Soca1010 Essay - Question: “In what ways do the media reinforce class, gender or race inequalities.” PDF

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Question: “In what ways do the media reinforce class, gender or race inequalities.”...

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Essay SOCA1010

“In what ways do the media reinforce class, gender or race inequalities”

COURSE: SOCA1010

DATE: 08/08/2019

TASK: Essay

WORD COUNT: 1500

Essay SOCA1010

In an increasingly globalised world, the role of media in society has become an important and powerful player in educating and entertaining the masses. However, this same educative and entertainment power can be manipulated to act as a vessel for agenda-based transgressions, public discourse and the furthering of stereotypes associated with race. This is particularly prominent in political discourse and the entertainment industry. This essay will outline the various ways in which the media reinforces racial inequality through the perpetuation of stereotypes and political agendas with an emphasis on the sociological labelling theory, an institutionalist approach to criminology and Stuart Hall’s notions of overt and inferential racism. It will also give specific contemporary examples of this as seen in current media rhetoric. In order to analyse how the media reinforces racial inequality, one must first understand the significant relationship between background and future potential, more pointedly, how the stigmas associated with an individual’s background affect future opportunity. Hill and Wright (2003) propose that the stigmatisations associated with one’s background, in this case the portrayals by media, can lead to future criminal activity and deviancy. Factors that relate to stigmatisations can be based in religion, education and socio-economic background, all of which are popular topics of discussion within the media (Hill & Wright 2003). Here, discussions lead to socially accepted normalities, precedents and conventional expectations for society which can prove problematic when the norm does not consider the cultural and racial differences of people. Newburn (2011) suggests that once the ‘norm’ becomes too hard to achieve or unattainable, individuals will attempt to satisfy these expectations by any means in a bid to remain within the accepted norm and avoid societal scrutiny; even if that means leaning to undesirable qualities and life paths. One example of this is the overrepresentation of indigenous youth in the criminal justice system which has been a strong conversational point in media discourse over the last 5 years. The representation of the Indigenous population is subject to conscious and subconscious stereotyping in media significantly more than other racial groups. Hall (1990) discussed this idea in his work on overt and inferential racism whereby, overt racism is defined as a conscious act to hurt and stereotype a faction of society and inferential racism is ‘those apparently naturalised representations of events and situations relating to race, whether 'factual' or 'fictional', which have racist premises and propositions inscribed in them as a set of unquestioned assumptions’ (p.13). This is most notably seen in the way in which media use negative language and imagery to represent the Indigenous community.

Essay SOCA1010

These images peddled by the media and within institutions such as courts and the political sector, help to create a collective social consciousness of what represents criminal behaviour and deviancy which can be harmful to the indigenous community as the stereotype of them having deviant tendencies can lead to socially accepted falsities and the creation of a ‘criminal identity.’ This in turn creates feelings of distrust, and self-identity issues (Vanderbeck 2003). Furthermore, the Productivity Commission report (Just Reinvest NSW 2014) found that the juvenile detention rate for Indigenous people was approximately 24 times more than the rate for their non-Indigenous counterparts. Additionally, between 2000 and 2013, there was a 57 per cent increase in adult Indigenous incarceration whilst the non-Indigenous rate remained consistent. Furthermore, at its very core, the media’s role in racial inequality is fundamentally rooted in political agenda and sensationalism which leaves certain groups open to unfair criticism and bias. Cohen (2011) explores the idea of sociological ‘figures’ which explores the ways in which youth are manipulated and represented in media to fuel agendas. This can include capitalist figures to political agents, however for the purpose of this essay, the concept of youth can also be applied to race identity and inequality. For example, Indigenous youth can represent political figures which see them as agents of change, fighting for equity and change whilst simultaneously, the media can also portray them as an ‘at risk’ figure in which the media categorises their behaviour as disobedience and a cause for moral panic. That is, ‘a condition, episode, person, or groups of persons emerging to become defined as a threat to societal values and interests; its nature is presented in a stylized and stereotypical fashion by the mass media; (Cohen 2011, p. 9). A moral panic instigated by the media can hinder an individual’s potential and considerably affect their quality of life. See for example, the political agenda led by Peter Dutton in 2018 against Melbourne’s Sudanese population. Dutton in collaboration with Australian media generated images of violent Sudanese gangs involved in riots across Melbourne even though the probability of an event like that or the level of event ever occurring was significantly less than projected. Here, the media can invoke emotional responses from vulnerable members of the community, drawing upon ‘at risk’ and ‘deviant’ figures of youth to incite moral panic and further his political ideology. When considering the role of the media in reinforcing inequality, it should be noted that gender is also heavily impacted. One can see a significant link between mainstream female representation and career advancement which not only hurt the modern woman but even further disadvantages women of colour thus, making it important to note. Here, there is a distinct lack of opportunity for female potential to thrive as systematic oppression created by traditional gender roles continues to be peddled by media outlets and comedy television programs

Essay SOCA1010

(Thomas 2009; Pan & Kosicki 1996). This is especially prevalent in the lack of representation for female professionals in news coverage when compared to their male counterparts. According to a study conducted by the Global Media Monitoring Project (2015), it was found that women accounted for only one per cent of individuals interviewed in Australian sport coverage via television, radio and print collectively. Furthermore, in combining Australian and international coverage for all news types, the GMMP found that only approximately 24 per cent of individuals who were showcased were female- which over five years had remained unchanged. Finally, language associated with gender and race is highly indicative of how the media reinforces inequality in its grassroots. In a study conducted by Thomas (2009), it was found that when comparing the language used in headlines associated with Michelle Obama and Cindy McCain during the lead up to the 2008 presidential election, there was a basis for a claim that language used in association with Mrs Obama was negative, and attacking in nature. It is also important to note that the syntactic structure of metaphorical verbs of attack utilised in headlines such as ‘bash’, ‘tackle’ and ‘fair game’ were more direct, rather than indirectly referencing like Mrs McCain’s headlines (Thomas 2009, p.47). In conclusion, when analysing how the media reinforces racial inequality, one can see a clear link between the ramifications of stereotypes perpetuated in media, images, language choice and an individual’s quality of life and potential for advancement. The media’s role in helping permeate a collective consciousness of expectations and success creates a significant disadvantage to minorities as these societal goals are not always achievable which can lead an individual to deviant behaviour in order to satisfy the social norm to avoid further ridicule thus, reinforcing racial inequality. Additionally, on a fundamental level, even the choice of language and images frequently used in association with racial groups can contribute to a subconscious racial bias and assumption that reinforces and pre-existing inequality and negative connotation.

Essay SOCA1010

Reference List

Cohen, S. 2011, Folk Devils and Moral Panics: The Creation of the Mods and Rockers, 3rd edn, e-book, Routledge, London Hall, S. 1990, ‘The whites of their eyes: Racist ideologies and the media’, M. Alvarado and J.O. Thompson (eds) The Media Reader, London, BFI, pp. 7-23 Hill, J. and Wright, G., 2003. Youth, community safety and the paradox of inclusion. The Howard Journal of Criminal Justice, 42(3), pp.282-297 Just Reinvest NSW 2014, Over-representation of Indigenous Australians a catastrophe, viewed 16 July 2019, http://Over-representation of Indigenous Australians a catastrophe Newburn, T. 2011. Policing youth anti-social behaviour and crime: time for reform? Journal of children's services, Vol. 6, Issue 2, pp.96-105 Pan, Z. and Kosicki, G.M. 1996 ‘Assessing News Media Influences on the Formation of Whites’ Racial Policy Preferences’, Communication Research, Vol. 23, Issue 2, pp. 147–178. doi: 10.1177/009365096023002001 Thomas, M.B. 2009, Words as Weapons: The metaphorical attack of Michelle Obama in US Print headlines, Texas Linguistic Forum, Vol, 53, Issue 1, pp.3949 Vanderbeck, R.M. 2003, Youth, racism, and place in the Tony Martin affair. Antipode, Vol. 35, Issue 2, pp.363-384 Who Makes the News 2015, Global Media Monitoring Project 2015, viewed 18 July 2019, http://cdn.agilitycms.com/who-makes-the news/Imported/reports_2015/highlights/highlights_en.pdf...