Representation of Ethnicity

The Effects Model•The Bobo Doll Experiment• This was conducted in 1961 by Albert Bandura

Hypodermic needle theory• The media inject messages into their audiences

• The audience is seen as passive and unable to resist these media messages

• Theory associated with Marxism academics - Marxists are traditionally hostile to the media – seeing it as vehicle to enable ruling class to maintain their dominance over society

• The theory first articulated in a different era to our own – a time when the mass media was still relatively new

• Effects young minds – Bobo Doll experiment

• Continues to apply to today: creates Moral panics

• Also creates feelings of ‘I want it’ / ‘I must have it’ / ‘I must look like this’.

What is a dominant group?

A group that has more population than the subordinate group.

What is a subordinate group?

Belonging to a lower or inferior class rank.

What is hegemony?

The socially accepted and agreed beliefs of those in the ruling class.

Recap

Powerful: physical/intellectual

Often the heroSerial killer/Villain In charge (dominant race)Lead role

• Intelligent• Martial artist• Obsessed with

electronics• Quirky or weak

• Terrorists/violent• Very religious• Physically strong• Strict/stern/not a push

over• Serious• Victims (female)• Villains/rarely seen as

heroes

• Gangster• “Token’’

character• Poor• Criminal• Victim• Hero

• Ugly • Uneducated• Silly/not taken

seriously• Illegal aliens• Partiers• Involved in drugs • Sex symbols

CATEGORIES• Latino• White• Asian

• Middle Eastern• African descent

- Gangster- “Token character’’- Poor/Impoverished- Criminal- Victim- Hero

African descent

IntelligentMartial artistObsessed with electronicsQuirky or weakLack emotionWomen can be seen as ditzy

in some cases

Asian descent

UglyUneducatedSilly/not taken seriouslyIllegal immigrantsPartiersInvolved in drugs

(dealing/taking)

Sex symbols (Antonio Banderez, Penelope Cruz, Salma Hayek, Selena Gomez).

Latino descent

Terrorists/violentVery religiousPhysically strongStrict/stern/not a push overSeriousVictims (female)Villains/rarely seen as heroes

Middle Eastern (Arabic) descent

Powerful: physical/intellectualOften the heroSerial killer/VillainIn charge (dominant race)Lead role

White British/American

Stereotyping of race is seen as more harmful than stereotyping of gender, as media representation may constitute the only experience of contact with a particular ethnic group that an audience (particularly an audience of children) may have.

Representation of Ethnicity

• Racial stereotypes are often based on social myth, perpetuated down the ages. Thus, the media depiction of, say, Native American Indians, might provide a child with their only experience of Native American Indian culture and characters, and may provide that child with a set of narrow prejudices which will not be challenged elsewhere within their experience.

Why is it important?

However…• Is it just white western people who adopt

potentially distorted ideas of race?

• Watch

The representations aren’t all bad…

Alvarado Theory (1987)

Four Key Themes in Racial Representations:

•Dangerous •Humorous •Pitied•Exotic

The Exotic• Ethnic groups are seen as

exotic or being ‘the other’ and are represented as being strange or unusual. It is assumed that the dominant reading of the audience will be from the point of view of white people, referred to as the ‘white eye’ (Hall 1990).

The Dangerous• Minorities are sometimes

represented as a threat to society. The news and other media may present these groups as taking advantage of a society and exposes, in some cases, an underlying institutional racism.

The Humorous• In the 1970s, race was a major vehicle for comedy.

Programs removed the threat of different races by making them the butt of the jokes. There is evidence of a more positive change.

The Pitied

• Representation of ethnic groups may be as deprived groups or victims of natural disasters like, famine, floods, and sometimes conflicts. Images of children are often used by charities to gain sympathy.

Tokenism

Tokenism is a practice of limited inclusion or artistic and/or political representation of members of a traditionally marginalised group, usually creating a false appearance of inclusive practices rather than discrimination.These characters are often represented as blue collar workers.

E.G – Purposely including a member of a minority race such as a black character in an all white cast

List as many famous black countertypes as you can (2 mins)

List as many ‘stereotypical’ representations as you can (2mins)