Final Blog!

Overall I think this class was very effective in achieving my original goal. Coming into this class, knowing the class description from when I enrolled online, I expected to be introduced to common racial and gender stereotypes and then to have the in-class environment that encouraged debate and discussion of these stereotypes.

I was certainly not let down on the debate and discussion element of my goal. Similarly, I feel as if the potentially uncomfortable topics of racial and gender stereotypes were broached continually and thoroughly.


In regards to the media aspect of his class, my overall opinion is that the media plays to its audience and that to some extent we use the media as a scapegoat because it’s not an individual but rather an object. In other words, I think the media is simply an outlet for the stereotypes of individuals and no individuals want to admit to holding these stereotypes or prejudices.


This is all rather wordy and I’m not sure if I’m explaining myself well, but the point of this ramble is that I think each of us needs to be more responsible for and take more credit for our own opinions and beliefs. I say this because when I think about the media and the racial and gender stereotypes embedded within it I’ll ask myself, “So if everyone thinks this is racist or sexist or whatever, then why is this image still portrayed?” The only logical answer is that somebody or some group, somewhere must believe and support these stereotypes. I think that these somebodies are realistically closer to home than we would all like to believe. Therefore, I think the media can’t really be entirely to blame. We all have to overcome the inclination and social pressure to believe these stereotypes and then the media can and will reflect the lack of bias.


On the topic of blogs… blogging is something very new to me. I remember several times as a little girl trying to start a journal, probably because the teenage characters in the shows I watched and the books I read kept ones and I thought it would be cool if I kept one too so that I could have the drama that these movies/shows/books had.

As it turned out, I never was much of a journal keeper and my attempts always ended within about a month. Journaling always seemed to become something on my “to do list” rather than an enjoyable, emotional outlet. Similarly, I’m really not into drama and don’t find the opinionated, feeling-laced writing very fulfilling.


I feel the same way about blogging. I don’t really enjoy writing about my opinions because I don’t get anything out of it. This isn’t because I’m “stuck in my ways” and don’t care about other people’s opinions. It’s really quite the opposite. I really do like having morally challenging conversations with people, but in a non-argumentative way. I would rather have these sorts of blog conversations in person with people from a variety of backgrounds and experiences. I think typed writing can often be misinterpreted and feelings don’t come across with the same casualness and humor, or they don’t come across as serious and sincere.

Also, I don’t feel that blogging for a class, when a grade is on the line, can ever be really representative of a person’s opinions. I think students try and cater their responses to be either in accordance with the professor’s opinions or at least not in direct opposition. The idea of blogging about the topics that we discuss in class is great in the sense that in theory it should be an outlet through which students can express their opinions without censorship and minus the feelings of discomfort. However, the true anonymity of the internet is compromised when it’s for a class and the teacher and other students know who the blogger is. There really isn’t a way around this last issue I just think it’s necessary to realize that blogging for a class isn’t the same as blogging on your own.

Hip Hop and the Media

Define hip-hop in your own words.
I think Hip-hop is a genre of music, primarily started and dominated by what are U.S. minorities, that has turned into a culture. This culture seems to include mostly those of darker skin color only (Blacks, Hispanics, Indians, etc.).

Please listen to five hip-hop artists that you have not heard before. Please list them on your blog.
“Le Bien, Le Mal” – by Guru
“Join The Dots” – by Roots Manuva
“Communicate” – by New Flesh
“Dy-na-mi-tee” – By Ms. Dynamite
“Makeda” – by Les Nubians

Please watch five hip-hop videos that you have not seen before. Please list them on your blog. Give details about the video: name of the song, artist, what is the focus of this video.
1.
Song – “Witness”
Artist – Roots Manuva (Rodney “Roots” Manuva)
Plot – Roots is shown working out in a variety of locations, wearing numerous different athletic outfits. The camera is within 4 feet of Roots the majority of the video and he sings straight into the camera.
2.
Song – “Dy-na-mi-tee”
Artist – Ms. Dynamite
Plot - A non-visible host introduces Ms. Dynamite and she’s seen on stage, from which she performs her song. Though she’s on stage and people’s arms waving the air are seen, she’s really the only person you see. There are close-ups of her face when she’s singing on stage. She’s also pictured singing to the camera from a lounge chair. There are several groups of club dancers shown as well.
3.
Song – “Makeda”
Artist – Les Nubians
Plot – First a television newscast is shown, as in the video appears to literally be filming a television while the evening news is on. Then the camera shows a neighborhood, a skyward view of a cherry tree, an urban city and the singers are in a limo singing with each other, sort of to the camera and mostly to the people. The flim shows the singers driving around town singing, different people and places in the city and the general day-to-day life of the city.
4.
Song – “A Lo Cubano”
Artist – Orishas
Plot – Orishas group members are shown on a beach, singing to the camera, with lots of girls in bikinis playing in the water and dancing on/around the singers.
5.
Song – “Paper Planes”
Artist – M.I.A.
Plot – The female artist is shown primarily working at a fast food/food truck making money. She’s also shown in a black jacket with the hood pulled up singing to the camera (the background is plain black). On beat with the gun shot sounds of the song different images of city scenes are shown. M.I.A. is also shown singing to the camera in a video store, in a convenient store and walking down the street. The video begins and ends with an image of a flock of paper planes flying around in the city.

Please listen to two different radio stations that broadcast hip-hop.
Oklahoma City: KVSP Power 103.5 (Slogan – “#1 Blazin Hip Hop & R&B”)
Dallas: KBFB 97.9 The Beat (Slogan – “The Hip Hop Station”)

What corporations have utilized hip-hop to advertise their products? Excluding Nike (or other shoe companies), McDonalds’s (or other fast food organizations), Target, and Freecreditreport.com. You should be able to find a minimum of two.
Pepsi
Gap
iPod/iTunes
Bally

Where else can you find the influence of hip-hop in the media?
I think certain channels, like MTV, VHI, MTV2, are exemplary of how much Hip-Hop culture is influencing the media. In my opinion, Hip-Hop culture influences it to the extent that these such television stations are created. (These channels do not feature only music videos.)

What things if any have come from hip-hop and become part of mainstream culture?
I think the attire of featured Hip-Hop artists has become mainstream, especially in the minority population of the country. For instance, the baggy pants, sideways baseball cap, chains around the neck, etc. Also, the way people of a certain age envision a party/social gathering… similar to the portrayals of parties in many Hip-Hop music videos, young adults and teenagers tend to envision a really happening party one in which the music is really loud and everyone’s grinding/dancing on each other. That’s another thing in itself too, the way people dance. The dancing for younger people is now more like what’s featured in Hip-Hop videos rather than particular dance steps of former generations (i.e. the waltz, the twist, etc.).

What music did your parents listen to when they were young? Ask them to give you three different genres and examples.
Genre: Rock and roll (Artist example – ZZ Top)
Genre: Country & Western (Artist example – George Strait)
Genre: Jazz (Artist example – Manard Ferguson)

Please reflect on the state of hip-hop in reference to representation and images.
I think the culture of Hip-Hop is fascinating. It’s fascinating just in the fact that it’s an entire culture, social scene, etc. that stems just from a genre of music. When I think of Hip-Hop I primarily think of Black rappers and Justin Timberlake. From this blog’s research into different Hip-Hop songs I hadn’t heard before and music videos I hadn’t seen before, my impression of the Hip-Hop culture being mostly targeted towards minorities seems true. This seems true, in fact, internationally, not just here in the states. I say this because all of my mentioned videos and songs feature non-Caucasian artists. Though the artists seem to be mostly non-Caucasian I think the music is very popular with my generation of white people as well as non-whites. I really did enjoy the international Hip-Hop artists I listened to… Les Nubaians, Ms. Dynamite and M.I.A. (I’d heard of her but never saw her “Paper Planes” video) is a particular favorite, probably because that song is really popular. The only thing I really don’t like about Hip-Hop culture is when videos promote violence and casual sexual interaction. This is sort of evident in the “Paper Planes” video when M.I.A. holds her hands as guns and pretends to shoot along with the gun shot noises of the song. The violence is certainly evident in the background noises of the song, ie the gun shot noises, however the lyrics don’t really encourage violence to the extent that I feel uncomfortable.

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From Television:

ABC – Special K Commercial
Characters: 1 Caucasian Male, 1 Caucasian Female, 1 Asian Female
The women collectively speak about ¾ of the speech during the commercial and of this the Asian woman speaks one line versus the Caucasian woman’s 10 lines.

Tru TV – NetFlix Commercial
Characters: Multiple Movie characters of various ethnicity, both males and females, 1 Caucasian Male main speaker
The majority of the “characters” are Caucasian. The only predominant black character (a male) is shown at the end and is from what seems to be a scary movie role. He is not the aggressor, but rather the victim. His clothes are dirty and his expression was zombie like, void of emotion. The romantic comedy couple, who is seen kissing throughout the commercial, is of two Caucasians.

FOOD Network – Special K commercial
Characters: The only character is a black, female.
The woman is shown in a nice apartment/home, in professional/classy attire, heading to work. There is a commentator speaking over the video so it’s as if the woman’s thoughts are audible.

From the Internet:

McDonalds Television Ad – c. 1970’s
Characters: 5 McDonald’s workers, 1 Manager
All the characters are males. The manager is Caucasian, three workers are Caucasian, one appears Italian, two are black. All the workers are shown cleaning various surfaces and appliances in the restaurant’s kitchen.

Wendy’s Television Ad, 1984 – “Where’s the Beef?”
Characters: 3 elderly, Caucasian females
All three characters are shown interested in a big fluffy hamburger bun. When they discover the beef patty, which is about ¼ the size of the bun, the women become curious, looking around for the beef. One of the women appears more agitated, yelling out the question, “Where’s the beef?”

Classic Budweiser Commercial
Characters: 4 black males, 1 Hispanic or black male (I can’t tell)
Two characters are initially shown drinking a beer, watching a game on television while lounging on the couch. Then the other characters come into play as each says “wusaaaap” to the other. There is domino effect and everyone’s shown with their tongue hanging out, saying the greeting and then everything goes back to how the scene is initially shown… two talking on the phone, the rest going about their business.

From The Oklahoma Daily:

Student Research + Performance Day Advertisement/Promotion
People: 1 Caucasian male, 1 Caucasian female, 1 male of unknown ethnicity, 1 Hispanic or Caucasian female
Of the photographs that have people in them… a Caucasian male is shown in a laboratory setting, micropipetting, the female of unknown ethnicity is playing the piano, the male of of unkwon ethnicity is doing a science problem on a dry-erase board and the Caucasian female is doing something with soil, presumably botany-related research.

From Magazines:

House Beautiful, National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA) Advertisement
There are four photographs. In descending order (literally, from top to bottom) the first picture is of a young, black family, including a dad, mom and son. The second photo is of an elderly Caucasian male, the third of a young Asian female with a young boy who is presumably her son. The final picture is of a Hispanic or Indian looking young female. All are pictured naturally, smiling and/or laughing.

Budget Travel, Los Cabos Advertisement
The main, largest photograph is of a young, Caucasian family. The family is running along the beach at sunset and the family consists of a mom, dad, two young daughters and a young son. The other photographs are much smaller. The first is of a Caucasian female receiving spa treatment. The second is of a couple, one male and one female, walking in the water of an ocean cove; the picture is too small to determine their ethnicities. The third is of three Caucasian males, a dad and his two sons and they’re pictured fishing. The fourth photograph is of a Caucasian male golfing.

Cooking Light, Dixie Advertisement
The photograph is of a Caucasian mom pouring gravy onto her kids’ dinner plates. The kids are both under 12, one female and one male. All are shown happy and smiling.

REFLECTION:

I feel that I gave an in depth description of the characters and plot of each of the advertisements to the extent that a reader can accurately ascertain a feel for the genderism or racism present in the commercial, that is of course, if either one is present at all.

About the Budweiser commercial (viewed online), I think some people may interpret racism in that the characters are portrayed as lazy. I, personally, don’t think there’s any racism or genderism displayed. I think the advertisements are trying to reach a specific target audience… young, males of the bachelor status, and in particular, those of minority ethnicities.

About the “Los Cabos” advertisement, I do think that the advertisement does a poor job of targeting ethnic minorities. However, the advertisers may base their assessment of target audiences on the demographics of visitors to Los Cabos… in other words, most people that choose to vacation there, from the United States anyway, may be Caucasian and therefore it makes sense for the advertisements to target Caucasian families and couples.

For the Dixie advertisement, I think genderism is portrayed more than racism. My question is, why can’t an obviously husband/father figure be shown serving dinner to the children? I think the advertisement furthers the “woman’s place is in a kitchen” mentality.

For the Wendy’s advertisement, if anything I think it discriminates against the “minority”. I say this because it makes elderly, Caucasian women out to be the typical nosy, old person… always seeking to be in the know. I think this advertisement is more an ageism exploiter than anything.

Finally, the Netflix commercial… I believe this commercial does portray a slight element of racism, only in regards to blacks. The only black character is seen as emotionless, and with a “duh” expression. The vast majority of the characters are Caucasian and I think this should be altered. The romantic comedy couple, for instance, could easily be a minority couple.

3.30 Extra Credit - Local News Assignment

Although I can’t provide statistics, as I did not enter the tracking sheet findings into a program like SPSS, I don’t believe my tracking sheets really display any form of racism, gender bias, etc. on behalf of the newscast.

Half of the crime reports I documented were reported by a news anchor of a minority ethnicity. So, given that there was an equal representation of minorities versus majorities on part of the news program, I especially don’t believe any biases were prevalent in the newscasts.

I also feel like there was a pretty evenly split number of those suspects or offenders who were identified by photos and those who were identified by video. I make this distinction because I had anticipated that perhaps some category (men, women, blacks, whites, Latinos, etc.) would be mostly represented by “mug shots”. If this were the case then that would have been an incriminating way to represent the suspects, because it would tell viewers that they have a history which entails a police record, therefore they already have a “mug shot”. However, as I mentioned, identified suspects were identified by photos as much as they were by video and simple naming.

I performed the majority of my newscast tracking sheets while in Dallas, hence the reason why the majority of my crimes were located “out of state”. I mention this because I think the particular location of the crimes within Dallas area districts is representative of the racial demographics of the area. For example, a crime committed in Pleasant Grove, which is a mostly black part of town, was in fact committed by an African American. Similarly, a crime committed in a more rural suburb of Dallas, where most people are white, was committed by a Caucasian.

Finally, the crimes I documented were split evenly between non-violent and violent crimes. This is not what I had expected, simply because Dallas is a big city and I feel like higher violent-crime rates are stereotypical of big cities. This is neither a race nor gender stereotype observation, but a stereotype nonetheless. However, as noted, there were just as many non-violent crimes I documented as there were violent crimes.

Social Movements and the Media

1. Who determines the news or sets the agenda?

According to these productions, money, big corporations and government set the agenda for the media. These productions focus especially on the role government plays in the media. For example, the “Buying the War” film was particularly keen on pointing out that upon first entering into war any critiques of war were snubbed. I believe it was CNN that endured much criticism (from FOX news station, which is rather right-winged) that it was less than patriotic, critical of the war in a way that was anti-American, etc.

2. Why do we need a media that specifically represents difference interests of people of color?

Aren’t those interests everyone’s interests? What can be done to increase the mainstream media’s interest in other topics and concerns? Aren’t those interests everyone’s interests?
Society today has media that represent different sectors of the population because the media is simply filling society’s demands. Minority societies want more minority radio stations, television stations, etc. It’s unjust that certain minority populations don’t get the same media attention as the majority, but I’m not entirely convinced that the ‘majority’ feels it gets enough coverage either. For example, if European-Americans, or whites, are the ‘majority’ there are still differentiating factors within the ‘majority’. (religion, socioeconomic class, political affiliation, etc.) For example, do those whites who are not Christian think their perspective is equally represented in mainstream media? Probably not.

To increase mainstream media’s interest in topics and concerns of minorities it’s important to introduce minorities as leaders within the media. For example, have those from minority religions, low socioeconomic backgrounds and various ethnicities become part of media organizations. I agree with Senator Byron Dorgan (D-ND) who “…says the FCC needs to push broadcasters to serve their communities' interests…” Also, I agree with his proposition that “…the Commission should do more to help women, African-Americans, and Latinos buy radio and TV stations.”

3. How was the war initially reported by the media?

According to these productions, the war was initially reported as an undeniably necessary act of patriotism. Heading into war was an act of defense and an action that sought preservation of everything our country stood and stands for… freedom, justice, etc. Any opinion that contradicted the war was considered unpatriotic. In hindsight, it’s clear that the basis of reasoning for entering war was an incorrect association between Saddam Hussein and Al Qaeda.

4. What has the media covered recent social protests? Jenna Six – Proposition Eight

An ABC affiliate provided coverage over a proposition eight protest. This was in Lake Forest, California and the protest rallied many people from all over Southern California. Shortly thereafter, I only found non-mainstream media outlets that reported what could be called “follow-up” stories to the protest.

5. Was the media beneficial for the Civil Rights Movement?

It was beneficial in spreading the truth about racial segregation and racial subordination in the South. The reality of the racial, hate-crimes was much unnoticed outside of the southern bubble. Sadly, it was more noticeably effective at garnering national attention when white individuals were victims of crime. Whites were victimized for participating in the civil rights movement, for example, the northern students serving as freedom workers seen in the in-class video.

6. Your thoughts and reflections on setting the news agenda, minority media and the media and reporting the war.

I personally believe that the media is dominated by whoever has the loudest voice. At times this coincides with those who have the biggest bank accounts, other times it’s those who have the most sympathy evoking stories and still other times it’s simply those who are most dramatic. For example, I believe the Britney Spears saga continued so long because it was dramatic.
On the topic of minority media, I think it is pitiful that our country continues to support any type of segregation. Here, the segregation is of the media between the following two groups: minorities and non-minorities. I can take this blanket statement in two directions. First, it’s sad that the ‘non-minority media’ is insufficient at covering minority topics to the point that blacks, Hispanics and other minority populations are driven to create their own media outlets. Second, I think every individual American citizen, no matter what your ethnicity, needs to make an effort at not supporting segregation.

In other words, we need to quit differentiating ourselves. If you really want to go the differentiating route, then we are ALL different, even white people… those who call themselves white can posess bloodlines of everything from Italian to Swedish to French to German to English to Native American and so on. My point is this, if there’s so much effort going into differentiating ourselves all the time then how can we ever expect to truly become a united nation? No one is superior to another, we are all equal. It’s time we start not only believing it but acting like it. Comments and thoughts like the one below from Santita Jackson, WVON’s mid-morning show host, particularly incense me. This is what she said: “And so, we (African Americans) really are the bell weather. For example, the Iraq War-- African Americans overwhelmingly felt this was a horrible idea. That it was just a really bad move. Not for lack of or for want of patriotism, but, really, because of patriotism. We said, ‘We're a better nation than this.’ And WVON put that message out there. Now, the rest of America has simply caught up.” Oh, please! No one sector of the American population can be accredited for first having the “right” opinion. First because opinions are inherently neither right nor wrong and second because I believe we each think as individuals and not as a representative for the entire white, black or purple community.

Finally, I’d like to discuss the media and reporting on the war. In accordance with my previous statement about the media being dominated by whoever has the loudest voice, I believe that prior to the less than great approval ratings of the Bush administration there was a positive slant on war reporting. Sequentially, when the Bush administration’s and thus the war’s approval ratings (or vice versa) became low, the undertone of war reporting became negative. As a sidenote, I say ‘the Bush administration and thus the war’ because the idea of this war being former President Bush’s war is adamantly supported by the media and the current Obama administration.

Racial Stereotypes:

1. Monday, February 23 - Television (Tru TV), a tv special on gangs ("Gotti Boys"), all of New Orleans was portrayed as segregated into gangs, I feel racial stereotypes/profilings were encouraged
2. Friday, February 27 - Dinner Conversation with friends regarding border patrol, racial stereotypes
3. Friday, February 27 - Work Conference in OKC (Patterson Dental), comments were casually/jokingly made about the predominance of gang-like-violence in Detroit, low-class/racial stereotypes
4. Thursday, February 26 - Site Visit to my Campaigns Class client (Oklahoma Health Care Authority), I went to a company meeting and in lieu of black history month the black employees acted as a famous black person and asked the audience to guess their identity, this led to light-hearted comments from other black employees, I feel these stereotypes encouraged racial stereotypes
5. Thursday, February 26 - Site Visit to my Campaigns Class client (OHCA), also at the meeting, a Hispanic employee made a comment that stereotyped all those with any degree of Latin ancestry

Gender Stereotypes:

1. Monday, February 23 - Capstone Class, Dr. Carstarphen, a comment was made about PR classes being dominated by girls and science classes dominated by guys, gender stereotyping
2. Tuesday, February 24 - Conversation with friends, a joke was made about classifying household jobs as "skirt-work" and "dirt-work", gender stereotyping
3. Thursday, February 25 - Cooking show on FOOD Network ("Barefoot Contessa"), as an introduction to her recipes for the show she posed a rhetorical question "who says grilling's just for guys?", it reminded me of the stereotype that grilling is a 'manly' thing, gender stereotype
4. Thursday, February 19 - an episode of "Private Practice" (ABC) brought up the stereotype of women always being up front with their emotions and men always being emotionally hardened (the couples therapy part), an example of a gender stereotype
5. Friday, February 27 - the movie "Slumdog Millionaire", the character Latika, and other young girls from the poor district, were all shown as having only one worthwhile asset to their being, a sex object (particularly the part where the orphanage headman says something about her being a valuable virgin), gender stereotype

Reflection:

• Were you surprised with the amount of stereotyping that exists in media today? Honestly, I was not surprised by the amount of stereotyping in the media. I think it would be a fair assessment of society at this point to say that it is predominantly segregated by race and to see the media mirror this societal trend is not surprising to me. Similarly, at least from what I've seen, there is a lot of reality in the "stereotypical" roles that women and men play in commercials, tv, etc. Therefore, I think it's natural for the media to imitate this trend as well.
• How did you feel if you experienced racial or gender stereotyping in personal or social experiences? Well, I actually have become more sensitive to gender and racial stereotypes since I began this course. When i hear stereotyping comments, such as the "skirt-work" and "dirt-work" joke mentioned earlier, I feel enraged. I don't want to be put into a box of gender-designated-limitations when it comes to my capabilities. I know how to change a tire, work a grill, drive a car and any other 'manly'-job just as well as the next guy. My anatomy has no impact on my know-how in these examples.
• Do you see how the continuous or cultivation of images affects representation and individual perspectives of different ethnic groups and women? I did. In my opinion, it's impossible to truly gain a personal experience that helps you identify with every segregated group... men, women, black, white, Latino, Asian, etc. Therefore a lot of what people see in the media directly influences the audience's impression of "normalcy" for that race or gender (especially for race). In other words, if the viewer doesn't have a personal experience that tells them differently then they are apt to believe whatever the tv program, radio show or commercial tells them is "typical" for that race. Thus the continued evolution of stereotypes.

Extra Credit - Big XII & Affirmative Action

The University of Texas has afirmative action policies. Searching online lead me to the office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action at a UT health science center (the San Antonio location).

The Unversity of Oklahoma's health science center has an office of affirmative action as well. A summary of the affirmative action laws implemented by OUHSC can be found online.

The University of Kansas also has an office of affirmative action/equal opportunity. A page on the University of Kansas website gives links to different aspects of equal opportunity including a provost's statement on diversity and an online posting of KU's nondiscrimination policy.

Texas Tech's AA/EEO office also provides easy access to Tech's Equal Employment Opportunity Policy and Affirmative Action Plan. Access to the online version of this plan is through Tech's Office of Equal Employment Opportunity.

Both Nebraska and Colorado presently have affirmative actions but according to an article in the "Daily Nebraskan" that I found online, these two schools and others are considering revising these policies due to "allegatios of fraud."

According to a CNN article as many as five states (Arizona, Colorado, Missouri, Nebraska and Oklahoma) in 2008 were sending their voters to the polls "...to decide whether they want to do away with affirmative action in government-funded projects and public schools." A "New York Times" article talks about the results of these polls.