Theoretical Perspectives on the Family and Ethnic Essay

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Theoretical Perspectives on the Family and Ethnic Groups

When the average viewer consumes media content delivered by major news networks, including ABC, CBS, NBC, or their local affiliate stations, there is an unspoken expectation that the content being broadcast is objective and free of prejudice or bias. While the advent of opinionated news debate programs has resulted in an increased rate of editorializing by today's news networks, traditional hard news reporters are still expected to present current events without inserting their personal views. A comprehensive random content analysis of television news programming, conducted by researchers Travis L. Dixon and Daniel Linz in the Los Angeles metropolitan area, revealed that, despite the prevailing notion of impartiality when it comes to the nightly news, "Blacks and Latinos are significantly more likely than Whites to be portrayed as lawbreakers on television news … [and] are more likely to be portrayed as lawbreakers than defenders" (131). By comparing statistical evidence regarding crime rates for each racial group throughout Los Angeles and Orange counties, Dixon and Linz observed that minority groups are vastly overrepresented in terms of their portrayal as criminals, while Whites are significantly underrepresented in relation to the legitimate commission of crimes. The societal implications of this trend bear further examination, in an effort to determine what effect the marginalization of minorities by the news media has on other mass media programming, including situational comedies and other entertainment-based television programming.

The multitude of ethnic groups which comprise the typical American neighborhood provide the basis for our nation's historical reputation as the world's melting pot, or a place where people from every cultural background can become a part of their local community. While a neighborhood with distinctly identifiable ethnic populations, which are typically Black, Latino, Asian, or European in origin, can be the foundation of cross-cultural friendships, the data provided by Dixon and Linz illustrates the level to which appearances can be deceiving.

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When the seemingly objective news media is capable of embedding racially biased messaging in its nightly news broadcasts, there is great potential for programs with a more creative inclination to skew their plots and storylines with stereotype, prejudice, and bigotry. The fact that many ethnic groups have distinct family structures, traditions, and customs enables writers, directors, and actors, who are largely responsible for the creative contained presented by sitcoms, to develop interesting storylines that can border on the offensive when not handled properly. Additionally, the time constraints imposed by the traditional 30-minute block of television time forces many sitcoms to rely on overly simplistic narratives and plot devices for the sake of brevity. By objectively analyzing episodes of several popular American sitcoms, it is possible to demonstrate the tendency of this relatively new mass media outlet to shape public perception regarding ethnic groups and family structure, while revealing the regrettable reflection on our society that these programs often provide.

One of the most important television shows in terms of race relations was The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, which aired on NBC, from 1990 to 1996, for six highly successful seasons. Starring a pre-Hollywood Will Smith, the show revolved around the character of "Will," a young African-American man from Philadelphia who is forced to live with rich relatives in California after becoming involved with bullies back home. While The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is widely considered to be a superior sitcom in terms of its fair and accurate portrayal of race relations, the show can still provide many lessons as to the insidious reach of latent bias or….....

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