Does Television Promote Dangerous Stereotypes?

When the subject of television comes to mind, many people are quick to state their favorite show. Unfortunately, many of the shows everyone loves to watch tend to be extremely stereotypical and offensive to the groups of people portray. Television can promote dangerous stereotypes against different ethnicities, regions, and genders, resulting in a negative impact in society.

A stereotype is a set idea that is used to describe a particular type of person or thing that acts or behaves a certain way. Different ethnic groups are heavily prominent stereotypes shown throughout television, marginalizing entire groups of people. The media is a powerful tool in spreading messages throughout the world and it’s important to have accurate representation of all cultures. An excellent example of TV portraying an ethnic stereotype is the “angry black woman” as a character, typically being sassy and loud-mouthed with a tendency for verbal and physical abuse. It is unreasonable an entire race to one set of character traits even though the majority of that race does not condone such behavior. A cousin of mine, Lanyejah Frierson, 13, has previously stated that some of today’s media makes her feel “disappointed in society” and “hopeful for a better future”. African Americans are not the only ones to be racially profiled. All racial groups have been portrayed as a stereotype at one time period or another, and it’s something that everyone should be aware of in order to prevent it from influencing people to have negative thoughts about one another.

Not only are different ethnic groups marginalized as a certain way, but different regions of the country can be discriminated against, as well. People in the north are depicted to be rude and obnoxious people with big personalities while people from the south are shown as country rednecks. While there are few people who do fit this role, it is unfair for people to assume that everyone from these regions are like that.

Males and females are also stereotyped in TV shows, showing women as typical housewives who take care of the children all day while men are the “breadwinners” and macho. While today’s media does a better job at creating diverse situations on television, there is still work to be done at successfully creating a diverse platform. Doing so can help bring people closer together, instead of further apart, especially in the society we live in today.