The modern world is defined in certain aspects and perspectives by certain influences, which are transmitted through the mainstream media. Thus, mainstream media is tasked with coverage of world affairs to ensure that the world is well informed on its current debates. The debates revolve around political, social, economic, and cultural issues of the modern world. While the mainstream media play a crucial role in the understanding of how foreign policies are shaped, it seems to have various biases on how it is presented. An analysis of this proposition reveals how media reporting is skewed to represent popular beliefs and culture while ignoring the real issues on the ground. The mainstream media instead makes use of technostrategic language, which aims at shunning out individuals of certain economic classes, educational levels of race and ethnicity. In doing this, the mainstream media consistently stamps some preconceived notions about race and sex which then define the modern world in its terms.
Geopolitical Discourse of Race and Gender in Mainstream Media
The mainstream media plays a major role in setting world trends, which then define relationships at a global level. While the setting of global trends regarding politics, economic, political, and cultural are vital; there are some elements, which make media to be biased. In essence, the mainstream media can create, perpetuating, and maintaining some perspectives, which paint various genders or races in either positive or negative manner. Since most people rely on the mainstream media to set the public agenda, their role cannot be ignored. The media in its attempt to set the global cultural atmosphere creates stereotypical connotations, which are hard to ignore or assume. The way they portray issues of gender and race then becomes the center of reference on a global scale.
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The western mainstream media is on the forefront for advocating for tolerance. This tolerance is taken to mean learning how to live with other people who are drawn from the minority groups. The minority groupings, in this case, refer to racial and gender minorities. These minority groups are usually an unwanted lot, which is viewed with suspicion. As such, the larger society lives its life without caring about its effects on these minorities. In essence, policies are crafted to benefit the majority while ignoring the plight of the minority, which lacks a voice to air out its concerns. Sadly, the minority groups have accepted their fate and as such have become helpless against rising efforts to shun their beliefs. The larger society, in turn, rides on the popular culture and beliefs, which have permeated, into the society thanks to the mainstream media. Interestingly the mainstream advances the concept of ‘tolerance’ in the political arena in conjunction with diversity and gender equality. In advocating for tolerance, the political class advances it in the name of democratic virtue while in a real sense it is praxis.
Sexuality and gender are at the heart of all human interactions. It is impossible for humans to interact without a reference to one's gender or sexuality. Human activities ranging from political, economic, social, and cultural revolve around one's gender and sexuality. For a long time, the society has treated individuals either positively or negatively depending on their gender. There are some activities where women or men are locked out of no matter their other qualification. Human beings live in a society, which rewards or punishes an individual based on his or her gender. As a result, there is a concept of gender roles, which define which each gender can do or not do. These gender roles are basically transmitted through the mainstream media which continually asserts the ideologies. The society has no option but to believe in the constructions and make them their reality. Furthermore, then film industry affirms these propositions by creating images which perpetuate these notions. For example, women are depicted as weak characters who depend on their male counterparts for survival. Women who fail to fit into this social tag is labeled as a misfit and is treated with suspicion. As such, a person’s role and personality are confined to these constructions, which have found root in almost all global cultures.
The discourse on geopolitics cannot be complete without the analysis of how race defines human interactions. The world as it is encompasses human beings from racial affiliations with diverse cultural and social practices. While race is supposed to be a beneficial concept in building a heterogeneous and diverse community, it is not always the case. In this case, the mainstream media has for a long time ridden on preconceived notions which makes a race discriminating factor. In this regard, there are individuals considered to be better regarding the racial pedigree. The racial discourse goes beyond the skin color and is extended to other aspects including social-cultural, political and economic (Jan, 2018). As a result, racial tags are used in determining the way human beings relate to each other. Members of a particular racial affiliation are preconceived to possess similar characteristics which are highly stereotypical. In essence, there exists superior races and inferior races, with the superior races dominating on the inferior races. Sadly, the mainstream media has been at the fore for of stamping and spreading this assumption until it has taken root.
Racial affiliations are usually blamed for the misfortunes that human witness. Ther are some races which are associated with increased crime tendencies, ignorance, and poverty. More so some races are treated as being prone to get involved in terror attacks. A continuous assertion of the proposition by the mainstream makes this proposition become a reality on which people base their relationships. Additionally, such racial tags mislead individuals as they tend to judge people, not in individual terms but rather ingroup terms through deductive reasoning. In doing this, the global affairs and relationships thrive on this preconceived notions which are hard to erase from among human populations. Perhaps the reason the poly makers are keen on perpetuating the racial lies is to continue dominating on the considerably inferior races. The superior races which feel that they have made astounding economic, social and political advancement, in turn, these racial lines to their advantage (Mukerji, 2017). Then the global agenda is set in such a way which perpetuates the racial divisions with these policies favoring the racially correct nations to the peril of the inferior races. An attempt by the so-called inferior races to make progress is thwarted by the use of threat, coercion or sanctions. The superior races are keen on keeping their self-proclaimed superiority and would do anything to maintain the status quo. One of the way that they maintain the status quo is by consistently depicting their superiority through the mainstream media and the movie industries. Here these nations are represented as eventual winners in any challenge with the inferior nations failing miserably at the hands of the superpowers.
The civilized and developed nations through the mainstream media have continually persisted in spreading their political and social ideologies which do not benefit the minorities. These ideologies appear to promote racial and gender equality while in a real sense it is finding ways of repressing the minorities. Such democracies use the concepts of ‘good’ and ‘bad citizens about their so-called liberal democracies. In essence, these democracies perpetuate to be glorifying diversities while in reality, they are looking for ways of abolishing such differences for a homogenous society. However, due to the global pressures and a desire to appear good, they do not do so openly. They instead use ingenious strategies to propagate their so-called ‘call for equality.’
Gender and sexuality is a function of geopolitics in addition to the fact that it is essential to geopolitics formations. The modern society has taken upon itself to give new meanings to the interconnectivity which exists between gender and sexuality. The decision is informed by the fact that new sexual orientations are becoming acceptable on a global scale. In the modern period, people are no longer afraid to exhibit sexual orientation, which was shunned upon initially. It is no longer unethical for individuals to identify as a gay or lesbians or even transgender. In the past, only western countries openly advocated for recognition of such groups. These nations went as far as coming up with legislation, which gave individuals with such sexual orientations a greater leeway to conduct their affairs. The mainstream media has helped in spreading these ideologies to developing nations, which pick them up without question. As long as it is acceptable in the global arena, then it can be accepted in the local and national level. The mainstream media, in essence, tends to, relate almost everything occurs with sexuality connotations thus promoting such images on a global scale.
Gender which is a social construct has a lot of significance at a global level. For many years there have been gender conflicts as each of the genders try to outdo each other. Sadly, the women have failed miserably against their male counterparts in spite of being the majority. The mainstream media has done little to help the situation. Instead of glorifying women and their impact, the media is awash with negative connotations, and that is when it comes to women. Women are seen as feeble individuals who cannot be relied upon to make any progress but rather spend most of their time doing domestic work (Burkeman, 2018). In essence, women make it to the headlines when they are being viewed on their negativity say a sexual scandal involving high-level leader. The media treats women as second-class citizens with no voice to be heard. In fact, the mainstream media perpetuates perennial lies, which paint women in the negative light as if they had no mind of their own. When it comes to making policies, women are left out meaning that they have little impact on their lives. As such, they are left at the mercy of their domineering male counterparts. Sadly, the mainstream media has managed to perpetuate these lies across the globe. There is no place in the world where women's needs are placed before those of their male counterparts. An effort to change the status quo receives a lot of criticisms and women are constantly frustrated. One would foresee continuity in this pattern, and there appears to e no hope of the women in redeeming their ruined image and prospects for better lives.
The mainstream media makes use of language to spread popular ideologies and practices. This language tends to influence peoples opinion by setting another global opinion which in essence becomes the accepted norm. Influential countries manage to impose their worldviews on others without caring to understand its impact on the people. The kind of language used tends to set barriers which are geographical, political, cultural or social by nature. The mainstream media promotes what is popular in the country of origin while ignoring the impacts it would have on less perceptive nations. Sadly, the less perceptive nations lack a voice, and they are forced to be receptive or face sanctions. Following global trends and cultural preferences are enforced by the media language, which is usually very convincing making unacceptable to be acceptable. In essence, the language used is hard to understand and takes the wise to decode its meaning and significance. In a real sense, it is usually a way of setting global policies which tend to coerce every nation to fall in line or face repercussions.
Globalization is at the core of geopolitics, as it tends to bring the world together with no disaster time limits. Advancement in technology has come in handy, which have helped fuel globalization to a large scale. However, there are areas, which remain marginalized, but this does not deter the efforts of some individuals and agencies to advance their world agenda. Globalization has indeed helped in creating more cohesion between nations mostly through trading and cultural exchanges. On the other hand, such globalization has also come in the way of geopolitics. Nations, which are perceived to be less developed, become recipients of divisive cultures and agendas which aim at benefiting the developed nations. More so, the developed nations bring in such an unbalanced dispersal of cultures and ideologies, which are easily transferred to the mainstream, media. As such, these nations become global trendsetters, who do not need to make any consultations concerning what is moral and what is not. Perhaps the most outstanding ideologies, which are passed through the mainstream media, is deculturalization. Most developing nations are at the receiving the end of adverse cultural effects which shake the very fiber of civility. Human beings, in this case, are taught to be individualistic to search for their happiness without considering the need of others. As such, morality levels go down thanks to popular images and ideologies in the media.
The media is tasked with the noble responsibility of balanced reporting. However, this is not usually the case as most of the media houses are biased leaning on certain political, cultural or social ideologies. Instead of giving attention to the real issues on the ground, such media give contorted information which suits the government if the day. In this case, media is infiltrated by political heavyweights who are keen on passing their ideologies without giving a thought to its overall negative acts.In essence, these individuals shape the world's agenda to a great extent. As such, the media becomes awash with these biased ideologies which promote what is beneficial to the few. Increased attention to political ideologies has put nations at logger's heads with each nation trying to outdo each other in a constant battle for supremacy. The media contributes to this discourse by making one side consistently appear friendly, and the other side appear wrong.
In conclusion, the world is shaped by the mainstream media which sets the pace in which global affairs are conducted. In essence, the mainstream media is the trendsetter and what is in the mainstream media becomes the accepted truth and norm. However, in as much as the media is global a trendsetter, several biases, and lies are perpetually transmitted. The real issues, which revolve around gender and equality, are at the heart of this transmission. The media tends to glorify policies, which emanate from influential nations without caring about its impacts on a global scale. As such, human beings are forced to accept practices. They would normally shy away from remaining relevant. By doing these, harmful ideologies become distorted realities which then shape human relationships. There are no boundaries stat the mainstream media would not cross in advancing a skewed global agenda for the benefit of the few.
References
Burkeman, O. (2018). Dirty secret: Why is there still a housework gender gap? The Guardian. Retrieved on 11 March 2018, from https://www.theguardian.com/inequality/2018/feb/17/dirty-secret-why-housework-gender-gap.
Jan, T. (2018). Report: No progress for African Americans on homeownership, unemployment, and incarceration in 50 years. The Washington Post. Retrieved on 11 March 2018 from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2018/02/26/report-no-progress-for-african-americans-on-homeownership-unemployment-and-incarceration-in-50-years/?utm_term=.06282e002f59.
Mukerji, C. (2017). Modernity Reimagined : An analytic guide . New York: Routledge.
