Introduction/ Minorities in TV Comedies

Introduction

The portrayal of minorities in the media has evolved over the years. In the early twentieth century, media sources contained barely, if any, minority involvement. Until the late 1950’s and early 1960’s, to have minorities in the media was an unspoken taboo that everyone seemed to avoid. The later half of the twentieth century opened many doors for different minorities, and different media sources started to introduce different types of characters to appeal to different races and ethnicities. TV shows, movies, news casts, etc have since been progressively introducing minorities into the main stream media and showing them the equality that they have always deserved. In a research conducted by the Manyard Institute in 2008, it was shown that the number of minorities in the work force of news broadcasts has risen from making up 3.95 percent of the work force in 1978 to 13.52 percent in 2008, and the positions that they hold have grown as well (ASNE Census). While great advancements have been made on the part of minorities in the media, it seems that stereotypical portrayals do remain in existence in the modern American media in several different ways, which can be positive or negative. In our blog, we will discuss several aspects of the media in which the media are portrayed. Erica will discuss the portrayal of minorities in everyday life as shown by comedic shows and media. Rachel will discuss the portrayal of minority families in the media. Dedra will discuss the portrayal of eastern cultures in the media. Lindsay will discuss the portrayal of minorities in superhero franchises as usually being evil or deformed.






Portrayal of Minorities in Comedies.


Racism, segregation, and stereotyping of minorities is a problem that has always been evident in American life in some way since its creation. Throughout the years, Americans as a whole have become much more tolerant and accepting of one another’s different races and ethnicities, along with the individual rights that come along with each of those. In recent generations, many racial barriers have been broken down and all different races are able to coexist peacefully among one another. There does, however, remain varying degree’s of racism against minorities in the mainstream media, especially in television and movies. These racist stereotypes, while they may be funny, play on actual beliefs that many individuals still hold today against minorities. Many of these entertaining productions show either subtle or blatant references to stereotypes against minorities and how they affect the everyday minorities. Many of the racial stereotypes that still exist in everyday life are played up on and used in TV comedies such as Family Guy and The Office. While these media sources are undoubtedly funny, one must wonder whether or not they are really harmless, or if they play and build up on the subconscious opinions and beliefs about those minorities that many still believe today.


The question of whether or not comedic portrayals of racism are appropriate or acceptable in the media is important to consider because of its relevance in today’s modern media. While many more options are available to a vaster majority of people, stereotypes and racism still exist, especially in the media. What is shown in the media of a society is very important to discuss because it reflects the society as a whole. Especially in modern day America, the media is the basis of many aspects of life. Many of the comedic TV shows today use racism as a joke to get laughs, but it definitely works and can be some of the funniest stuff on TV. However, one must wonder whether these shows, because they play on actual stereotypes and at least a hint of truth, can actually give a bad message and impact viewers in a negative way by reinforcing their negative views of minorities. For example, when children watch comedies with these types of jokes, they could not possibly comprehend all of the hidden meanings and messages, so what do they get out of it? Perhaps they just do not realize that the show is being racist at all, but for a certain age group they must understand some of the shows’ content at least on a subconscious level and realize the image of minorities that are being portrayed. At the same time, however, these shows can also have the exact opposite effect by making those who are racist seem completely absurd, as is implied in The Office and Family Guy. Just watching short clips of these two humorous shows can give a pretty good example of the racism that is evident in some degree in each episode.


Family Guy is a hilarious example of a TV show about a simple dysfunctional family from Rhode Island with a violent world dominating baby, an overweight idiotic son, a daughter who tries too hard, a mother who seems oblivious to the families flaws, a father who is a racist, nonsensical moron, and a dog who seems smarter than the rest of them. Basically, it is a recipe for hilarity. Throughout each episode, short sidebars appear that sometimes do not even relate to the rest of the episode, but show snippets of racist and stereotypical behavior of minorities.





The above clips give a pretty good review of the type of humor that is on the show, and how it seems to portray minorities. While many, including myself, find Family Guy a very laughable and enjoyable show to watch, one must think about the messages being portrayed in the show. Obviously most of the jokes made towards minorities are meant to be funny, not insulting, and try to make those who hold those racist beliefs seem like the odd ones out as opposed to being in the majority. There are undoubtedly people who must be opposed to the show because of its content containing innumerable sexual and racist references, and who would rather shield their family members and children from seeing such abrasive behavior on a TV show. The racist remarks made range from small one liners that could be easily missed, to having the entire focus of an episode being based on a minority’s image. In one such episode, Peter, the father, learns that his ancestors were actually black, making him of African American heritage. Throughout the rest of the episode, he takes on the behaviors of what he considers “typical black people”, ranging from how he speaks to suddenly being insulted by the treatment of “his people” through the years since slavery, and reenacts a Martin Luther King Jr. speech to demand equality. When looking at the show as a whole, taking out the jabs against minorities, one notices that the main characters are mainly white. The only minority characters appearing somewhat regularly are the Asian news anchor with squinty eyes speaking broken English, and a typical black couple consisting of an indifferent droning husband and his occasionally appearing eccentric and loud wife. Besides that, the rest of the main characters are white. Perhaps because the show takes place in what could be considered a majority white town in Rhode Island, but none the less, minorities fail to make regular appearances without being drastically stereotyped, while many of the white characters appear normally.


NBC’s The Office is an Emmy award winning TV show that captures the lives and experiences of what would seem to be a boring and listless work experience at a paper manufacturing office in Scranton, Pennsylvania. The main character and manager of the office is Michael, a man completely oblivious to common decency and sense. In the episodes, he “regularly makes insensitive remarks about employees' race and gender, and that he's treated like a buffoon as a result” (……….). The writers seem to make him the focus of what any normal person should NOT be.



In the clip shown, Michael talks to the Indian character, Kellie, in what is his version of an Indian accent, thereby insulting her and getting slapped. He commonly makes stereotypical remarks towards his minority employees pertaining to their races, especially the black employees. Whenever he has a one on one discussion with Stanley from inside the office or Darryl from the warehouse, he assumes that because they are black they must have been raised on the streets, in the “hood”, or in the ghetto. He tries to speak their “street talk”, and they usually ignore him or go along with it to humor themselves. In one episode he even tries to avoid Darryl from getting into the office because he feels that since Darryl is black, he must be a robber. The Office, more obviously than in Family Guy, shows how ridiculous the racist behaviors are because of the reactions of the other workers throughout the office. At the exact time that Michael or Dwight make a wrong and stereotypical comment, the camera will zoom over to Pam, Jim, or one of the other employees to show their disgust and shock. This allows the viewer to understand that the beliefs held by a select few in the office are definitely not those held by the writers or producers themselves. In fact, the racist comments are usually so obviously off color and simply wrong that the viewer laughs in spite of it. For children who watch The Office, many of the jokes, even the ones not dealing with racism towards minorities, seem to be way above their level of comprehension, and one online site even stated that fifteen should be the lowest age for a person to watch the office regularly (……). One must wonder whether children under their mid-teen years who watch The Office can understand that it uses humor to dissuade racism, rather than enforce it. If they can not understand the complexity of many of the jokes, do they only understand and comprehend that, for example, all black people come from the ghetto? Or that all people of Indian descent talk with an accent?


When it comes down to it, TV shows such as Family Guy and The Office, that use racism towards minorities as the plot of many of their episodes, seem to use humor in a positive way to dissuade racist beliefs, although if viewed by those too young to comprehend the humor and jokes, can give them the wrong idea. While these shows may be right before crossing the line into insulting and unacceptable, they typically remain in that safe zone and get their points across. Youngsters who watch these shows and do not even know that there is such a line to be crossed, may confuse the racist jokes as reality, so all that can be done is either regulating their views of these shows or attempting to discuss the deeper meanings. While only several years ago, being as blatant and harsh about racism in such large parts of the media would be considered taboo, it seems today to be a recipe for success, and proves that despite all objections, everyone is a little bit racist, which is not necessarily a bad thing because it allows us to be accepting of these shows and their jabs at typical stereotypical minority behavior.


Works Cited
“Diversity Day” and others. The Office. NBC, L.A. March 29, 2005.

Family Guy. Twentieth Century Fox. Cartoon Network. 2008.

“The Office-TV 14”. Common Sense Media. 2008. Accessed December 19, 2008. http://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/Office.html#

Unknown. “Media Portrayals of Ethnic and Visible Minorities: Introduction”. Media Awareness Network. 2008. Accessed December 18, 2008. http://www.mediaawareness.ca/english/issues/stereotyping/ethnics_ and_minorities/index.cfm

Unknown. “2008 ASNE Census: Newsrooms Shrink; Minority Percentage Increases Slightly”. Manyard Institute. April 2008. Accessed December 18, 2008. http://www.asne.org/files/08srvtab.pdf

Eastern Cultures Portrayal in Media (Post 9/11)

Ever since the unfortunate events of 9/11, the media has had it’s own way of expressing it’s thoughts of different cultures and that cultures traditions. For example, with the cartoon above which shows a line of Muslim men preparing to receive their 19 virgins is an example of how the media expresses its thoughts of Islam. Whether they think its ridiculous that you get 19 virgins in heaven or that its ironic, either way it would be a way to incorrectly portray a particular group. For the Eastern cultures in general, their cultures have been taking a lot of heat lately because its completely opposite in some aspects in comparison to our culture. In my opinion, if our country is meant to be a melting pot, there is no need for the media to feel the need to humor us through stereotypes. In the end, those stereotypes could be very offensive and could start a lot of trouble. Certain shows such as “The Simpsons”, “Alien in America” and movies such as “Ironman” can make escaping those stereotypes of Eastern cultures difficult. The media should mind more of what they are sending as a message other than more that the gratification of American “humor”.


ALIENS IN AMERICA


When I was younger, I was first exposed the term “illegal alien” listening to one of Louis Farrakhan speak at the Million Man march. From what I recall, he was talking about the irony of calling Mexicans “illegal aliens” and how it was offensive. Now, the word is used so often, people just act like it’s a part of everyday language, but now we are incorporating that into television. The show “Aliens in America”, which is about a young Pakistani Muslim who lives with a Wisconsin family via Foreign Exchange program, isn’t bad, it’s actually a wake up call to how we do treat people of Eastern cultures. For example, when the main character ‘Raja’ arrived at the home and ‘Justin Tolchuck’ (the other main character) had started to do some of ‘Raja’s’ daily routine, such as praying to Mecca, his mom was offended. She was so offended that she created a lie about insurance to try to send ‘Raja’ back to Pakistan. She did not feel guilty until he explained to her that his parents were deceased. It’s interesting how the show over the past couple of years portrayed South Asia Muslims or Muslims in general. How ‘Raja’ is incredibly obedient and does the things the kids don’t do and how ‘Raja’ is more appreciative of ‘Justin’s’ parents and how overly enthused ‘Raja’ is everyday just because he has an amazing opportunity. Of course, theses aren’t bad stereotypes, but I found a comment about the show from a Pakistani muslim that said, “As a Pakistani Muslim I saw a lot of stereotypes and anachronisms in Raja (Most Pakistani's watch a lot of American movies and TV shows so are not as clueless as Raja) however despite this the show exactly portrays the feelings of a lot of Muslims around the world. Right now to every westerner, Muslim equals terrorist (The episode when Raja is introduced to Justin's class). For the vast majority of us the only link to terrorism is watching news reports of it on BBC and CNN. As Justin finds out Pakistani Muslims may be very different from the average American but they also have a lot in common with each other. (“The Internet Movie Database”)” It's a positive show, although mild discepancies, is, well was, watched regularly and could set an example for future comedies of approaching the representation of Eastern cultures.


THI SIMPSONS: HINDUS AND MUSLIMS


I am a lifelong Simpsons fan, but I will be the first to admit they can show some crazy stereotypes of certain Eastern cultures. My first example is a permanent character of the show, Apu. Apu is a Hindu convenience store owner (that’s similar to 7/11) and has a wife who has 7 kids thanks to a fertility clinic. There isn’t a lot to know about Apu except that he loves his job, so much so that he even sang a song about it. A couple of the stereotypes of Apu from an episode of which I cannot remember was when Apu was asked what he thinks will happen when he dies and replies saying that his wife will marry his cousin and she agreed enthusiastically. Now, according to beliefnet.com, the character Apu either offends Hindus or makes them laugh.
What I found was that Indian immigrants and adolescent and teenage children of immigrants--especially othodox Hindus--were generally offended by Apu and his stereotypes. They also have specific complaints about what they feel is doctrinal error and distortion… By contrast, American converts to Hinduism, steeped in our culture of irony, seemed amused and unfazed by the portrayal of their faith on the series.
There was a more recent episode of “The Simpsons” that was moreso making fun of the stereotypical patriotic American. In this episode http://www.hulu.com/watch/46689/the-simpsons-mypods-and-boomsticks, the family gets new neighbors who are from Jordan. Bart met the young boy of the family and befriended him immediately. Eventually, throughout the episode Homer sees what he suspects as “suspicious” behavior from the husband. He sees dynamite in the garage and overhears him speaking of blowing something up. He even interrogates the family when they came over for dinner. The use of dynamite for a major building is a big stereotype of terriorists and for the family to be Muslim could come off as insulting. Through these two examples it’s clear to see that depending on who you are, the show can be wishy-washy while using satire to show how ridiculous radical ideas are, but by also offending those who are more “conservative” on whatever issue on hand.


THE IRONMAN: UNCOMFORTABLE SIMILARITY TO 9/11

A major I noticed after 9/11 was the assumption of suspicious Arabs as terrorists. Since then not only television, but movies were affected as well. A big example is the recent release of "Ironman". Its one of my personal favorites, but I will admit, there was an uncomfortable atmosphere. The story goes as such there's a weapons creator but the name of Tony Stark who sells humongous weapons to big bad terrorists over on the East Side of the earth. At some point during a presentation of a ultra-flashy, multi-tasking bomb, he gets kidnapped by terrorists who want him to create this bomb for them. This is where he creates the Ironman suit and all that jazz. I don't want to ruin the movie, but the point being when it came down to who were these terrorists, they (the big, bad terrorists) were shown in a dry desert with turbans and speaking Arabic and tended to be very angry and aggressive and were obsessed with taking over large areas. From what I recall, a lot of times when they showed the videos Osama and his buddies would make they would be in caves (oddly familiar to the one in the movie) and walking in an isolated desert (also oddly familiar to the one in the movie). It was unfortunate to see a portrayal of not only Islam, but those who are Arabic in the movie this way. Either way, the movie was quite entertaining, but the question is whether or not it is necessary to have Arabs playing as these roles. Would it be different if the bad guys were European, hiding out in a luscious plain in Scandinavia?

Whatever may be the case the examples provided above is showing a slight trend in our media. Using either satire or just the usual characters can have so many different meanings across the board. When it comes down to it, it's whether or not the consumer will go for it. Thus far it's hard to say, but as a consumer, I believe it needs to be changed. using neutral "looking" characters in movies might help, but also an explanation from the director or creator would be very informing and could clear up so many misconceptions of the show/movie or the group involved. During these changing times, it isn't the best idea to assume that we all think Mr. Apu is amusing.


Works Cited
""Aliens in America"." (2007) 20 Dec 2008 .
“Alien in America”. By David Guarascio and Moses Port. CBS Paramount Network Television
“The Simpson”. By Matt Greoning. Fox Broadcasting Network.
Ironman. Dir. John Favreau. Perf. Robert Downey Jr., Terrance Howard. Paramount Pictures. (2008).
Pinsky, Mark. "What Hindus Think About Apu." 20 Dec 2008 .

Minorities in Superhero Films

Minorities in Superhero movies
By Lindsay Parsh

Do you consider yourself raciest? Neither do I. But think about this. Think about all the superhero movies we’ve been watching lately and tell me, are any of the superhero’s black? Are any of them Asian, Mexican, or any other minority here in America? No. Now think about all the villains in these movies. They’re minorities or they have some sort of physical or cultural deformity. In the past few years multiple superhero movies have come to theater and many of them portray minorities as the bad guys. The portrayal of minorities in these movies adds to our Nations’ growing xenophobia. You might say to me “But these are just movies. They’re just for fun!” but if every movie we watch shows a white person being the good guy and the minority being evil we come to believe it. Through watching a multitude of superhero movies, I believe that minorities and people with cultural or physical deformities are always portrayed as the villain and that this affects our society.

Ironman is a prime example of superhero villains who are minorities. In beginning of the movie Tony Stark (Ironman) is held hostage by Raza, who is a Middle Eastern terrorist. Ever since 9/11, America has been more xenophobic than ever before. Casting Middle Eastern terrorists as the villains in the movie reinforces our ideas that minorities are bad and Americans are good. Another villain in Ironman is Obadiah. While Obadiah is not a racial minority, he is a cultural minority. By cultural minority I mean, people who do not fit societies norms, such as baldness and psychosis. Another evil superhero villain who was bald was Lex Luthor, Superman’s arch nemesis. It is wrong that these movies reinforced the ideas that people who don’t look like society wants them to are shown as evil. Throughout Ironman, the villains are cultural and racial minorities.

Throughout The Dark Knight there are many villains and most of them are minorities. The man villain, the Joker, is displays some sort of psychosis, wears clown makeup, and cut his face. He is another cultural minority. People fear what they do not understand, so they fear mental illness. This kind of illness needs treatment and understanding, but the Dark Knight reinforces the negative stereotype that having a mental illness makes you bad. Another character in the Dark Knight is Harvey Dent. In the beginning of the movie he is a hero but after the Joker burns off half of his face and he seeks revenge on Batman. His physical deformity represents his descent into evil. The impact of his decent from Gothem’s “white knight” to evil would have been less without the visual deformity. This says to the audience that white is good and deformed is evil. In the mod scene, the Joker meets with Gothem’s crime leaders. Most of them are black or other minority. The white crime lords are bald, balding, and dirty, which are looked down upon in society. This reinforces the stereotype that minorities cause the crime. This needs to change because we cannot continue to let race and stereotypes separate us as a nation. The Dark Knight villains are stereotypical and reinforce the ideas that people have about physical and mental problems.

In most superhero movies the hero is white and male, this needs to change. If there were more diversity there would be less separation among races and the ideas that these movies put in our minds could be erased. One movie that came out recently was Hancock. Will Smith plays the hero in it and this is the first of the superhero movies to feature a black man as the superhero. This is the step in the right direction but the movie did not review very well and it wasn’t a Marvel or D.C. comic superhero. There has been talk of a Green Lantern movie coming out in 2009 or 2010. The Green Lantern has been portrayed as both a white and black man. But who will probably be cast for the part, Ryan Gosling (Williams 2008), a white man. It’s important to have diversity among superheroes and super villains because it will counteract the previous stereotypes we had and help us come together as a nation.

Superhero movies have been casting minorities as the villains for a long time. Casting minorities and those with physical or cultural deformities as the bad guy reinforces our growing xenophobia. This is a problem because we need to be working together not hating or fearing each other just because what we look like. If super hero movies started casting minorities as the heroes it would counteract the stereotypes that are put into our mind by these movies. People with physical or cultural deformities and minorities are portrayed as the villain in superhero movies, while white men are always the heroes and this needs to change.

Sources
Ironman. Dir. Jon Favreau. Perf. Robert Downey Jr. Film. Paramount Pictures, 2008.

The Dark Knight. Dir. Christopher Nolan. Perf. Christian Bale, Heath Ledger. Film. Warner Bros., 2008.

Hancock. Dir. Tony Smith. Perf. Will Smith. Film. Columbia, 2008.

Williams, Jamie. "Will Brandon Routh Appear In The Green Lantern Movie?" Screen Rant. 10 Oct. 2008. 19 Dec. 2008.

Holtreman, Vic. "Is Ryan Gosling The Green Lantern?" Screen Rant. 8 Oct. 2008. 19 Dec. 2008.

All Minority Television Shows
By: Rachel Hewitt

The media plays a large influential role in the daily lives of Americans. We can look back and see how the media can change the way we think, the way we dress, the way we interact with others, and so much more. Oft times when we think of the “media” we think of reality shows and the real lives and drama in the lives of the rich and the famous. But in actuality the media is in everything around us. Newspapers, magazines, television shows, movies, etc. all make up what we view as the media. Each one of these has its own manipulative power that sometimes we may not even recognize. Beginning around the 1950s television gave us what seemed to be the perfect family through a show called “Leave It To Beaver.” The show portrayed a loving family with children, a working father, and what seemed to be an all American family, an all American Caucasian family. However, there was something that was missing. Not in the actual television show but ON the television period, a family of color. As the years went by more and more minorities were being added to the television entertainment scene, diversifying the media now more than ever. The year 1984 brought forth a total turn of events. Of course at this point African Americans had already been introduced into the media but one show changed the whole face of minorities in the media. “The Cosby Show,” starring Bill Cosby and Phylicia Rashad as “Heathcliff” and “Clair Huxtable,” showed the family life of two successful black parents raising five children. This show was like something the media had never seen before. Not only was this a black family, but it was an intact black family that was overwhelmingly successful. The show was filled with everyday issues and life lessons and it wasn’t the average sitcom that audiences usually saw.
In many cases The Cosby Show was such a relatable show that the race factor could have been easily omitted from the minds of its audience. However, looking at it from a different perspective is a definite possibility. Ask yourself this question, would The Cosby Show have been as successful as it was if it were a Caucasian family? A father as a doctor and a mother as a lawyer in an upscale neighborhood with all of the children going to ivy league schools? The answer is, probably not. Why? Because there were so many other shows that would have been just like it. “I Love Lucy,” “Who’s The Boss,” etc. are all examples of television shows that focus on the family. What differentiated those shows from The Cosby Show was the color of their skin. So is this a good thing or bad thing? It could go both ways. It could have been the fact that the show was so revolutionary that made it popular. Or it could have been the fact that to some people the concept of this lifestyle of an African American family could have been unrealistic. Regardless of the side chosen, the fact is that the Huxtables changed and revolutionized the African American family in the media. It wasn’t your typical “Roots” sort of show. It was a breath of fresh air.
Although The Cosby Show is a perfect example of minorities in the media, I’ll take into consideration that it was over 20 years ago. So, in taking a more modern approach to analyzing the topic, there is only one way to go…”George Lopez.” George Lopez is another “all minority” program that portrays the life of a working family. George and his family are a Hispanic family that have two children and an overbearing mother in law that I’m sure many can relate to! The thing that must be realized is that television shows like this are successful because they incorporate all of the aspects of our real lives and make them a comedy so that when we watch these shows we see ourselves. By having shows that have African Americans, Hispanics, Caucasians, etc. it brings all cultures together. It helps us to learn that despite the color of our skin we all go through the same things and can easily relate to each other. The Cosby Show helps us to see that there will always be the son that doesn’t want to be like the father but wants to do his own thing. George Lopez helps us relate when our teenage daughters want to wear mini skirts and belly shirts in middle school. These are just two examples, there are so many more shows that are all minorities. The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Family Matters, etc. these are some more. But each of these have their own unique way the message into the media that we are all different on the outside but the same on the inside.