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Stereotyping & Bias in the Media

Saltzman (1994) describes the images that have been imposed on us by the media throughout our lives. If provided with no other input than that we receive from mass media sources it is probable that we would believe that:

African-Americans are mostly rap stars, drug addicts, welfare mothers, criminals, and/or murderers. Latinos are illegal aliens, ignorant immigrants who take, but give little back to the country and can't even speak the language, or drug-crazed thugs who have no respect for law or order. Asian-American are either weak, model citizens or inscrutable, manipulative, uncaring invaders of business, especially in the U.S. Native Americans are illiterate, drunken Indians who hate all Caucasians and sleep away their lives. (Saltzman, 1994, p. 71)

Arabs are seen as terrorist scourges and were initially suspect in the Oklahoma City bombing, when in fact, it was one of "our own." Jews are seen as money grubbers with their intent on nothing else but money; they will take advantage of, and rip off poor people, all for the sake of financial gain. Stereotyping, however, is slowly changing.

Women have come a long way since the days of "Leave it to Beaver." In those days a woman's place was definitely in the home, and usually cleaning house or preparing dinner in high heels. Now we see the feisty, and quirky Murphy Brown who is a far cry from June Cleaver.

In 1993, a Zimbabwean film entitled "Neria" was a box office hit. The movie, which has raised a surge of emotion from African woman, tries to convince women that they can fight for their rights (Hill, 1993). In this example, the African woman is different from a Black American in that the bias she dealt with as a woman would not apply to an American.

An example of how Arabs are stereotyped is exemplified in the following: After the Oklahoma City bombing, Middle Eastern people were initially suspected of the crime. After the arrest of

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Stereotyping & Bias in the Media. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 08:28, March 29, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1691963.html