focus on sex, such as Jersey Shore and The Real World. Sex and the City originally aired on HBO, but the past seasons are now being aired on The CW. This show follows the life experiences of four women while heavily emphasizing on sex.

Tosh.0 is a famous comedy show aired on Comedy Central. The show is centered on videos and pictures that are uploaded to the Internet. Daniel Tosh, the host, is a comedian that isn't afraid to speak his mind on any topic. He makes light and fun of senstive issues, such as pornography. Below is a picture that shows a man protesting pornography claiming "Pornography Harms" while a bystander holds a sign that says "...My Wrist."

The link below is a video of G-rated porn reenactments using children. Many find this to be offensive and crossing the line. I am not sure how I feel about the video clip. The children don't know what they are immiatating. but the parents do and I think that's where I have the problem. Like Tosh said at the end of the clip, “The great thing about doing this show in Hollywood is there's no shortage of awful parents who will let their kids do anything for a SAG* card.”

http://tosh.comedycentral.com/video-clips/porn-reenactments

*SAG is short for Screen Actors Guild

Concept Map

This is a concept map I made for my Contemporary Media class. It is designed to focus on different aspects of women in the media and their relationship to one another. It displays careers, explotation, side-effects, ideal/ "perfect" woman, selectivity, hegomony, entertainment and money, all of which inevitably are linked together in one way or another.