Today is Monday, June 2nd. It is June, so that means that it is summer. Oh no, not for me. Today I began summer school. As I walked into the ice-cold room, I did not know what I had in store for me. Little did I know that the Race, Gender, and the Media class would open my eyes into a world that I knew little about. My professor began the class talking about what our idea of race was. This immediately made me extremely uncomfortable, but the professor assured me that I would soon get over my discomfort.
We started to discuss racial stereotypes that we have. We also went on and talked about shows that are on television that portray these certain stereotypes. A student in the class mentioned the Real World Hollywood on MTV and I got to thinking about it.
MTV picks people to be on the Real World that will butt heads and clash with each other. Every season they pick a loud African American, usually it is a girl or boy, but in this case they have 2 this season. They have the “innocent” girl from a small town. The also pick macho meathead guys. And so on. Thinking about this makes me wonder what I am watching. When I was in middle school I would watch this show, which went against my parents wishes for me to not watch it. Watching it today and actually understanding what is going on, I know why they forbid me to watch it. As a 13-year-old girl I was so naïve about how race was portrayed in the media. Being so young, my mind was shaped to portray these certain races as they do on the Real World.
This season on the Real World Hollywood there is one episode where Brianna, the loud African American girl gets in the face of the Kim, the white girl. Kim makes the comment to Brianna, “Don’t go get all ghetto on me.” If I were a younger child watching this today, I would then think that all African Americans were “ghetto.” The Real World picks characters that will satisfy watchers, not thinking that many of their watchers are younger and that their minds can be molded by what they watch on television.
This is the link to the MTV Real World: Hollywood page:
http://www.mtv.com/ontv/dyn/realworld-season20/cast.jhtml
We started to discuss racial stereotypes that we have. We also went on and talked about shows that are on television that portray these certain stereotypes. A student in the class mentioned the Real World Hollywood on MTV and I got to thinking about it.
MTV picks people to be on the Real World that will butt heads and clash with each other. Every season they pick a loud African American, usually it is a girl or boy, but in this case they have 2 this season. They have the “innocent” girl from a small town. The also pick macho meathead guys. And so on. Thinking about this makes me wonder what I am watching. When I was in middle school I would watch this show, which went against my parents wishes for me to not watch it. Watching it today and actually understanding what is going on, I know why they forbid me to watch it. As a 13-year-old girl I was so naïve about how race was portrayed in the media. Being so young, my mind was shaped to portray these certain races as they do on the Real World.
This season on the Real World Hollywood there is one episode where Brianna, the loud African American girl gets in the face of the Kim, the white girl. Kim makes the comment to Brianna, “Don’t go get all ghetto on me.” If I were a younger child watching this today, I would then think that all African Americans were “ghetto.” The Real World picks characters that will satisfy watchers, not thinking that many of their watchers are younger and that their minds can be molded by what they watch on television.
This is the link to the MTV Real World: Hollywood page:
http://www.mtv.com/ontv/dyn/realworld-season20/cast.jhtml
2 comments:
Lauren, I watched that episode and when the comment was made it seemed to make her angrier and more defensive which fed right into the very nature of the comment. Do we every take a moment to ask why certain images and stereotypes are portrayed? Take some time to delve into your media habits and maybe we can answer that question together.
I remember that episode. I have noticed over the last few years that the Real World was becoming more and more embarrassing in its casting. They always try to fill the house with 7 people that fall into any of the following stereotypes:
1. angry/loud African American
2. innocent white guy/girl from a
small town
3. athletic meathead
4. the male player
5. the female player, usually
referred to as slut
6. the token gay or lesbian
7. the basketcase
8. the drama queen/king
9. the wild child
10. the fame seeker
11. the one that everybody hates or
picks on
12. and the recovering
alcoholic/addict.
It's really interesting to go to the link listed below and look back on every season of the Real World to see the progression of this type casting. If you are familiar with the series then you will be able to spot each type from various seasons.
The current season appears to be the most outrageous. MTV has chosen 7 strangers seeking fame and fortune while being portrayed as degrading stereotypes that will only hurt their chances at a successful career in the entertainment industry.
They have an angry recovering alcoholic who fell off the wagon and was hauled off to rehab, the small town girl who hopes to become a news anchor while sustaining a relationship with her boyfriend, the ditzy blond drama queen who wants to become an entertainment reporter, the African American player who everybody hates seeking a modeling career, the athletic meathead who likes to start fights, the stripper/wild child who has sex like a man causing her to be thought of as a slut hoping to become a recording artist, and the angry African American who hits things who is on the quest to become involved behind the scenes in the music industry. The entire cast is based on the list of stereotypes above and then some.
Just like you, I watched this show since I was in middle school and never understood why my mother thought that it was so horrible. She of course thought this because of the content, but I see a whole new dimension to the content and subliminal messages presented simply by the casting.
http://www.mtv.com/ontv/specials/real_world_awards/seasons.jhtml
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