When In Doubt, Blame The Media!
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When In Doubt, Blame The Media!
Long ago, I saw a news report of a Black teenager attacking a White classmate at school, and the report asked the viewers if the crime was 'racially motivated.' As expected, the report generated a significant amount of controversy. Some people thought the media portrayed Blacks in a negative light. Many people often blame the news or 'the media' for known problems and/or stereotypes rather quickly. I'll get to that later. Let me explain, the media is often blamed for many things, including:
1.) People often blame the media for our perception of beauty.
The media is run by regular individuals with regular opinions. Just as regular people like co-workers, classmates, neighbors, friends, and family have regular opinions on a 'beautiful' person, media owners and employees also have regular opinions as well, however, a major difference exists. Media owners have better chances and opportunities to publicize their opinions. They have the power to broadcast them with, for example, a show like 'Project Runway' to millions of individuals unlike your neighbor or uncle. Therefore, because media owners broadcast individuals that pertain to their perception of beauty, millions of viewers watch the broadcast and agree with their opinion. As a result, many people wish to look 'beautiful' because of the positive connotations it carries. Thus, when one gets called 'ugly' for not possessing the popular 'beauty' traits, the media isn't at fault, the critics are or having no consideration for his or her feelings.
One, people oftentimes criticize non-presentable looks, such as messy hair, non-stylish clothing, no makeup, etc. with harsh words like 'ugly' and 'trashy.' Therefore, people often prioritize keeping a presentable appearance to appeal to the public to avoid harsh criticism. For instance, people at job interviews judge based on clothing, for ripped jeans and a tanktop wouldn't cut it. Thus, the media isn't at fault for why many people 'need' to look attractive, it's the fact looking attractive is accepted in our society. People didn't have to take the media's opinions so seriously, and should be able to decipher the difference of fact and opinion. Beauty is opinionated. Technically, you're only beautiful to the people that call you 'beautiful' and ugly to people that call you 'ugly.' Also, if you believe that's 'politically correct,' whatever the heck that means, it's still the truth.
2.) People often blame stereotypes on the media, which is, more specifically, the news media.
The media does only one important job, which is broadcast any material they're given. Whether news, television, film, or music, they all broadcast material handed to them. For instance, media channels such as 'Starz' network broadcast films, which are created by other film-makers. Radio stations play music created by other music artists, and television channels such as Nick play children's shows created by other television-show creators. The news is no different.
Firstly, someone or some people must commit a newsworthy act, get caught, and eventually, a normal guy called a 'journalist' will investigate the issue, and send his reports to the news. The news anchors then report the scenario to the public. Therefore, in the instance of the 'racially motivated' argument, the 'media' isn't to blame, but instead, the journalist with the story, for (s)he asked if the attack was 'racially motivated.' Asking the general public wouldn't give a true answer. Instead, ask the attacker if the crime was racially motivated, then report back to the media.
Asking the public would only generate opinions, which are completely unnecessary. If you have a problem with bringing facts, go home because, apparently, you can't hang. Only the attacker can tell if the crime was truly racially motivated, and if he lies, then tough shit. Thus, many entities are at fault: the journalists that ask dumb questions like 'is this crime racially motivated' to the public, and/or the actual public for misinterpreting news reports as the common world. In others words, for example, they'd believe all or most Arabians are terrorists if the news kept reporting failed terrorist attacks, or that all Blacks are criminals when they're often featured in the news after committing a crime.
Therefore, don't blame the media for stereotypes, instead, blame the people that don't look past their personal experiences, which makes them believe the stereotype is common and universal, and the journalists for being ignorant. It doesn't take a genius to figure out entertainment is entertainment, and the news only reports a small portion of what happens in our country. The news does its job by the way, and a great one at that.
Back home!