The 2016 Oscars was overshadowed by complaints that the film industry had failed to fairly and equally represent racial and ethnic minorities (Ryan, 2016). The nominees for the awards were mostly white and this led to calls for the Oscar Academy to do more to tackle inequality. The failure by the Oscars to ensure equality raises questions regarding the representation of minorities in media. It is common for minorities to be portrayed in negative and stereotypical light. For instance, Hispanic women are usually represented as domestic servants (Nagi, 2014). It appears that it is impossible for the media to depict minorities accurately. It is worse for the society to have the media feature more minority representation even if it is based on stereotype depictions.
The United States strives to integrate minorities and immigrants into the society. This effort is hindered by the media which relies on stereotypes in its depiction of minorities. For instance, Hispanics are usually depicted as agents of crime (Rios, 2015). They are also portrayed as individuals who move to the US in the hope of finding employment and building their dreams. While there is some truth in these depictions, the portrayal is not necessarily accurate. Politicians have exploited these depictions to promote their agendas and to inspire fear. For instance, during the presidential campaigns, Donald Trump accused Mexicans of being responsible for crime (Garcia, 2016). He also alleged that foreigners were stealing jobs from Americans. The media is clearly to blame for this type of rhetoric. If it is impossible for the media to depict minorities in a non-stereotypical light, then it should not feature them at all.
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The black community in the United States has suffered a wide range of injustices. These injustices range from unequal access to opportunities to police brutality. The community has also been portrayed negatively by the media (Donaldson, 2015). Black neighborhoods are usually represented as dilapidated, crime-infested and poverty-stricken. It is true that this is the state of many black neighborhoods. However, the portrayal by the media does not shed any light on the many positive elements of black neighborhoods. The black community desperately wishes to redeem its image but the media poses a challenge through its stereotypical depictions. Since the depictions cause more harm than good, the society is better served if the media does not portray minorities at all.
In conclusion, the media plays a vital role in keeping the public informed. It attempts to be impartial and balanced in its coverage of issues. However, it has totally failed in the depiction of minorities. It relies almost entirely on stereotypes when portraying minorities. This portrayal has negative impacts. One of the impacts is that it reinforces stereotypes and hampers the efforts to reconcile the different communities in the US. The media should either improve its depiction of minorities or refrain from portraying them altogether.
References
Donaldson, L. (2015). When the Media Represents Black Men, the Effects are felt in the
Real World. Retrieved 16 th March 2017 from https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/aug/12/media-misrepresents-black-men-effects-felt-real-world
Garcia, F. (2016). Donald Trump Labels Mexicans Criminals ‘Bad Hombres’ to much
Derision during Final Presidential Debate. Retrieved 16 th March 2017 from
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-elections/bad-hombres-donald-trump-mexican-immigration-third-presidential-debate-a7370756.html
Nagi, A. (2014). 16 Stereotypes of Latinas that need to stop. Retrieved 16 th March 2017 from
http://www.cosmopolitan.com/entertainment/celebs/advice/a5403/latina-media-stereotypes/
Rios, Z. (2016). 8 Examples of the Problem Hollywood has Portraying Mexico and
Mexicans. Retrieved 16 th March 2017 from http://borderzine.com/2015/04/8-examples-of-the-problem-hollywood-has-portraying-mexico-and-mexicans/
Ryan, P. (2016). #OscarSoWhite Controversy: What you need to Know. Retrieved 16 th
March 2017 from http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/movies/2016/02/02/oscars-academy-award-nominations-diversity/79645542/
