...ICOM101 Major Essay Does Media Discourse Reproduce Social Inequality? Student Name : Pratama Robin Rachel Discourse denotes to the various forms of representation, codes, habits, conventions associated with language are responsible for producing specific culturally and historically located meanings. Media discourse can be described as an interaction through a media platform with the help of verbal or non-verbal communication. It has been found that media can potentially influence the public. The objective of this essay is to find out the role of media discourse in reproducing social inequality. In order to meet this objective, in the following sections the concept of discourse is explained vividly along with its style of operations. A relationship between media discourse and social inequality will be established in this essay. Discourse can be referred to the manner or way of communication between individuals or group. Discourse plays a major role in determining how an individual will understand and interpret a specific thing based upon ideas, thoughts and beliefs. According to Michel Focault, discourse is an entity of sequences, codes and signs in that they are enouncements. Media discourse includes various media outlets such as radio, television, newspaper, magazine, internet etc. The inevitable power of media has been discussed in discourse studies. Many research studies have shown that media plays an important role in influencing the thought process of individuals...
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...but it has being increasing over the years. Brent Staples, author and editorial writer that wrote about black men and how they are viewed differently in our society because of their skin color. In his essay “ Black Men and Public Space, ” his main focus was black people being blamed for everything that happen in our society because of their skin color which created racial inequality in America. Black people are being judged because of the action that have happened the in past and their skin color which created racial inequality. Black people are portrayed differently in our society because of their action in history. Staples himself writes “ I was scarcely noticeable against a backdrop of gang warfare, street knifings, and murders” (Staples, 116). In other words, Staples believes that the causes of black people being portrayed differently in our society is because of their action in history. Most people were against racism before and now. Black people were angry about them being judged easily when they tried to have their voice out there, it resulted in them being judged more by our society. This shows how society doesn’t give voice to the subgroups and judge them easily for what has happened in the past. Black people would rather stay hidden in...
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...Racism Consultation: Basics which all Social Workers need when dealing with racism in children Racism is an issue in which many people shy away from when it arises. Most people feel they are not racist, however in later discussion many racist ways of thinking may be divulged. Racism needs to be addressed, not avoided. Children need to learn how detrimental racism can be to themselves and others. The home and school environments are the best places to begin to address the issue of racism. It is the school's responsibility as well as the parent's to see to it that differences are accepted and not devalued. Antiracist education is also a very helpful approach in reducing racism in schools. This essay will go into detail about how racism is taught to children, characteristics of a racist child or a victim of racism, as well as techniques to prevent or reduce racism in children. Ms. Carlson, the middle school counselor, was approached with an issue that involves two of her students. It appears that Billy has been making racial comments to Tommy, an African American boy. Ms. Carlson is aware of different schools participating in antiracist and multicultural education, however their school does not incorporate this type of teaching. The school is located in a conservative town and Ms. Carlson feels that this type of education will not be welcomed in the school district. She has asked me to speak with Billy and Tommy to see what factors play into a child who has...
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...Ryerson University Racism in Canadian Hockey Neil McGregor - 500 459 843 SOC 507- Race and Ethnicity in Canadian Society Professor Christopher Powell April 13th, 2016 ------------------------------------------------- TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction......................................................................................................3 Evidence of Racism in Hockey Minor Hockey.......................................................................................3 Professional Hockey.............................................................................6 Impacts of Racism in Hockey............................................................................8 Influencing Factors...........................................................................................8 Corrective Action.............................................................................................10 Conclusion........................................................................................................12 ------------------------------------------------- INTRODUCTION Canada’s favourite past time hockey has and continues to endure racism throughout all levels of the sport. This paper will expose the institutional racism in Canadian hockey associations with an emphasis on black hockey players. Drawing credible news reports and personally experiences, I will provide evidence that institutional racism is deeply rooted within the fabric...
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...As a lawyer, Atticus has a duty to ensure everyone who enters the court is treated in a equal and just way. Atticus not only expresses the opposite, but introduces more prejudice into the courtroom. Atticus does not call out the blatant racism and prejudice that surrounds him, and so shows himself to be a product of his time. Atticus also shows this flaw in his professional life. Atticus believes that Tom Robinson is innocent and a good person, but he is too afraid of social repercussions to challenge the views of the white men of the jury. Instead, he encourages the jury to swap their racist views with sexist and class views. During the conclusion of Atticus’ defense, he tells the jury, “She [Mayella] has committed no crime, she has merely broken a rigid and time honored code of our society, a code so severe that whoever breaks it is hounded from our midst as unfit to live with. She is a victim of cruel poverty and ignorance, but I cannot pity her; she is white.”(271-2) Atticus’...
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...Black Men Viewed as Criminals I believe that in certain areas we have come a long way from when this essay was written, but some things are still the same for the black men and woman being viewed as criminals. In the story the main character is viewed as a mugger because he likes to take night walks, and a robber because he rushed into work one day. Today the young black men are viewed as criminals because others think you shouldn’t be living in a community. This happened to a young man named Trayvon Martin. In the story the main character is viewed as a robber where he worked. He was rushing into work, but because he is a black man running inside he is viewed as a burglar. The office manager called security on him. In another incident, he went for an interview at a jewelry store. The woman who worked there excused herself and when she came back she had a Doberman pinscher on a leash ready to attack. The last incident, he was working on a story about a murderer. The police mistook him for the killer and came after him. If it wasn’t for his press credentials the police would have tried to book him. Today we still have incidents like this. On February 26, 2012 Trayvon Martin was spending his suspension with his father and his father’s fiancée at her house in a gated community at twin lakes. At the time there was a lot of criminal activity in the area. George Zimmerman was selected to be the neighborhood watch. On the night of the incident Trayvon left the house to get some...
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...its Effect on Racism 'Racism', in the Oxford English Dictionary, is defined as "Prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that one’s own race is superior", and, "The belief that all members of each race possess characteristics, abilities, or qualities specific to that race, especially so as to distinguish it as inferior or superior to another race or races". The essence of both definitions seems to be that specific characteristics are used to segregate people into different levels of superiority. While the truth behind this grouping and subsequent segregation is arguable, it is generally accepted that doing this is wrong. The first thing that tends to come to mind at the sound of the word, for most people with a knowledge of basic world history, is the Apartheid in South Africa or the Nazi regime under Hitler. These are institutionalized forms of racism, and unfortunately, racism is prevalent in many other forms. We like to believe racism is something of the past. We like to believe it is now extremely rare, at least among the educated, and that even people with racist tendencies tend to suppress them for the fear of being politically incorrect. Unfortunately, it seems that we have been wrong all along. Racialization is very much a problem of the present and contrary to our belief, the increasingly globalized nature of the world is not helping reduce it. In recent times, there is reporting of racism in a variety...
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...Comparing and Contrasting Essentialist Approaches to Social Psychology with Social Constructionist Approaches to Social Psychology. A widely recognised definition of social psychology is “an effort to understand and explain how the thought, feeling, and behaviour of individuals are influenced by the actual, imagined, or implied presence of others” (Allport, 1985). However, how to measure this, the research methods to be used and what constitutes useful evidence has caused much debate in the history of social psychology. This essay will compare and contrast the two epistemologies of essentialist and social constructionist approaches to social psychology and the research methods of quantitative and qualitative used in each approach. Essentialists’ view of the world is that the properties possessed by a group are universal in that group and do not depend on context. However, a member of a group may possess other characteristics that are not required to include it as a group member but, it must not have characteristics that preclude it from being a member of the group (Burr, 1995). For example, essentialists believe that personality consists of a number of traits and personality of an individual is established by the level of each of these traits. Essentialists also believe that these traits remain more or less stable over time and it is our personality that influences behaviour (Maltby, 2010). As essentialists are able to classify groups as such, they use quantitative research...
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...Ralph Ellison, a successful and highly regarded African American author, wrote a plethora of impactful and praise worthy literature. However, Invisible Man is a piece that was defined the “historic moment of the mid-twentieth-century America and forced reconsideration of the powers of fiction” (247). Through this text Ellison highlights the necessary presence of existentialism, a theory which places value on the existence of the individual person as free and responsible for their own actions behaving on their own will. Not only does Ellison highlight a need for identity, but he specifically relates this need to African Americans during this time. Ellison questions whether or not race is an authentic marker of individuality and identity. The...
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...2006), and occasions such as the Olympic Games are now massive worldwide events that receive similarly massive attention from the world’s media. It is clear that sport has changed dramatically over the past 20 years, as has the diversity of the athletes who appear in our newspapers, on our television screens and on our radios. With reference to these points I intend to investigate whether sports journalism is still dominated by white males, and if so, how does this cultural bias influence how other ethnic groups are represented in the sporting media. Due to word constraints the essay shall focus on Northern Europe, specifically Sweden and the United Kingdom. Diversity in the newsroom Diversity in a news organisation can bring many benefits, including a broader spectrum of opinion, varied specialist knowledge and both personal and professional development amongst staff (Stepp, 1989). This essay will look at two different social groups and the progress they have made in recent decades in sports journalism: women, and those from Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) backgrounds. Female sports journalists The first point I wish to determine is whether or not sports journalism is still overwhelmingly male in...
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...apartheid in 1994 South Africa has been in era of attempting to rectify racial inequality. White anti-racism is one of the issues that has presented itself in this attempt at achieving equality posing both possibilities and challenges. The issues of whiteness and white privilege have emerged as one of the greatest challenges in this proves of restoration. This essay will first provide a brief historical background to white anti-racism in post apartheid South Africa as well as introducing the concept of whiteness and white privilege. In order to demonstrate the challenges and possibilities relating to whiteness a few ideological discourses will be discussed. The findings of the research done by Wale and Foster will also...
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...Essay # 2 “Based off of my already conceptualized knowledge of the word, I would have to say that a feminist is a person who strongly supports female rights.” This is a quote from my introduction paragraph of the first essay we wrote for this class. Having been in this class and read the works written by feminist authors, I have a better understanding of what a feminist actually is. I also have a better understanding of my identification with feminism. Feminism is an ongoing collection of movements and ideologies that advocate for the betterment of women and a feminist is someone who supports this idea. However, my answer still remains the same as it did; I do not identify as a feminist. It would be an insult to feminist leaders for me to call myself one. I support feminist ideas and feel as though women have been oppressed and still are oppressed, but I am not an active supporter, therefore I would not call myself a feminist. I feel as though a feminist is someone who is active in their support for the movement, i.e. advocating for women by either teaching, writing, protesting, or doing things of that nature to improve the treatment of women. There is a major difference in saying that you support feminism and actually doing something to show that support. To further explain my understanding of feminism, I want to uncover the different layers of oppression that women face. While in the 1900’s the goal of feminism was for women to receive equal treatment to men, feminism is...
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...This essay looks at how is how personal prejudice, cultural assumptions and structural power relations ignite oppression and discrimination. I have chosen to look at this in relation to poverty and race. This essay aims to define discrimination and oppression, and relate this to what is evident when talking about poverty and race and discuss the implications for the young people I work with. The literal meaning of discriminate is to identify a difference. When the term is used in a legal, moral or political sense it is generally used to refer to unfair discrimination, this refers to the process where a difference is identified and used to impose unfair treatment. Oppression is the outcome of unfair treatment. associated with discrimination has oppressive consequences for the people so affected. It is important to note the differences between anti/discriminatory and anti-oppressive practice are primarily semantic, rather than theoretical or ideological. What is paramount is that as care and social workers we all must tackle this issue head on, without fear of opening a can of worms. Poverty is an issue that has been talked about for many years in Scotland. Nethetheless, in despite severity of the situation, and regardless of the impact on our youth, and ultimately the future of our country. Even though legislation put in place to ensure the well being of our children, it can be argued that not enough is being done to tackle the issue. Poverty is an issue which raises...
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...teaching their pupils about Blacks, Latinos, Asians, Native Americans, and other descendants of color. However, multicultural education is not complete if it doesn’t challenge the root of structural racism and racial oppression: the matter of white privilege. It’s vital to understand white privilege and the role it plays in affecting society. In essence, white privilege is an unwilling and non-owned racism that has been ingrained into our mindset throughout history, and it affects how we interact with each other and how those who don’t share such advantages are affected. It’s a permeating factor responsible for many inequalities faced among races, widening the social gap between white and nonwhite Americans. Accessibility to education, jobs, and housing are all directly affected by societal inconsistencies of privilege and power. Ultimately, racism isn’t caused by white privilege; white privilege is caused by racism. Yet racism isn't a problem that resides in the minds of individuals; it lies rooted deep in our social institutions. It is necessary we reconstruct the societal ideologies of race and class to expel this self-perpetuating cycle. In this essay I will address these racial struggles for power and privilege, the role it plays in education, and my personal experience towards racism and how it has affected me as a person. Privilege, as defined by Websters Dictionary, is a ‘special right, advantage, or immunity available only to a particular person or group’. In that sense,...
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...what create our perception of the world around us, whether it is political, social, economic, etc. Ideologies are not the product of individual intention or conscious, rather we create our intentions within ideology (Marris, Thornham, 2000, p. 267). These ideologies exist before we are even born; they form the social constructions and conditions that we are born into. But, ideologies are just a practice, and it is produced and reproduced in apparatus of ideological production. The media is a great example of an apparatus of ideological production (Marris, Thornham, 2000, p. 273). It produces social meanings and distributes them throughout society. However, as long as ideologies continue so will social struggles such as racism, which we will discuss in this essay. Media elites represent different races through media based on their ideologies. This has a predominant influence on the social constructions of race and contributes to our understanding of it. The media is bias. This is due to the bias in the minds of those in control of these media outlets known as the media elites. Harold Innis is a well-known Canadian political economist and a pioneer in communication studies who explores the concept of media...
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