Stereotypes

Anyone who has ever turned on the television, whether to watch regular popular programming or the evening news, has been witness to the stereotypes used throughout all forms of media. Stereotypes have, undoubtedly, existed since the beginning of human history and their presence can be observed in every domain where people interact with one another, including family, work, school, religion, and politics. Stereotypes have their origins, I believe, in natural human instinct. In primitive times, humans needed to assess their physical surroundings and quickly make decisions about potentially dangerous situations. In similar fashion, humans today assess their social environment and stereotypical assumptions provide the mechanism to quickly orient themselves to the social order of a particular situation and to establish how they fit into that hierarchy. Going along with this phenomenon is a human tendency to feel most comfortable with what is familiar, leading to the condition that most people seem to relate best to their own race and culture.

In western society, wealth and therefore power has been held generally by a white Judeo-Christian component of society, leading to a media that expressed a point of view distinctive to this culture. In recent years, a rising sensibility about multiculturalism and the ramping up of wealth and power with various ethnic groups has resulted a wide range of programming that allows viewers to find entertainment in a format that responds to their particular comfort zone. In spite of this abundance of multiculturalism, I don't often catch myself watching BET (Black Entertainment Television) because I cannot relate to most, if any, of the shows that this network provides. Still, as a product of a white Judeo-Christian slice of society, I note that much of the programming I do enjoy tries to incorporate multiculturalism into their story lines. For this exercise I examined several different programs to gauge what stereotypes were being used and why.

This exercise required students to watch two hours of prime-time TV and then to answer a series of questions. I fulfilled this specification but also added the variable of watching programs at different times of the day to see what other distinctions I could find. The shows that I chose to examine were The Jerry Springer Show, Judge Judy, Biker Build-Off, and, finally, Law and Order. In addition to making judgments about the programs themselves, I also observed the commercial advertisements as well, to gain further data points about the audience.

The Jerry Springer Show is notorious for its outrageous stories and on- camera confrontations. The tactics used for the show are quite similar to the psychology of witnessing a horrific car accident; you can't help but watch! The show is aired around 10:00 a.m. and, I believe, targets an audience of individuals who are out of work. I made this postulation as a result of the commercials between breaks. Almost all of them were for people who had dropped out of high school and needed to earn their GED or vocational colleges offering short programs to get them into the workforce. Similarly, although not stated, the individuals on the show themselves seemed to be of a low-income, unschooled variety who didn't have the social graces usually regarded as minimal for the airwaves. There were many stereotypes illustrated in the show itself, such as the promiscuous woman, the flamboyant gay, and the cheating husband, but all were so over the top as to become caricatures of their stereotypes and the only message I retained from the show was of complete embarrassment for them. It's a little known fact that The Jerry Springer Show is one of the most watched shows all over the world. The notion that other countries are watching these sensational stories worries me. They take the stereotypes to the extreme and then air them as though these individuals are the norm of American society.

After watching Jerry Springer, I continued the assault on my senses with one of the many courtroom television shows, Judge Judy. Once again, this show seemed to target a low-income and unemployed audience. Although not as blatant as Jerry Springer, the individuals on the show all proved themselves to be undereducated, to say the least. Neither of these shows centered on one single race as their principle characters; they stereotyped all of their participants equally! Not surprisingly, the commercial breaks all had to do with lawsuits, encouraging people to call in if they believed themselves to be a victim. It's no wonder we have such a litigious society.

Switching gears, now I choose to put the Speed Channel in the spot light with one of their shows called Biker Build-Off. The channel itself targets a male audience and all the programming has to do with cars and motors of all sorts. The show puts two well known bike builders up against one another to see who can build the most aesthetically pleasing motorcycle. The two bikes are then voted on by regular individuals and a prize is awarded to the winner. The motorcycle industry, up until recently, has been dominated by white males, ranging from their twenties to their sixties. However, the show now also features builders of all races, which has drawn in a whole new audience. Although the industry still is predominately white, it is widely becoming conventional for any male with a passion for motorcycles to be accepted. Of course this still leaves the question if any female builders would be welcome. This is one industry where women still have yet to make a big cameo. This is also unmistakable in the commercials, which range from various cleaning supplies for cars, to schools to learn how to become a mechanic. There are no women in these commercials, unless their role is looking pretty in a bikini. Since the industry is built bottom up from testosterone-driven males, I do not believe this stereotype will change anytime soon.

In contrast to the Speed Channel, I briefly tuned into the HGTV network and watched a few of the commercials they offered during prime time television (although not watching any programming). Not unexpectedly, all of the commercials were either family-oriented food options, or household