The main stream media’s lack of racial and sexual diversity is a growing problem in America. Sonia Saraiya, author of the article The Burden of Representation, talks about how the representation of minorities in the media is full of stereotypes, marginalizations, exploitations and misrepresentations from an industry that is almost solely based on appearances. The author is correct because there is lack of diversity in the main stream media, which leads to the formation of stereotypes, loss of self-esteem and lack of opportunities.
One reason why there should be more representation in the media for minority groups is because it creates stereotypes for the next generation. Over 76 percent of the characters in main stream media are Caucasian (Rizov, …show more content…
This is reinforcing the idea that only white actors and actresses are good enough to play in popular roles while minorities should be given the leftovers, which don’t portray them well. For example, it is very rare to see a women of color play an upper class character. The roles typically offered to these groups are usually smaller and stereotypical, such as the dumb, criminal, or disloyal characters. When minorities are only represented in constricted and stereotypical ways, those views get transferred into everyday life and cause others to judge one another. On a game show with two contestants, a series of clues would appear on a screen for one contestant and the other contestant would have to guess the word based on the clues given by the first contestant. One of the clues was …show more content…
The opposition may say that there are plenty of roles where minorities are not put in demeaning parts that reinforce preconceived stereotypes, which is true, however when this does occur its usually because the director or producer is a minority themselves and want to change the way they are viewed by others. For example, ABC’s hit shows How to Get Away with Murder and Scandal, that feature black women as the star of the shows, are both run by Shona Rhimes, a black women. Another example is of a new show in the makings that is produced and starred by Eva Longoria, which will include a heavily Hispanic cast. The LBGT community is positively portrayed in shows like Gypsy and Orange is the New Black. Minority groups have also created their own television stations, such as BET, Telemundo, and KORTV so they can play more meaningful characters and be equally represented on screen. Viola Davis, the first black women to win an Oscar for best actress, mentioned in her acceptance speech that the reason why it took so long for a black women to win was because there was a lack of opportunity for roles where other races can fully show their talent. This is true because viewers will never know how good an actor is unless they are given them the opportunity to show their talent in the first place and, most of the time, minorities are not given this
One reason why there should be more representation in the media for minority groups is because it creates stereotypes for the next generation. Over 76 percent of the characters in main stream media are Caucasian (Rizov, …show more content…
This is reinforcing the idea that only white actors and actresses are good enough to play in popular roles while minorities should be given the leftovers, which don’t portray them well. For example, it is very rare to see a women of color play an upper class character. The roles typically offered to these groups are usually smaller and stereotypical, such as the dumb, criminal, or disloyal characters. When minorities are only represented in constricted and stereotypical ways, those views get transferred into everyday life and cause others to judge one another. On a game show with two contestants, a series of clues would appear on a screen for one contestant and the other contestant would have to guess the word based on the clues given by the first contestant. One of the clues was …show more content…
The opposition may say that there are plenty of roles where minorities are not put in demeaning parts that reinforce preconceived stereotypes, which is true, however when this does occur its usually because the director or producer is a minority themselves and want to change the way they are viewed by others. For example, ABC’s hit shows How to Get Away with Murder and Scandal, that feature black women as the star of the shows, are both run by Shona Rhimes, a black women. Another example is of a new show in the makings that is produced and starred by Eva Longoria, which will include a heavily Hispanic cast. The LBGT community is positively portrayed in shows like Gypsy and Orange is the New Black. Minority groups have also created their own television stations, such as BET, Telemundo, and KORTV so they can play more meaningful characters and be equally represented on screen. Viola Davis, the first black women to win an Oscar for best actress, mentioned in her acceptance speech that the reason why it took so long for a black women to win was because there was a lack of opportunity for roles where other races can fully show their talent. This is true because viewers will never know how good an actor is unless they are given them the opportunity to show their talent in the first place and, most of the time, minorities are not given this