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Stereotypical Representations of Asians & Hispanics

When immigrant groups or ôotherö cultures are portrayed in the media, quite often their representation is portrayed as somehow ôinferiorö to the ôsuperiorö portrayals of the dominant cultural group. Racism, prejudice and discrimination often lead to stereotypical representation of immigrant groups as a means of affirming the ôsuperiorö nature of the dominant group and is used as justification for its greater resources, power and control.

Historically in the U.S. media, representation of Asians and Hispanics have largely been stereotypical, often derogatory images that serve to reinforce the image of dominant groups as justified in their class privileges. From news reels in the 1920s and 1930s to current Hollywood films, the media has largely been guilty of reinforcing stereotypical and negative representations of Hispanics and Asians. Nevertheless, the increasing numbers of Asians and Hispanics in the U.S. population, globalization, and the spread of communications technologies have witnessed advances for Hispanics and Asians in U.S. media. This is true not only in terms of their presence in greater numbers but also in the manner in which they are represented. This analysis will explore past and present representations of Hispanics and Asians in the U.S. media in order to illustrate this change.

Historical representations of both Hispanics and Asians in the U.S. media have often been stereotypical and derogatory. Hispanics were often portrayed in Hollywood films as banditos, desperados, and other unsavory types of characters who were also portrayed as lazy, ignorant, and thieves. Quite often, American actors or actresses were made up to look like Mexicans, as was the case with Raquel Welch playing Maria Stoner in Bandolero or Natalie Wood playing Maria in West Side Story, (Reyes, 2000, 98). This was the case even in the 1960s but Melissa Johnson (1999) contends that negative and derogatory images of Mexica...

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Stereotypical Representations of Asians & Hispanics. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 08:08, March 28, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1711800.html