Yesterday and Today: Racism in the Media

  One thing that this film brought to light was how recent this issue of racism in the media is and how deeply rooted it is in American culture. Cartoons that people would view today and grossly stereotypical were being widely used and broadcasted less than 100 years ago. It brought up the point that although society is much more equitable and past that time of ignorance, these cartoons and way of life still influence society today. This gross time in history still effects certain individuals and movements today and it is important to recognize that the media should be used to eradicate ignorance, not push it along. The other issue it brought to my attention is that racism still exists in the media today. One popular show that came to mind was Family Guy. The people on that show have made numerous racially based jokes in the name of entertainment. There is no (or there seems to be no) underlying political reason for the humor, but is it any different from the cartoons in the 1900s? The racial humor found in the show could influence people the wrong way, causing them to make assumptions about people that aren’t based on fact, but on stereotypes. Regardless of the drive and motivation behind racism in the media, any sort of it is a step towards ignorance and is causing society to move backwards from enlightenment and diminishing stereotypes. . The media influences the general public and that is a powerful and delicate thing, as it shapes society and interactions between different people as a whole.