The Great White Hope Scandal Analysis

Great Essays
Scandal is a scandal
Throughout the past century, acceptance of different race, gender, sexuality, etc. have improved noticeably. It is more likely for a gay man to be on a magazine and not be criticized for his sexuality. It is more accepting for a transgender woman to go shopping for clothing in the men’s area. The United States is working towards to become the “melting pot” that society has always labeled it as. Yet, there are still many challenges to overcome. In doing so, technology and mass media are major factors to express acceptance of culture. Some tv shows, magazines, books, news, and movies have successfully showed social equalities while some have failed.
On the surface, the television show Scandal seems to be a series that promotes feminism,
…show more content…
However, this is not true after the details of the show is taken apart.
The nickname “The Great White Hope (of the White House and The United States)” is safely assumed by the general public to be the white male protagonist whom is the President of the United States. Though these details to the nickname is proven otherwise in Scandal, it is only to cover up the true motives of the protagonist Caucasian capitalist republican democracy. Actually, Olivia Pope is The Great White Hope. She is set to be a strong, independent, educated, African American woman that is the main character in the show. Olivia owns a law firm and team of men and women of all races to solve cases of injustices. Similar to the movie “The Great White Hope” film following real life story of Jack Johnson who was the first African American heavy weight boxer champion. The commercial flyer of the movie states “He could be any white man in the world. He just couldn’t beat all of them.” (fjajf;f;ak) This statement relates to

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    In the 2011 Miss Representation documentary, directed by Jennifer Siebel Newsom, it discusses the limited, but also degrading portrayals of women that mainstream media and culture produce. Newsom graduated from Stanford University with a Master’s degree in Business Administration and is a CEO, actress, filmmaker, and advocate. As a woman and an actress, she presents her belief that media is a huge contributor in making women feel powerless by providing several examples to deliver her message. Newsom effectively convinces the audience of Miss Representation that media under-represents women through the use of emotional appeals, appealing to credibility, and by including a counterargument but then refuting it.…

    • 806 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Appalachia Stereotypes

    • 773 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Although it is not always ideal, today’s world forms stereotypes for specific cultures and uses them as entertainment. Stereotypes exist for Caucasians, African Americans, Hispanics, people from the south, people from the north, and various others. Through deeper analysis, it is discovered that not all of these stereotypes are true and usually only reflect a small percentage of the individuals of these cultures. The world is so vast that it is hard for the average person to form connections with people from these walks of life, so the stereotypes stick. This angers the people of these cultures, because it seems that the world is making fun of their way of life, which is all they know.…

    • 773 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Essay On Shonda Rhimes

    • 1598 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Kiana Unangst Intro to Women and Gender Studies 11/29/17 Shonda Rhimes’ Connection to Feminism Shonda Rhimes is an excellent Producer who is a great advocate for modern feminism. She has produced many wonderful televisions shows that portray a strong female lead such as: Greys Anatomy, Private Practice, How to get Away with Murder, and Scandal. These shows represent the power of women in the work force. Her talents are not only limited to tv, she also wrote the film Crossroads, and The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement. (“Shonda Rhimes”)…

    • 1598 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Living in a world of increasing technological advances and a growing availability of information, our world has become a mess of controversy being presented from countless sides. Today's social issues don't just pertain to one particular region like they used to. Because of our newfound ability to communicate with massive amounts of people at one time, our issues have become the issues of the world. My generation, the millennials, may not be the largest generation in numbers, but we are the largest in untapped potential. It's a common misconception that our generation is least likely to vote, and it may have been true in the last presidential election.…

    • 817 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The world as we know it, is being influenced by pop culture and the media, and it is doing more harm than good. In the essay “Still Missing: Women in the Media”, by Megan Tady, she discusses the gender issues and inequality in the media news world. Tady talks about the way men have a greater voice and opinion in the media, and decide “how to represent and portray our population in the media” (Tady, 577).…

    • 901 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    The inequality that has always existed within the workplace began to be addressed, and women’s liberation throughout all races began to take hold. The largest feats of feminism were displayed in the media and society as women were allowed to compete in sports and other male dominated activities and professions. Then, in the 80’s and 90’s, these liberal ideas were heavily rejected and seen as a negative agenda against the American Dream. Then, by the 1990s, many television conglomerations began to control what was displayed in the media, and focused on conservative perspectives and what extreme displays would garner the most attention, most of which displayed women in sexual, sexist, and derogatory perspectives. Traditional gender messages are heavily enforced, emphasising that men should be the strong breadwinners who need to prove their manliness, while women must remain non- threatening, delicate, and an object of desire.…

    • 1258 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    After they would finish making out in the office, Olivia would leave the White House like nothing had happened. Her actions suggest that she portrays the “Jezebel” stereotype, always luring those of value that have something to offer her. Another example is that Olivia continues to have an affair with the president, despite him having to uphold his public image as the President, having a wife and kids, she continues to still be involved with him sexually and even admits that he is the love of her life. This alone leads non African American viewers to come up with the stereotype that African American women are content with affairs, and are incapable of being in their own steady relationships and marriages. Her character feeds into the ego of Caucasian males, and as vital and intelligent Kerry Washington’s character may seem to the show, she is still reduced to the Caucasian male’s side…

    • 1261 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The media plays a huge role in how women are perceived – nearly all Americans are constantly exposed to media to varying degrees, and even the subtlest differences between how men and women are portrayed and interacted with have a huge impact on how consumers of media interpret their own roles in life. For instance, when a female Politian discusses an issues, reports might state that she “complained” vs “said” the details of the issue. From this, women and men subconsciously are reinforced in their beliefs that women are not to be fully respected or listened to, which in turn causes women to be unable to rise above these perceptions in their lives and careers, whatever they may be. Ultimately, the Eva Newbold: Film titles should be italicized Eva Newbold: a many forms of misrepresentation that women endure objectify them and reduce them to a…

    • 895 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Stereotyping Analysis

    • 313 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Thus, the effectiveness of using such stereotypes contributes to the popularity of TV Shows. One of the problematic and influential use of stereotypes in the media also involves portrayals of gender. It is important to note that media content has consistently under represented women, though these numbers are improving now it has been shown that when women are portrayed in the media, they are often hyper sexualized, shown in subordinate’s role & given stereotypically feminine…

    • 313 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Girls play with Barbie dolls and boys play with monster trucks. Asians love Korean pop music and all Mexicans know the Taco Bell dog, right? As kids grow up, they are constantly surrounded by social media, television, celebrities, and other authoritative figures such as parents and grandparents. In this day in age, it is almost impossible not to judge a person based on how they look because of how media outlets characterize certain “types” of people. Michael Omi states in his writing, “In Living Color: Race and American Culture,” that sexism and racism-fueled events suggest the American population has created one big “system of inequality which has shaped, and in turn been shaped by, our pop culture” (539).…

    • 1352 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The advancement of technology has made it easier than ever for people to keep in touch with distant friends and relatives as well as making it easier to communicate with people. One downside of this technological advancement has been the ease to which the media outlets can broadcast their messages and just how saturated our forms of entertainment have become with ideas on what is to be expected of people in society based on their gender. Some of these ideas are subtle and are conveyed with subconscious imagery used to perpetuate the objectification of women such as women dressed in provocative clothing or behaving in ways that indicates they desire to be viewed as sexual objects. Other ideas are obviously shown when the majority of women in television or movies are displayed as being submissive to the dominance of their male counterparts be it as a wife taking orders form her on-screen husband or with a female employee taking the direction of her male supervisor despite the obviously wrong direction that he is leading her. These mentalities created and perpetuated by the media have lead to the hypersexualization of women, especially in movies and television programs.…

    • 1509 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Presently, the average American consumes over eight hours or media each day. We are bombarded by images that neither represent us nor please us. Ribcages and clavicles are trademarks of the fashion and advertising industries, pushing our mothers, our sisters, our friends, and ourselves farther from the spotlight and deeper into isolation. Blonde hair and blue eyes dominate movie posters and television screens, while most people wonder if they will ever see the reflections in their mirrors held in the same esteem. Straight white teeth and perfect skin are the public’s obsession while most high schoolers want nothing more than to shrink away from sight.…

    • 1194 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Society’s Stereotypes Women belong in the kitchen, and Jews are cheap. African Americans are criminals, and Asians are geeks. The poor, of course, are lazy. Media portrays people from all walks of life in many different ways, painting them in ways that are not always true to reality. When watching a movie, the majority of police are white men, and most women stay home raising their children.…

    • 1678 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Superior Essays

    The visibility and acceptance of those in the LGBT community has greatly increased over the last few years. Progressive media producers such as Netflix has created content, such as Orange is the New Black, that has shown those in the community in a positive light. This show has been extremely popular, and has been influential in changing the way that the nation views lesbian, bisexual, and trans characters and people. However, there wasn’t always stage for on non-straight and non-cis people. In the past the LGBT community has faced discrimination on the individual level, and has been underrepresented in media, especially on TV.…

    • 2135 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Gender roles in the media influence society greatly. Media has the ability to portray genders in ways that they really do not act in real life and American society. Even with reality shows, individuals in the shows put on an act in a way to persuade the audience’s mind to keep them watching. For this assignment I chose to watch two different shows that were on ABC Family. I was quick to learn that the “family channel” is not so much for the family.…

    • 1428 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays