The podcast was a very interesting listen, as it really highlighted the problems of bias and stereotypes in our lives. As said in the podcast, biases are very dangerous and negative for a group of people, especially minorities. Because American culture has historically been centered around white culture, other groups are constantly excluded from the “classic” American. Especially harmful are the stereotypes present in Hollywood–white, blonde, blue-eyed individuals are the common archetype for heroes in movies. Like stated in the podcast, movies hyper-focus on negative minority stereotypes to extenuate in their narratives. Although a shift is beginning through more representation of POCs in the media, there is still much progress to be made.
As a Colombian-American, most of the representation I see in films is centered around drugs and Colombians as drug dealers. Not only is this stereotype negative and offensive, but it perpetuates judgement about ALL Colombians. The same type of judgement is common for other minority groups. American culture is made up of all groups, not only white people, after all the US is a country of immigrants, so all Americans deserve and are entitled to representation in the media.
I completely agree. There are many different cultures that are neglected by Hollywood and the media. White-washing in Hollywood is something that was touched on in the podcast, but the practice extends to almost all forms of media. If you were to turn on the news, you would likely see a White broadcaster. If you turn on the radio, the person talking is likely white. The practice extends everywhere.
I agree with everything that you said about positive POC representation in Hollywood and want to expand that idea into the news as well. More often than not, the news skews their depictions of criminals based on their race or other identifiers to fit the biased narrative of that race. For many white criminals, the impacts of their crimes are downplayed and their actions are largely excused, but POC criminals are not given the same treatment. I think that this (in combination with your comments on Hollywood) is what perpetuates the negative stereotypes we hold.
I think your analyzation of stereotypes in media as discussed in the podcast is very interesting. The idea of seeing a hero or a role model we can relate to is important and made me think about the recent election. Kamala Harris is the first woman VP elect, the first Black woman and the first South Asian woman VP elect. She is a role model and representing what is achievable for for many different cultures within society. For many people in the groups she is representing, holding a position of that power might have seemed previously unattainable.