Modern Popular Culture & Its Impact On Public Perception Of Race Essay

As the United States is considered to be a democratic society, the U.S. citizens should be treated equally, no matter what race they belong to. However, popular media culture, especially TV and advertising, tends to reinforce the existing social norms, providing subjective depiction of race, which depends on one’s racial vantage point. Assessing the different perceptions of race by and through popular culture, it is necessary to place emphasis on TV and advertising. The two specific texts within the media type include Shankar Vedantam’ article “Unequal Perspectives on Racial Equality” and Samad’s article “Post-black” thought in art and culture: The continuing effort to make race relevant”. In the first article, the author explores the vast differences in the perception of inequality between African Americans and whites in the United States. It has been found TV affects the perception of inequality creating the so-called that “disconnect between whites and blacks about what it feels like to be a victim of mundane discrimination” (Vedantam, 2008). Actually, the frustrations and indignities have become the major source of disconnect. In the second source, the author states that “the continuing saga to make race irrelevant in America has manifested itself in the realm of art and cultural expression” (Samad, 2007). The author states that cultural identity influenced the removal of labels, which created a greater dynamic for the representation of race in art and culture, including TV. The white race has always been a norm compared to other racial groups. The images of racial groups found in TV films and advertising influence public perception of race. For example, Native Americans are presented as not interesting images for TV and advertising (Holtzman & Sharpe, 2014, p. 316). In fact, the ramifications of these depictions in modern popular culture may be negative for the promotion of democracy and racial equality. According to researchers, “Native Americans continue to be a faceless, voiceless group within American society, their relevance seemingly reduced to a distant, historical connection”(Holtzman & Sharpe, 2014, p. 316). Thus, it is necessary to conclude that modern popular culture has a strong impact on public perception of race.

 

References:

Holtzman, L., Sharpe, L.  (2014). Media messages: What film, television, and popular music teach us about race, class, gender, and sexual orientation. (2nd ed.) Armonk, NY: M. E. Sharpe.

Samad, A. A. (2007, July 19–25). “Post-black” thought in art and culture: The continuing effort to make race relevant”. Los Angeles Sentinel, 72(50), p. A7.

Vedantam, S. (2008, March 24). Unequal Perspectives On Racial Equality. The Washington Post, p. A.3.

The terms offer and acceptance. (2016, May 17). Retrieved from

[Accessed: March 28, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016.

[Accessed: March 28, 2024]

freeessays.club (2016) The terms offer and acceptance [Online].
Available at:

[Accessed: March 28, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 28, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 28, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 28, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 28, 2024]
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