RACE GENDER MEDIA Post 3

Last class was quite interesting.
Tracy showed us a video that brought up the ideas of stereotypes in the media. I can't help but wonder where some of these stereotypes came from.
The movie raised the question, "Do you think that the media could function without the use of stereotypes?" And I have a feeling like at this point in time, it cannot. The stereotypes have become what is customary, or orthodox. For instance, a woman is not typically in charge of a company, and that reflects in what people view in the media. Native Americans are a small portion of the population, and in turn, are practically nonexistant in the media.
As much as we hate to admit it, this is how many people view the world.
If we were to watch a TV sitcom, and the "token gay guy" wasn't flamboyant, we might get confused and assume he was not gay at all.
In order to create characters, who are memorable and fit the norm, the media uses stereotypes.
Ex: The token black guy may have grown up in a poor neighborhood, but has risen to new heights, despite his past, or the Hispanic woman almost always has an accent and is portrayed either as a sexy vixen or a cleaning lady.
The asian boy is always smart and quiet while the protagonist, is almost always a white male.

Yes, this is how many people view the world right now, but maybe it's because the media has drilled it into our heads of "this is how the world is supposed to be."
These stereotypes represent a small miniority of that ethnicity, but maybe these stigmas will not go away in the media until that small minority completely dissappears, but unfortunately, that may take a long time.