A must see clip:
I think this is a very funny and interesting piece of work. It really does beg the question will this be what real life is? We all go on Facebook regularly (some more strictly than others) but most of us don’t think of the impact it might have on us negatively, never mind how ridiculous our actions are such as “poking”.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Mission Accomplished?
The war on Iraq was an illegal and unnecessary war, the Bush administration’s decision that was heavily manipulated was created to be a calling for Americans to unite and get the justice they deserve. However, being such a powerful nation that it is, do they not have a responsibility to act responsibly? There actions affect millions of people directly, and millions of others indirectly.
Within a nation there are people with different opinions and way of life and that is one of the greatest things of a democratic country. That’s why one can be a liberal, conservative or independent and live freely with no danger, or so we are told.
To many people their opinion of America and Americans forever changed and there was no going back after the invasion of Iraq. But it was so interesting, shocking, and satisfying to see American artists through their work share their opinions of the war and the government. They courageously whether they had ulterior motives or not, went against the norm and their own government. They heavily criticized Bush and his administration, they criticized other citizens who were for the war, and the responsibility that we have as people to avoid such things.
Art has been said to be a form of therapy, a way were people can express themselves, and that’s exactly what numerous artists did. Artists such as the Dixie Chicks, P!nk, Eminem, Green Day and Pearl Jam chose to do so. Everyone is entitled to freedom of speech, and are allowed to speak their minds. However, many of these artists were criticized (some more than others) for being unpatriotic, uneducated, radical, and wrong for believing in what they do.
The Dixie Chicks are one of the most extreme cases that received horrible backlash. In their documentary “Shut up and Sing”, you can see all the obstacles the group had to endure simply because the lead singer Natalia Maines said “Just so you know, we’re ashamed the United States president is from Texas” at a London concert. [1]
Large networks turned on them, politicians spoke out, riots were created, radio stations boycotted their music and articles were being published right and left discussing the Dixie Chicks. The Dixie Chicks became one of the most hated women in America overnight. All their success, contributions and life were disregarded, and everyone jumped on the “hate the Dixie Chicks” band wagon.
Ironically, around the time the chaos around them sprang up they had their single “Travelin’ Soldier” climbing the charts. This song was as patriotic as it gets, there is after all nothing more patriotic than supporting the troops, but in a matter of days the single was wiped off music charts, and sales declined by 42%. [2] Now there are many reasons why people went against the Dixie Chicks the way they did, but there is absolutely no reason for people to make death threats, spoil the concert tour for other people, and for influential networks to attack the way they did.
Artists such as Eminem, Green Day and Pearl Jam have always had a liberal stance, and have been controversial and that’s why I believe there was less chaos surrounding them. However, P!nk has never shied away from controversy herself, but she too did get a negative reaction and was not even allowed to have her song “Dear Mr. President” played. What was different about her is how raw and honest her lyrics was, she never actually mentioned names but it was very blunt. In her song she asked the president who he prays for (a dig at his religious Christian side), how he can hate his own daughters if they were gay and take rights away from them (his stance against gay marriage and lack of support for women’s rights), and how far he’d come from his reckless days of smoking, drugs and alcohol. She continues to paint his wife Barbara as a pushover, and a woman with no stance. At the end, she notes how he has never had to work for anything in his life and gives him several examples of citizens in his own country that face horrible circumstances on a daily basis.
It’s very obvious why that song would not be allowed to play, but where does the role of freedom of speech, that everyone is so proud of come in? How come she was never allowed to have a chance for her song to hit the charts? Fortunately for her, her song did garner a lot of attention in other countries such as Canada, Australia and many other European countries.
To conclude, there are also artists that are as neutral as neutral gets and recently have produced work against the war. Near the end of the 2008 election Carrie Underwood (an artists in a conservative field) revealed in a TV Guide interview that “I lose all respect for celebrities when they back a candidate”. [3] She continues to go on to say “It's saying that the American public isn't smart enough to make their own decisions. Music is where you go to get away from all the BS. Whether it's from politics or just the world around you, music should be an escape”. [4]
I found this very interesting, as I am very much a fan, she has a point. Unfortunately, when the American media is not portraying everything accurately and fairly then we need people to point that out. Music reaches so many different people and is known to reach people differently than any movie, show, or politician ever could. Interestingly, Carrie has released ten singles and all ten have reached number one, making her one of the most accomplished female artists out there. One of those ten hits was her single “Just a Dream”.
“Just a Dream” is about a young couple who gets engaged during their teens and plan to marry, but the man has to go off to war. The man gets killed in the war, and the female talks about how she always dreamed of walking down the aisle in a white dress for her wedding. But instead she is now walking down the aisle in a black dress for her fiancée’s funeral. It’s a great video with great lyrics and it touched many people’s lives, because of the so many people that lost their lives, and the many incomplete families. This song received very little negativity, and she received several awards and standing ovations after every performance.
Freedom of speech is very much a two way street, there are severe consequences if you speak what you think and it’s different from the norm. These consequences frighten many people, and many people think it’s best to keep to themselves. This is an unfortunate solution and really disregards all the rights and freedom we do have in this part of the world.
But it’s important to realize that the people that choose to not share their opinion or are careful on how they do, have every reason too. People have families, lives and need jobs and money to go on, and if we as a society attack those people like artists then less and less of them will produce creative opinionated work as they fear they will have no way to support themselves in the end.
Sources
[1] ‘Shut up and Sing” TV Documentary. 2006. Directed by Barbara Kopple, Cecilia Peck
[2] ‘Shut up and Sing” TV Documentary. 2006. Directed by Barbara Kopple, Cecilia Peck
[3] “Carrie Underwood Talks Hosting the CMAs, Idol and More!” Nov.12.2008. May 23, 2009
[4] “Carrie Underwood Talks Hosting the CMAs, Idol and More!” Nov.12.2008. May 23, 2009
Within a nation there are people with different opinions and way of life and that is one of the greatest things of a democratic country. That’s why one can be a liberal, conservative or independent and live freely with no danger, or so we are told.
To many people their opinion of America and Americans forever changed and there was no going back after the invasion of Iraq. But it was so interesting, shocking, and satisfying to see American artists through their work share their opinions of the war and the government. They courageously whether they had ulterior motives or not, went against the norm and their own government. They heavily criticized Bush and his administration, they criticized other citizens who were for the war, and the responsibility that we have as people to avoid such things.
Art has been said to be a form of therapy, a way were people can express themselves, and that’s exactly what numerous artists did. Artists such as the Dixie Chicks, P!nk, Eminem, Green Day and Pearl Jam chose to do so. Everyone is entitled to freedom of speech, and are allowed to speak their minds. However, many of these artists were criticized (some more than others) for being unpatriotic, uneducated, radical, and wrong for believing in what they do.
The Dixie Chicks are one of the most extreme cases that received horrible backlash. In their documentary “Shut up and Sing”, you can see all the obstacles the group had to endure simply because the lead singer Natalia Maines said “Just so you know, we’re ashamed the United States president is from Texas” at a London concert. [1]
Large networks turned on them, politicians spoke out, riots were created, radio stations boycotted their music and articles were being published right and left discussing the Dixie Chicks. The Dixie Chicks became one of the most hated women in America overnight. All their success, contributions and life were disregarded, and everyone jumped on the “hate the Dixie Chicks” band wagon.
Ironically, around the time the chaos around them sprang up they had their single “Travelin’ Soldier” climbing the charts. This song was as patriotic as it gets, there is after all nothing more patriotic than supporting the troops, but in a matter of days the single was wiped off music charts, and sales declined by 42%. [2] Now there are many reasons why people went against the Dixie Chicks the way they did, but there is absolutely no reason for people to make death threats, spoil the concert tour for other people, and for influential networks to attack the way they did.
Artists such as Eminem, Green Day and Pearl Jam have always had a liberal stance, and have been controversial and that’s why I believe there was less chaos surrounding them. However, P!nk has never shied away from controversy herself, but she too did get a negative reaction and was not even allowed to have her song “Dear Mr. President” played. What was different about her is how raw and honest her lyrics was, she never actually mentioned names but it was very blunt. In her song she asked the president who he prays for (a dig at his religious Christian side), how he can hate his own daughters if they were gay and take rights away from them (his stance against gay marriage and lack of support for women’s rights), and how far he’d come from his reckless days of smoking, drugs and alcohol. She continues to paint his wife Barbara as a pushover, and a woman with no stance. At the end, she notes how he has never had to work for anything in his life and gives him several examples of citizens in his own country that face horrible circumstances on a daily basis.
It’s very obvious why that song would not be allowed to play, but where does the role of freedom of speech, that everyone is so proud of come in? How come she was never allowed to have a chance for her song to hit the charts? Fortunately for her, her song did garner a lot of attention in other countries such as Canada, Australia and many other European countries.
To conclude, there are also artists that are as neutral as neutral gets and recently have produced work against the war. Near the end of the 2008 election Carrie Underwood (an artists in a conservative field) revealed in a TV Guide interview that “I lose all respect for celebrities when they back a candidate”. [3] She continues to go on to say “It's saying that the American public isn't smart enough to make their own decisions. Music is where you go to get away from all the BS. Whether it's from politics or just the world around you, music should be an escape”. [4]
I found this very interesting, as I am very much a fan, she has a point. Unfortunately, when the American media is not portraying everything accurately and fairly then we need people to point that out. Music reaches so many different people and is known to reach people differently than any movie, show, or politician ever could. Interestingly, Carrie has released ten singles and all ten have reached number one, making her one of the most accomplished female artists out there. One of those ten hits was her single “Just a Dream”.
“Just a Dream” is about a young couple who gets engaged during their teens and plan to marry, but the man has to go off to war. The man gets killed in the war, and the female talks about how she always dreamed of walking down the aisle in a white dress for her wedding. But instead she is now walking down the aisle in a black dress for her fiancée’s funeral. It’s a great video with great lyrics and it touched many people’s lives, because of the so many people that lost their lives, and the many incomplete families. This song received very little negativity, and she received several awards and standing ovations after every performance.
Freedom of speech is very much a two way street, there are severe consequences if you speak what you think and it’s different from the norm. These consequences frighten many people, and many people think it’s best to keep to themselves. This is an unfortunate solution and really disregards all the rights and freedom we do have in this part of the world.
But it’s important to realize that the people that choose to not share their opinion or are careful on how they do, have every reason too. People have families, lives and need jobs and money to go on, and if we as a society attack those people like artists then less and less of them will produce creative opinionated work as they fear they will have no way to support themselves in the end.
Sources
[1] ‘Shut up and Sing” TV Documentary. 2006. Directed by Barbara Kopple, Cecilia Peck
[2] ‘Shut up and Sing” TV Documentary. 2006. Directed by Barbara Kopple, Cecilia Peck
[3] “Carrie Underwood Talks Hosting the CMAs, Idol and More!” Nov.12.2008. May 23, 2009
[4] “Carrie Underwood Talks Hosting the CMAs, Idol and More!” Nov.12.2008. May 23, 2009
Saturday, May 23, 2009
"Good Girl Gone Bad" No, really
FEBRUARY 23
The picture that leaked from the LAPD of a battered Rihanna is published for the most part to create money and buzz. The media should not have spread the photo. The picture has been spread all over the internet. It is not fair to Rihanna because she did not give consent and is probably very humiliated.
Maybe she doesn’t want people to know how she looks like, or is not ready to face the world’s opinion and overwhelming support. She should have had the choice because something like this is very hard to face and needs time.
The main advantage of this scandal is for TMZ, where it was published, and for the police officer, as I’m sure he got paid. However, this could be turned around and Rihanna could be the perfect person to show young girls what could happen and be a strong candidate for preventing domestic violence.
This picture could help Rihanna’s career, and have major repercussions for Chris brown’s life and career. If the alleged attack is true Chris Brown will be even more hated and can kiss his career good bye, at least for a while.
MARCH 2
The fact that Rihanna is back together with Chris brown is very disappointing. It’s very sad what Rihanna chose to do because it paints a very negative picture. What Rihanna is basically saying is that it’s okay if you get physically abused, disrespected, treated invaluably by someone who claims to love you.
It’s giving a picture to so many people like young boys and men that it’s okay to do that to a woman. It will make young girls believe that you deserve that kind of abuse and you should always go back to them and not speak up.
In this case Rihanna does have a responsibility because Rihanna wouldn’t be Rihanna without the support of her young fans. They supported her and looked up to her, what she is instilling in them is not worthy of any number one hits.
MAY 22
With Rihanna’s current actions I think the public is amazed but also tired of her actions. She is going on as if nothing happened and it’s disappointing. It seems the case has been swept under the rug and people are slowly forgetting it ever existed, a perfect scenario for both sides.
I think many of her fans feel alienated, but she is still receiving and overwhelmingly large amount of support. She has been seen hitting fashion shows and the only buzz around her is her always interesting fashion choices.
Interestingly, around the time that the alleged attack occurred actress Keira Knightly released a PSA about domestic violence. It’s an interesting piece, creatively done and at times graphic.
It’s refreshing to see a young Hollywood actress have a voice and stand for something. She has many fans and is a class act, with a promising future. She shows that you can have it all and do so beautifully. It’s unfortunate that many girls don’t feel they have the same options in Hollywood.
June 12 (Updated)
The Rihanna and Chris saga continues with more details being revealed. The first one being that Rihanna has been subpoenaed and must testify in court. This in the grand scheme of things is not the worst thing that could happen. However, it seems every chance Rihanna gets she tries to come off as if nothing ever happened three short months ago.
It’s disturbing and at times scary to see her nonchalant actions. 95% of males engage in dating violence and that’s not a statistic to be proud of or ever defend no matter what the circumstances are. I say this because in the past few days it was revealed that Rihanna and Chris asked to be seated beside each other at the NBA playoff game (people.com). Fortunately, this did not occur because of sudden change of plans.
This whole situation does not make sense. Charges are still being pressed but it seems that both parties are trying desperately to sabotage this case, which begs the question why are they even pursuing it? I think that Rihanna is desperately trying to fix her image of a pushover girlfriend every chance she gets. She has been seen with many interesting famous women such as Katy Perry and Fergie.
Also, there has been an update with Jasmine. Jasmine is the little girl that is a huge fan of Rihanna and was fighting leukemia. Rihanna heard of her story and met her, after meeting her a couple of months ago she arranged for numerous people to be tested as potential donors. It has been released that they indeed did find a match for Jasmine and is recovering, a happy ending to one chapter of Rihanna’s life.
However, the court case and her relationship with Chris is still unclear. No one really knows where she stands and what she is going to do next. Hopefully she will do what’s right by her and perhaps for other women who have been in her situation or worse.
The picture that leaked from the LAPD of a battered Rihanna is published for the most part to create money and buzz. The media should not have spread the photo. The picture has been spread all over the internet. It is not fair to Rihanna because she did not give consent and is probably very humiliated.
Maybe she doesn’t want people to know how she looks like, or is not ready to face the world’s opinion and overwhelming support. She should have had the choice because something like this is very hard to face and needs time.
The main advantage of this scandal is for TMZ, where it was published, and for the police officer, as I’m sure he got paid. However, this could be turned around and Rihanna could be the perfect person to show young girls what could happen and be a strong candidate for preventing domestic violence.
This picture could help Rihanna’s career, and have major repercussions for Chris brown’s life and career. If the alleged attack is true Chris Brown will be even more hated and can kiss his career good bye, at least for a while.
MARCH 2
The fact that Rihanna is back together with Chris brown is very disappointing. It’s very sad what Rihanna chose to do because it paints a very negative picture. What Rihanna is basically saying is that it’s okay if you get physically abused, disrespected, treated invaluably by someone who claims to love you.
It’s giving a picture to so many people like young boys and men that it’s okay to do that to a woman. It will make young girls believe that you deserve that kind of abuse and you should always go back to them and not speak up.
In this case Rihanna does have a responsibility because Rihanna wouldn’t be Rihanna without the support of her young fans. They supported her and looked up to her, what she is instilling in them is not worthy of any number one hits.
MAY 22
With Rihanna’s current actions I think the public is amazed but also tired of her actions. She is going on as if nothing happened and it’s disappointing. It seems the case has been swept under the rug and people are slowly forgetting it ever existed, a perfect scenario for both sides.
I think many of her fans feel alienated, but she is still receiving and overwhelmingly large amount of support. She has been seen hitting fashion shows and the only buzz around her is her always interesting fashion choices.
Interestingly, around the time that the alleged attack occurred actress Keira Knightly released a PSA about domestic violence. It’s an interesting piece, creatively done and at times graphic.
It’s refreshing to see a young Hollywood actress have a voice and stand for something. She has many fans and is a class act, with a promising future. She shows that you can have it all and do so beautifully. It’s unfortunate that many girls don’t feel they have the same options in Hollywood.
June 12 (Updated)
The Rihanna and Chris saga continues with more details being revealed. The first one being that Rihanna has been subpoenaed and must testify in court. This in the grand scheme of things is not the worst thing that could happen. However, it seems every chance Rihanna gets she tries to come off as if nothing ever happened three short months ago.
It’s disturbing and at times scary to see her nonchalant actions. 95% of males engage in dating violence and that’s not a statistic to be proud of or ever defend no matter what the circumstances are. I say this because in the past few days it was revealed that Rihanna and Chris asked to be seated beside each other at the NBA playoff game (people.com). Fortunately, this did not occur because of sudden change of plans.
This whole situation does not make sense. Charges are still being pressed but it seems that both parties are trying desperately to sabotage this case, which begs the question why are they even pursuing it? I think that Rihanna is desperately trying to fix her image of a pushover girlfriend every chance she gets. She has been seen with many interesting famous women such as Katy Perry and Fergie.
Also, there has been an update with Jasmine. Jasmine is the little girl that is a huge fan of Rihanna and was fighting leukemia. Rihanna heard of her story and met her, after meeting her a couple of months ago she arranged for numerous people to be tested as potential donors. It has been released that they indeed did find a match for Jasmine and is recovering, a happy ending to one chapter of Rihanna’s life.
However, the court case and her relationship with Chris is still unclear. No one really knows where she stands and what she is going to do next. Hopefully she will do what’s right by her and perhaps for other women who have been in her situation or worse.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
The new American Idol
In the summer of 2008, American Idol announced a new addition- a fourth judge. In a matter of hours the internet was buzzing. Everyone had their own theories of why this fourth judge was being added.
One of the most popular theories was that Paula Abdul, Idol’s resident kind and at times distractive judge was leaving. Abdul immediately issued a statement that she was not being replaced, and that she knows the new judge. The new judge turned out to be singer/songwriter Kara Dioguardi. Others went on to say this was a ratings ploy, because Idol had experienced a decline in ratings the previous season. Although, I believe there is substance to that, I think more than anything it was the hope of the judge’s interaction would become newsworthy.
The media and we as a society are very quick to judge and closely analyze women. Were Kara and Paula going to dress similar? Were they going to argue? Is Kara the female version of Simon? How were the other two men (Randy Jackson and Simon Cowell) going to react?
People were very scared of change, rightfully so. American Idol has become a staple in many North American homes, and culture. There are so many versions that stem from Idol worldwide. Each one of those judges has established their presence on that show.
Randy is the neutral, technical judge. Paula is the comical relief, with her always positive criticisms. Simon, well Simon is Simon. He’s the brutally honest and sometimes overdramatic judge that everyone wishes they could be. Although all three have creditability with the many years in the music business, they were still missing something on that show.
One of the most popular theories was that Paula Abdul, Idol’s resident kind and at times distractive judge was leaving. Abdul immediately issued a statement that she was not being replaced, and that she knows the new judge. The new judge turned out to be singer/songwriter Kara Dioguardi. Others went on to say this was a ratings ploy, because Idol had experienced a decline in ratings the previous season. Although, I believe there is substance to that, I think more than anything it was the hope of the judge’s interaction would become newsworthy.
The media and we as a society are very quick to judge and closely analyze women. Were Kara and Paula going to dress similar? Were they going to argue? Is Kara the female version of Simon? How were the other two men (Randy Jackson and Simon Cowell) going to react?
People were very scared of change, rightfully so. American Idol has become a staple in many North American homes, and culture. There are so many versions that stem from Idol worldwide. Each one of those judges has established their presence on that show.
Randy is the neutral, technical judge. Paula is the comical relief, with her always positive criticisms. Simon, well Simon is Simon. He’s the brutally honest and sometimes overdramatic judge that everyone wishes they could be. Although all three have creditability with the many years in the music business, they were still missing something on that show.
Personally, I wasn’t too crazy of the idea of a new judge and I was ready to heavily judge her premiere episode. To my surprise, along with many other people’s she was a positive change. She somehow merged with the other three, but still made herself unique. It didn’t seem too forced. In the beginning it was awkward, but she quickly grew on people.
Kara is a very accomplished songwriter, writing for artists such as Pink, Rascal Flatts, Christina Aguilera, and Carrie Underwood. She has over a 100 hits to her name. (www.karadioguardi.com) Along with that she has plenty of experience of failed career chances. She has made albums that have never sold, been in bands that were unsuccessful. This gives her a tremendous advantage; she has been in the business and has been criticized and has been given second chances. That’s something that she regularly addresses and is evident in her criticisms and comments.
Another important part of her is she understands the business side very well. She has approval from the business side and the creative, artistic side. Again this separates her from the other judges. The last thing that really works in her favor and sets her out is her look and personality. She’s very much a “girl’s girl”, she’s a lot about the female empowerment. She doesn’t act or come off as superior, she acknowledges her flaws, makes fun of them, but never lets them get in her way.
With the news that she only signed on for one season, and she might not be coming back Idol received their dream reaction. Everyone once again started buzzing and sharing their opinions. It’s been said she’s coming back, but it has not been confirmed. I hope she does come back as I believe she is very fair and more than qualified to do so. She is a mixture of all three of the judges- she understands the technical, realistic, artistic and emotional side.
Friday, May 1, 2009
Anyone Listening?
Diversity: the state or face of being diverse; difference; unlikeness; variety; multiformity; point of difference.[1] Even the definition of diversity gives you a variety of different answers. In a society where we have various ethnic groups and so many resources, it’s hard to believe that there’s minimal representation of diversity in entertainment.
In Entertainment Weekly’s analysis of ethnic groups on television, they showed that all the major network broadcasters, program a bigger population of Caucasians, than the actual percentage in the United States (66.2%). [2] The average percentage of whites shown between all the broadcasters is 74.2%, which is 8% more than the entire population.[3] Unfortunately, there is no increase of representation for the other ethnic groups such as Blacks, Latino/Hispanics, Asians, American Indian/Alaska Natives, and Hawaiian/Pacific Islanders. Of course those ethnic groups are minorities, but there are also minorities of the minorities such as Arabs.
Arabs presence is almost non-existent in television, unless for criminals, which can easily be played by other ethnic groups. The same could be said of Native Indians, if they are shown it’s there stereotypical image, like the Arabs. Those scenes are typically of them in Native attire dancing to tribal music, drums banging in the background.
These images are humiliating and inaccurate. Diversity matters tremendously for many reasons, one of them being the social learning theory. This theory explains that “children learn about themselves and the world around them from observing others”. [4] Television has a huge impact on their behaviour, attitude, and impression of other racial groups and their own group. If the portrayals on racial groups are one sided and negative, in almost every case the child will leave with that impression. With that impression in mind, it can affect how they socialize, and how they treat others.
We’re a diverse society and we’re only going to get more diverse. It’s not rational, realistic or helpful to continue to portray one side as the perfect superior side, and the other as the negative inferior side. There are serious consequences that come out of that, such as an increase in the crime rate. When two groups are constantly put against each other like black vs. white, native vs. white than it will absolutely play out the same way in real life.
Another reason why diversity matters in entertainment is because in most cases the entertainment industry exemplifies beauty. It’s where we look to see new trends and good-looking people. However, if only one kind of woman or man is put on our screens on every show, and they’re acting, dressing, moving the same way than it eliminates many people. We don’t all look the same, have the same jobs, or were brought up the same way. There is no universal version of beauty, occupation, family, friends, or life.
Everyone has different jobs, different families and friends, and look differently. Some look great with big eyes, and some don’t. Some look great with small eyes, and some don’t. We all can’t have the same combination of traits that looks good. Different traits look better on different people. Yet the entertainment industry bombards us with the image of similar looking people.
Again it’s unrealistic and ignores many people. If you don’t see anyone that looks like you, or is referred to in negatively because of their appearance eventually it will affect how you look at yourself. We’ve seen this time and time again; a perfect example is blond women. When all you see is blond and blue eyes, and they have the lead roles, are the love interests and garner the attention, girls will start to believe they must have blond hair and blue eyes. The same could be said about men and their bodies. It’s easy to believe that if you have a strong, muscular, lean body then you’ll have a happier life filled with respect and women. But this is not the case at all, and not everyone can look like that, nor should they.
Hollywood producers need to broaden their views of how characters should be played. Casting calls shouldn’t be so limited, because it leaves so many people out. We need different people, playing different roles, and the best way to do that is give them an opportunity. Let someone fight and display their ability to play that character before looking at their image. Give people opportunity to step into unfamiliar territory, the rewards might be bigger than the risk.
[1] “Diversity definition” Dictionary.com, April 29, 2009. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/diversity
[2] “TV’s Great Black Hope” Entertainment Weekly online article. Jennifer Armstrong, Margeaux Watson.
http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20206185,00.html
[3] “TV’s Great Black Hope” Entertainment Weekly online article. Jennifer Armstrong, Margeaux Watson.
http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20206185,00.html
[4] “Why it Matters...Diversity on Television” Children Media Now, April 23, 2009.
http://breeze.hwdsb.on.ca/diversitymatters/
In Entertainment Weekly’s analysis of ethnic groups on television, they showed that all the major network broadcasters, program a bigger population of Caucasians, than the actual percentage in the United States (66.2%). [2] The average percentage of whites shown between all the broadcasters is 74.2%, which is 8% more than the entire population.[3] Unfortunately, there is no increase of representation for the other ethnic groups such as Blacks, Latino/Hispanics, Asians, American Indian/Alaska Natives, and Hawaiian/Pacific Islanders. Of course those ethnic groups are minorities, but there are also minorities of the minorities such as Arabs.
Arabs presence is almost non-existent in television, unless for criminals, which can easily be played by other ethnic groups. The same could be said of Native Indians, if they are shown it’s there stereotypical image, like the Arabs. Those scenes are typically of them in Native attire dancing to tribal music, drums banging in the background.
These images are humiliating and inaccurate. Diversity matters tremendously for many reasons, one of them being the social learning theory. This theory explains that “children learn about themselves and the world around them from observing others”. [4] Television has a huge impact on their behaviour, attitude, and impression of other racial groups and their own group. If the portrayals on racial groups are one sided and negative, in almost every case the child will leave with that impression. With that impression in mind, it can affect how they socialize, and how they treat others.
We’re a diverse society and we’re only going to get more diverse. It’s not rational, realistic or helpful to continue to portray one side as the perfect superior side, and the other as the negative inferior side. There are serious consequences that come out of that, such as an increase in the crime rate. When two groups are constantly put against each other like black vs. white, native vs. white than it will absolutely play out the same way in real life.
Another reason why diversity matters in entertainment is because in most cases the entertainment industry exemplifies beauty. It’s where we look to see new trends and good-looking people. However, if only one kind of woman or man is put on our screens on every show, and they’re acting, dressing, moving the same way than it eliminates many people. We don’t all look the same, have the same jobs, or were brought up the same way. There is no universal version of beauty, occupation, family, friends, or life.
Everyone has different jobs, different families and friends, and look differently. Some look great with big eyes, and some don’t. Some look great with small eyes, and some don’t. We all can’t have the same combination of traits that looks good. Different traits look better on different people. Yet the entertainment industry bombards us with the image of similar looking people.
Again it’s unrealistic and ignores many people. If you don’t see anyone that looks like you, or is referred to in negatively because of their appearance eventually it will affect how you look at yourself. We’ve seen this time and time again; a perfect example is blond women. When all you see is blond and blue eyes, and they have the lead roles, are the love interests and garner the attention, girls will start to believe they must have blond hair and blue eyes. The same could be said about men and their bodies. It’s easy to believe that if you have a strong, muscular, lean body then you’ll have a happier life filled with respect and women. But this is not the case at all, and not everyone can look like that, nor should they.
Hollywood producers need to broaden their views of how characters should be played. Casting calls shouldn’t be so limited, because it leaves so many people out. We need different people, playing different roles, and the best way to do that is give them an opportunity. Let someone fight and display their ability to play that character before looking at their image. Give people opportunity to step into unfamiliar territory, the rewards might be bigger than the risk.
[1] “Diversity definition” Dictionary.com, April 29, 2009. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/diversity
[2] “TV’s Great Black Hope” Entertainment Weekly online article. Jennifer Armstrong, Margeaux Watson.
http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20206185,00.html
[3] “TV’s Great Black Hope” Entertainment Weekly online article. Jennifer Armstrong, Margeaux Watson.
http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20206185,00.html
[4] “Why it Matters...Diversity on Television” Children Media Now, April 23, 2009.
http://breeze.hwdsb.on.ca/diversitymatters/
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