part one Flashcards
what are the 5 functions of media?
surveillance, correlation, transmission, entertainment, economic/service
what is the role of the media?
major source of information for society
what is media criticized for?
presenting information from a ‘white man’s perspective’
what aspects of surveillance does the media impact?
threats and opportunities that affect the value position of the community and the component parts within
what is the media passing on in its transmission function?
the social heritage from generation to generation
what is the media’s role in entertainment?
enjoyment, relaxation to respond to the needs of the pubic to take a break from the daily pressures and stresses
what is the media’s economic/service function to society?
media are businesses, stimulating income and delivering/generating consumers
what is the media’s correlation function?
the media analyzes how different parts of the community respond to the environment, e.g. outside threats
why should we care if the media perpetuate stereotypes? (3)
- as members of society, we are affected directly and indirectly images presented in media
- we are professionals who have to interact with people form different backgrounds and cultures
- we should be part of the ever-evolving media
name the 3 aspects of walter lippmann’s definition of stereotypes:
- ordering process
- shortcut referring to the world
- through the lens of our own values and beliefs
what does the implicit association test measure?
attitudes and beliefs that people may be unwilling to admit
what is the implicit association test designed to detect?
the strength of a person’s automatic association between mental representation of objects in memory
are we aware of biases? when do they develop?
we don’t have to be aware of them but they develop over the course of a lifetime
what composes implicit bias and what does it affect? how does it affect it?
attitudes or stereotypes that affect our understanding, actions, and decision in an unconscious manner.
what is a microaggression?
everyday verbal, nonvberal, and environmental slights, snubs. or insults, whether intentional or unintentional, which communicates hostile,. derogatory, or negative messages to target persons based solely upon their marginalized group memberships
what role does the media play in creating implicit bias?
reinforces stereotypes by using implicit visual imagery in contexts that prime/activate racial cultural stereotypes
saralyn sue saw a television program that showed black people as lazy, disingenuous, and crass. when she runs into her black classmate, tamara, she’s feels uncomfortable around her. what is this an example of?
priming
when does priming occur?
when a certain schema is activated and applied to other unrelated objects or events
what is the reflected appraisal or looking glass self?
negative stereotypes and discrimination against one’s group should result in negative self-evaluations among stigmatized individuals
which level of socially acceptable attitude is expressed despite the private, negative attitudes held?
level 1: public attitudes
which level of attitude are unconscious feelings and beliefs that may differ from personal or public attitudes and may predict more spontaneous behaviors?
level 3: implicit attitudes
which level of attitude is based on an individual’s standards, ideals, and values?
level 2: private attitudes
how are level 2 attitudes characterized?
how you really feel; these are the attitudes based on one’s private standards, ideals and values
how are level 3 attitudes characterized?
It slips out; these are unconscious feelings and beliefs that are often different from personal or public attitudes. they tend to predict more spontaneous race-related behaviors.
how are level 1 attitudes characterized?
keep true feelings to yourself; these are the attitudes that individuals express that are socially acceptable, but know that they privately have negative attitudes about a group.
what is an automatic process?
the unintentional or spontaneous activation of some well-learned set of associations that have developed through repeated activation in memory
how is a controlled/deliberate process characterized?
by effortful and reasoned considerations about the pros and cons of a certain behavior
does the reflected appraisal/looking-glass self affect members of stigmatized groups? why or why not?
it does not result in lower self esteem because they contradict assumption derived from looking-glass, self-fulfilling prophecy, and efficacy based self-esteem theoretical approaches
what is the self fulfilling prophecy?
people come to behave in ways that are consistent with the expectations of others and may alter their self-concept as a result of this behavior
how do members of stigmatized groups protect their self esteem? (3)
- blaming failures on prejudice from nongroup members
- compare abilities to other members of the stigmatized groups
- devaluing the areas where the group does poorly and valuing the areas where they are led to believe they excel
what is the stereotype threat?
- fear of being reduced to the negative stereotype that’s been rendered to your group
who is most likely to react to the stereotype threat?
- the people who have the most confidence and skills
how did james jones define prejudice?
- a negative attitude toward a person or group based upon a social comparison process in which the individual’s own group is taken as a positive point of reference
what were the bases for the stereotypes that the U.S. media perpetuated for non-white racial groups as a whole? (4)
- system of slavery and subjugation for african americans
- westward expansion for native americans and latinxs
- relationship between US and Japan
- desires to cut down competition in the labor force
what did the term “noble savage” come from?
- noble: admired for dark, handsome physical experience, primitive innocence, and willingness to share food and other resources
- savage: observed for open sexual relationships and incidents of cannibalism
how did Mark Twain describe Native Americans in his book, Roughing It? (3)
- as scrawny creatures, treacherous looking, and priceless beggars
identify examples of hispanic stereotypes:
- greaser
- bandits
- tragic lovers
when did yellow peril reach prominence in the US? define it.
1880s; used to generate racism against asian immigrants, specifically japanese. portrayed them as taking jobs from white or as people who were going to invade the US
which act prohibited all immigration of chinese laborers?
Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882
describe the intellectual traits of PoC as portrayed in early movies:
poor speech patterns/dialect, preoccupation with simple ideas, inferior strategy in conflict situations, low or nonexistent occupational status, comedic foil
describe the moral traits of PoC as portrayed in early movies:
dishonesty, low regard for human life, criminal behavior, sexual promiscuity, substance abuse, dishonesty
describe television’s portrayals of Native Americans. How did these portrayals change after the Civil Rights Movement?
- disappeared; portrayed more sensitively, victims of europeans invaders
what is a zip coon?
Zip Coons were urban Black dandies, who “put on airs” by dressing up fancy in imitation of affluent Whites. The humor was in the situational irony. The character was ignorant of his foolish appearance. He thought he was as smart as Whites, but his frequent misuse of language and application of warped logic was humorously pathetic
what is a minstrel?
white comedians who donned the attire and speech patterns of (often) poor blacks, portraying that as simple, happy-go-lucky, and musical, to predominately white audiences
what is a sambo?
originally created by the slaveowning plantocracy of the antebellum South, characterized the typical slave as happy-go-lucky, childish, docile, lazy, irresponsible, and dependent upon and loyal to his master, and thus justified the institution of slavery
how does a brute portray black men?
as innately savage, animalistic, destructive, and criminal – deserving punishment, maybe death. This brute is a fiend, a sociopath, an anti-social menace. Black brutes are depicted as hideous, terrifying predators who target helpless victims, especially white women
how is the mammy portrayed?
Depicted as an obese and unattractive matriarch, the bossy Mammy dressed in tattered clothing and was devoid of sexuality; she was caring, nurturing, and even loving to the children of the slave master whom she raised, yet in contrast, mean and neglectful to her own husband and offspring
how did T.D. Rice contribute to the stereotypical images of African Americans?
- Rice’s “Jim Crow” persona was a racial caricature contrived to flatter contemporary belief in white superiority. The character was based on a folk trickster named Jim Crow that was long popular among black slaves. Rice also adapted and popularized a traditional slave song called “Jump Jim Crow”.
what social movement coincided with the rise of minstrelsy?
- abolishment of slavery—as the movement progressed, the minstrel depictions increased
how were African-American children stereotyped? Why?
- “pickaninnies”—victims—subhumans in need of saving; dirty, savage, unkempt and uncared for
what medium provided the best forum for black caricatures? how can this be problematic?
- old stereotypes: new politics, blacks = brutes
- emancipation was a tragic mistake
what makes the stereotypes of racial groups of news media problematic?
- they are subtle but powerful and have the ability to influence society on multiple levels
what 4 public policy issues may have resulted from the news media’s stereotypical portrayals of African Americans?
- three strikes law
- stop and frisk
- racial profiling
- welfare policies
how have exposures to these stereotypes implicitly affected individuals’ perceptions of African Americans?
- higher estimates of criminality among blacks
- perceptions of greater SES disparity between blacks and whites
- perceptions that blacks are economically disadvantaged and socially deviant
how have exposures to these stereotypes implicitly affected the prosecution of African-American defendants?
- higher percentage of death penalties of self-image aligned with stereotypic depictions of blackness
- especially if victim was white
- black suspect vs white suspect
- more guilty
- more deserving of punishment
- more likely to commit future violence
what types of stories tend to be told about African-Americans?
- poverty
- substance abuse
- crime
- irresponsibility
what types of stories are missing about African-Americans?
- educational achievement
- importance of family (and extended family)
- contributions to science and technology
- entrepreneurship
- peaceful fun
what types of stories tend to appear about Native Americans?
- treated as monolith
- treated as dying people
- omits
- versatility
- stories
- creative/artistic talents
- limits were they exist
what types of stories tend to appear about Asian Americans?
- treated as foreigners
- treated as monolith
- believed to be apolitical
- believed to be wealthy
- invisible in news media
what types of stories tend to appear about Latinos?
- little to no coverage
- ‘illegal aliens’
- criminals
- limited to few geographical areas
explain the “sleeper effect.”
- over time, the original skepticism faded and the participant warmed to the material from the ‘untrustworthy source’
- the sleeper effect occurs when opinion changes in the direction of the ‘untrustworthy source’ after more time lapses, the information is believed/accepted and the source is forgotten
how might the “sleeper effect” relate to the impact of stereotypes?
- with the passage of time, audiences may remember and accept hat was communicated but not remember who communicated it
explain dispositional theory
- viewer enjoyment is strongest when liked characters experience positive outcomes and when disliked character experience negative outcomes
- if you’re already prejudiced, those prejudices will be reinforced
how did the movies misrepresent Pancho Villa?
portrayed him as a drunk, savage; in actuality he was a strategic military figure, well-dressed, intelligent
what happened when Yancey Arias tried to bring sensitivity to his character?
- they omitted all sensitivity from the final product
what is the purpose of the National Hispanic Media Coalition?
- an organization that has advocated for better portrayal of latinxs in the media
define binaries and provide or identify examples.
a way of organizing differences by pitting opposites (e.g. sacred/profane, raw/cooked, us/them)
how do binaries apply to media stereotyping?
- humans organize their social world on differences. their self identification can be through the equation “we are what they are not”
what is Genghis Khan’s relationship to the Yellow Peril?
- originally came from europe’s encounter with genghis khan and his ‘mongol hordes’
describe and identify the dragon lady
characterized asian women as diabolical, sneaky, and seducing/corrupting white men
describe and identify charlie chan
pitted against the cruel, ruthless japanese; deferential, peasant.
describe and identify lotus blossum
stereotype of asian women as submissive; perpetuated by madame butterfly
how did stereotypes of Chinese and Japanese change back and forth to negative and positive
- WW2: chinese good and japanese bad
- communist leader mao tse tung: chinese bad and japanese good
describe the components or sides to triangular cinema.
- community groups for protest
- organized to fight hollywood stereotypes
- created companies to produce movies with asians and reflect asian life in US
describe the changes triangular cinema made to images of Asian Americans.
- gave more realistic depictions of asian americans
- a sensitive portrayal of asian american characters and their communities
- incorporates symbols and markers of various asian cultures into the representations of characters and settings
why did triangular cinema participants have to work outside of the Hollywood industry?
- hollywood refused authentic portrayals
describe how the “casino Indian” is depicted as the “degraded Indian.”
drunken, diseased, lazy, can’t manage wealth, self exploitive
based on the reading and lecture, describe the themes depicted in some television episodes that portrayed the “casino Indian.’
exploit their culture for profit, led by scheming, immoral chiefs, aren’t authentically indian
what is cultural misappropriation?
refers to the adoption of these cultural elements in a colonial manner: elements are copied from a minority culture by members of the dominant culture, and these elements are used outside of their original cultural context - sometimes even against the expressed, stated wishes of representatives of the originating cultur
