Race in the Media

The media has certainly changed in the past 50 or so years, and while there may be some naysayers, it has been for the better. There's more racial integration now than there has ever been. Yet are all races being presented equally?

African-Americans have probably had the most drastic change in terms of their inclusion in advertisements and television shows. There are now shows specifically catered towards what producers feel is a black audience, and they are almost always included in commercials and ads with integrated races, and at times are the focal point of the ad. While there are still times that they are completely stereotypes,of all the minorities in the U.S., African-Americans are by far the most used in the media.

Latin-Americans have also had a positive breakthrough in the media, albeit to a lesser degree. There are shows, and especially advertisements, that are made specifically for the Latin community and they are the main attraction. There are even Spanish-only stations in some areas. In terms of mass audience usage however, Latinos are usually presented in an integrated ad, but is not usually the focus. There are also very few television shows that have only Latino actors in them on basic television. Ultimately, while Latinos usually appear in ads and have advanced in some ways, there is still ground that can be covered.

Of all the racial minorities in the U.S. (barring Native Americans), Asian-Americans are probably the least used race in the media. There are very few advertisements that use Asians, and it is even more rare for Asians to be the focal point of the ad. Television shows are perhaps even worse. I can't think of a single show that has a complete Asian-American cast, or a show that is catered towards Asian-American audiences. There are also very few shows that has an Asian as a main character, with the only one that I can think of being Grey's Anatomy. Stereotypes are also used for Asians, specifically in movies. All in all, I feel that Asian-Americans are not being represented equally as opposed to other races, and I believe that they are usually depicted using stereotypes and fallacies.