Stereotypes play a significant role in the world of propaganda and are defined as being a conception of groups of people or individuals. Stereotypes could also be complex or simple generalities as applied to groups or individuals based on their race, ethnicity, beliefs or appearance. Although the world appears to be always improving it is very difficult to remove entirely the use of stereotypes in the media. Propaganda as a force can impact everybody and results in change in attitude and behaviours. Media can influence the viewers tremendously in modifying their opinions on the basis of information received by them. It is known that the media is adept in misrepresenting stereotypes which is also accepted by people. Viewers watch shows regularly and do not understand the content that is biased while the media is able to attract the attention of the audience by way of drama, comedy and action. It is the effectiveness of such programmes that makes them highly popular. Stereotypes could be a normal or very simple image, opinion or conceptions formed on the basis of behaviours, appearances or attitudes as shared by all members of a class of people and are typically objects of social consent instead of individual opinions.
David Carr, On Covers of Many Magazines, A Full Racial Palette Is Still Rare, November 18, 2002, The New York Times.
This article is about the increasing practice of using and portraying minorities on the front covers of well accepted American journals and discusses on how this influences the magazine’s reputation and profitability. Magazines that target women normally portray white women on their covers and the ones that target teenagers focus on varied ethnicities. The article has addressed the changing pattern of fashion as compared to social recognition of the minorities. Carr has given his reasoning in this regard by quoting data from the New York Times and quotations from well known magazines.
Media Awareness Network, (2009), Media Stereotyping – Introduction, Web.
This webpage narrates why it is inevitable to indulge in stereotyping in advertisements. This is primarily because it has become a normal practice in giving without intention a false picture of perceptions pertaining to different groups. It explains why the problem creating and common use of stereotypes are being adopted as regular practices. The custom has crystallized because there is limited creativity in studios and news centres. Labels are made incorrectly without the representation of all classes of people.
Mike Daley, The representation of ‘race’ in mass media, Web.
Mike Daley is a teacher of Music at York University and this online essay gives details of the word race in its misconstrued forms which have evolved over several years. Daley has narrated five stereotypes of African American males which have been used in films. He has criticized the TV program, The Minstrel Show of the 19th century in using stereotype images solely for the purpose of entertainment. The essay also traces the evolvement of black stereotypes consequent to the popularity of folk and jazz music. The essay provides authentic information about the evolvement of the word race.
Reena Mistry, Can Gramsci’s theory of hegemony help us to understand the representation of ethnic minorities in western television and cinema? Web.
When Reena Mistry wrote this essay she was a student of communication theory. She has explained the theory of hegemony and portrayed how racist stereotypes as present in the society of today were formed in keeping with the ideals of the dominant white race. She has also explained how African American stereotypes differ from those of the previous centuries.
Daniel Chandler, Television and Gender Roles, Web.
Daniel is a lecturer at the University of Wales and teaches in the Department of Media Communications and Studies. Television and Gender Roles is about misrepresentation in the media of men and women and the damages such practices can inflict on society. The author has claimed that the media creates such images to set up and strengthen the gender roles which in their opinion must be present in society. Chandler has also explained the function of the conventional man and woman and the stereotype images that are related with genders.
Audrey Colombe, White Hollywood’s New Black Bogeyman, Web.
Audrey Colombe teaches at the University of Saint Leo and in her article White Hollywood’s new Black Bogeyman, she has analyzed and explained the stereotype roles played by black males in Hollywood movies. In her critical analysis she has cited the example of well known African American actors such as Chris Rock and Denzel Washington. In describing the basic framework of the present stereotype images she has referred to the Magical Black Man claiming that this character replicates the blend of misconceptions developed over the years about the African Americans.
Cris Cullinan, Vision, Privilege, and the Limits of Tolerance, Web.
Cris Cullinan works at the University of Oregon and has written the article in believing that excessive and unwarranted privilege is given to the dominating white race since they are thought to be competent, worthy and innocent. She has criticized the culture in America for its bias against minorities and stated that there is a definite system of white privilege existing within the society of today. She has explained the phenomenon of “guilt by association” whereby a particular minority race is associated with a specific crime. She concludes that minorities felt that they were not yet accepted and were merely being tolerated.
Sheila T Murphy, The Impact of Factual Versus Fictional Media Portrayals on Cultural Stereotypes, 1998, The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, Vol. 560, No. 1.
The article has explored fictional and factual media depictions in concluding how gender and culturally shared racial stereotypes influence ensuing verdicts that involve stereotype groups. The author has presented fresh data in exposing and demonstrating exposure to stereotype and counter stereotype portrayals that relate to prime time serials on television in regard to spousal abuse and rape accusations. Men are portrayed as being harsh in the face of stereotype female portrayals irrespective of whether they were fictitious or factual.
Pritchard D, The process of media accountability. In Holding the media accountable, 2000, Indiana University Press.
This book by Pritchard narrates various studies done in regard to media stereotypes in indicating that the media unintentionally effects the actions, thoughts and beliefs of people. The author makes available academic explanations in regard to accountability of the media which are also utilized in supporting the conclusions of the respective studies. The media has been held responsible for influencing the knowledge of people from what they see.
Linn, T. Media methods that lead to stereotypes, 1996, Praeger.
Linn has discussed how journalism and sitcoms have implemented labels to attract and maintain the attention of audiences in referring to particular groups. This way stereotypes are formed in exemplifying typical traits of societies which are frequently used by the media in addressing specific groups without being required to relate to every feature of the groups.