Stereotypes In Reality Television - 730 Words

Manipulation: to control (others or oneself) or influence skillfully, usually to one’s advantage† (thefreedictionary. com). This is what reality television manages to do to the world we live in today. Reality television in fact, is not always real. Many shows on television create a false sense of reality for their viewers. This influences people to think, act, and feel certain ways about others and the world around them. We will write a custom essay sample on Reality TV or any similar topic specifically for you Hire Writer These reality television shows use stereotypes in many cases to continue to have an audience, and because people continue to watch these shows, these stereotypes are not only in television but they disseminate into†¦show more content†¦On shows like these women are shown getting in something called â€Å"catfights† often. These fights are over so many dumb things. Most of Page 2 Reality TV Essay the time it is fighting over men. When viewers see things like this they begin to get the idea in their head that women are catty back stabbers. Pozner acknowledges the fact that â€Å"If millions of TV viewers believe that sisterhood is not powerful but spiteful, it becomes all that much harder for women to achieve any further social progress in America. † (Pozner 108). Her point is that women need not let these shows affect them in the real world. Not only are women shown as backstabbers, but they are also shown as stupid. Just about everyone today has had to herd of the saying â€Å"dumb blonde. † This saying is influenced by reality television but not only for blondes, but for women in general. Pozner emphasizes on the fact that â€Å"Time and time again, we learn that the female half of the population is cringe-inducingly stupid. † (Pozner 108). She continues to say, â€Å"In embarrassing scenes across unscripted subgenre, women are portrayed as ‘the dumber sex’† (Pozner pg. 109). Pozner also provides a great example from the popular show Bridezilla that mostly women watch. It is a quote from the show that say’s â€Å"Thinking is a waste of time. Thinking is for people who have no brains† (Pozner 109). This is only one example, but it clearly proves that reality television is trying to get this idea into women’s heads andShow MoreRelatedNegative Stereotypes in Reality Television1639 Words   |  7 PagesAs Reality TV becomes more prominent it seems as though negative stereotypes overtly saturate this genre of entertainment. The popularity of reality TV shows subliminally support the preconceived or self-fulfilling prophesy consumers may have towards a certain person or group of people. Reality TV has had an extensive run demeaning African Americans while perpetuating stereotypes. More specifically today, black men are portrayed as stereotypical Brute individuals on the reality TV show Love andRead MoreAfrican American Stereotypes Reality Television1531 Words   |  7 PagesReality programs have dominated television networks sin ce their rise in popularity began in the early 1990s with MTV’s The Real World. The reality genre quickly gained viewership as it redefined the formulaic set up of televisions shows from the past. Reality television has infiltrated television because networks prefer low budgets for their programs that also generate high ratings (Hasinoff, 2008). People watch reality shows because they are intrigued by the seemingly â€Å"real† drama with ordinaryRead MoreThe Stereotypical Reality Of Television1624 Words   |  7 PagesThe Stereotypical Reality in TV Although television can sometimes be educational, it is often agreed that reality TV creates dangerous stereotypes. These days, it seems like producers are willing to turn almost anything into a an hour long weekly series. Another growing concern that may indirectly promote stereotypes is the issue of privacy in reality TV. It is said that â€Å"participants in reality shows have openly admitted that giving the public access to the most personal moments of their livesRead MoreThe Representation of African Americans in the Media and Popular Culture901 Words   |  4 Pagespopular culture, specifically American television, representations of African Americans often rely upon an array of stereotypes. Representation is the production of meaning through language or signifying systems. In media, the dominant stereotypes of African Americans include the sapphire, the coon, the jezebel, and the buck. These stereotypes originated during the minstrelsy period of the 1830s from white acto rs in blackface. While classic Black stereotypes originated during this period, they haveRead MoreThe Negative Effects Of Reality Television1462 Words   |  6 PagesReality television shows are meant to portray the essence of reality. These shows are created to show the audiences about all the different life situations that they can relate to with their own lives. Thus, reality should be the main component of these shows, however, that is not always the case. Reality shows are staged productions that are affecting society in many ways. The primary component that distinguishes reality-based programs from similar forms of entertainment including traditionalRead MoreThe Reality Of Reality Television882 Words   |  4 Pages What is it about these reality shows such as: Keeping Up with the Kardashians, Bad Girls Club, and The Real Housewives that we cannot stop watching? After watching reality shows like this, it leaves people craving the next episode of the next week. Re ality television producers are exploiting people by giving the public a â€Å"sense† of reality but not the real version of it, but rather exploit people and use stereotypes to make money for entertainment. The specific points of this argumentRead MoreMedia s Influence On Society1293 Words   |  6 Pagesaffects society. One of the most prominent explanations of those questions is the way media influences stereotypes. There has been previous research linking media sources and biased attitudes. This research paper explores articles supporting media as an influence of stereotypes. The perceptions of society are influenced by media. The media influences perception in many different aspects of life. Stereotypes act as cognitive schemas, used to help us process and organize information about the social worldRead MoreReality Television : Is It Reality?849 Words   |  4 PagesIs it Reality? Pop culture is popular culture that dominates a society at a point in time. Today, reality television is a part of the society’s popular culture (Johnson 289). The question is why? Reality television is a genre of television programming that focuses on members of the public living in conditions made by the creator, and displays how people are intended to behave in everyday life (Johnson 290). Reality television is debasing and should be strictly controlled, if not banned altogetherRead MoreA Comparison of American and British TV Comedy Essay1700 Words   |  7 PagesA Comparison of American and British TV Comedy Sit-coms in television history have been one of the most important genres for expressing the values of the middle and lower classes in our society, not in order to make fun of them but to express the best of them in a softer way. For the general public today, the sit-com is like the pantomime was for the Victorians. British comedy still has a Victorian taste, but it is one that is only recognized and truly appreciated byRead MoreEverybody Hates Chris1164 Words   |  5 PagesSince television came into existence, it has evolved into a useful tool to spread ideas, both social and political, and has had a great effect on the generations growing up with these heavily influential shows. To these younger generations, television has taken the role of a teacher, with the task of creating a social construction by which many of us base our personal beliefs and judgments on. This power allows television shows take the opportunity to address problems in a manner that many audiences

Mcdonalds and you Essay Summary Example For Students

Mcdonalds and you Essay Summary In todays complicated and ever changing society, we often try to achieve a sense of stability and familiarity around us. One way our culture has tried to make life a little easier is by implementing a function now know as McDonaldization. McDonaldization is defined as the process by which the principles of the fast food restaurant are coming to dominate more and more sectors of American society as well as the rest of the world. (1) The success of McDonalds, and of McDonaldization as a whole, is due to four basic factorsefficiency, calculability, predictability, and control. One of the first functions of McDonaldization is efficiency. Efficiency means choosing the optimum means to an given end. In our society, people like to have things go as quickly and as smoothly as possible, but they do not want to find out the fastest waythemselves. Instead, people like to have a system that has already been used and that theyknow works. Efficiency has its advantages for both consumers, who get what they wantquickly and with little effort, and for workers, who can perform their tasks in a simplemanner. The fast food industry is very streamlined, because hamburgers are the simplestfood there is to make. Other foods also do not need a lot of ingredients, and they aresimple to make and to eat. Most of the food is also prepared so one can eat it with theirhands, thereby reducing the need for utensils. In the process of McDonaldization,consumers are forced to do a good deal of work as well. They have to stand on line,carry their own food, and throw out the garbage. This is not as efficient for theconsumer, but it saves time for the workers. Education, health care, and the work placeare all becoming McDonaldalized in order to become more efficient. Efficiency inMcDonaldization has streamlined many processes, simplified goods and services, andforces the consumer to do work as well. Another factor of McDonaldization is calculability. This tends to put more of anemphasis on quantity rather than quality, but it allows the consumer to get a lot of foodquickly. When things are easily counted, it facilitates the process by making it morepredictable by using the same amount of materials. Part of McDonalds is an emphasis onsize. Everything is super sized, or have names that make food items seem larger thanthey actually are. Calculability, however, also leads to the quality of the food beingneglected. Because people feel as if they are getting a lot of food for their money, theyare not as worried about how good it tastes. Food is always weighed and measuredprecisely, which is another part of calculability. All burgers weigh the same amount, thereare the same number of fries in each container, and the new drink machines dispense thesame amount to each cup. This same theory is seen in our education system. Studentsare herded through, and no one really pays much attention to what or how they arelearning, just that they receive high grades so they can get into a good college. Healthcare has also seen the impact of these, because now patients are mainly treated just tosqueeze some money out of them, and doctors seemingly dont truly care about theirpatients anymore. Calculability basically reduces the quality of goods, but improves theThe third function of McDonaldization is predictability. In our society, peopleusually want to know exactly what to expect from a given situation. Predictability givesthe consumer a break from having to make difficult decisions, and the worker can performtheir task with little effort. The needs of everyone become easily anticipated. One of thefirst places predictability became common was with motel chains. Before motels becamefranchised, guests didnt know exactly what they would be getting, for the good or thebad. But then hotels such as Holiday Inn and Howard Johnsons started, and guests knewexactly what they were going t o get when they stayed there. This new practice wascopied in the food industry, namely by McDonalds. First, they started with a large andnoticeable sign, that could be easily recognized. People from around the world now knowthe McDonalds symbol is a giant yellow M. Something else that is predictable is theway employees are forced to interact with customers. Employees have a set script thatthey must follow, and this gives them some control over their customers. Their work isalso done in the same manner, for example, the hamburgers all must be cooked the exactsame way for the same amount of time. They also must dress and act in a certain way. - 1 - EssayThis system is fairly predictable, although not in a good way. During registrationtime, students know that they will have to spend many hours just waiting in line withnothing to do. They also can predict there will not be any seats left, that half of thewindows will be closed by lunch time, and that it will always be about a million degrees inthe waiting area. Students also are used to the gray schedule booklets, as well as theyellow registration cards. Seeing either of those items leads the students to think aboutexactly what they must go through, in order to register successfully. The final element, control, is seen as well. Students are being controlled by a tinylittle slip of paper they hold in their hand, which has a simple number on it. That numbersignifies their place on line, but it was generated by a computer, which keeps track of howmany people are waiting. Students also rely on the kiosk system, which shows whichclasses are still open, and which have been closed out. These factors help keepregistration as a controlled process. McDonaldization is becoming more and more prevalent in todays changing world. However, it allows us to expect certain things, helps us to manage our time better, andmake life in general a little bit simpler. It also, however, cuts down on the individuals ofour society, and forces them to conform to a set standard, which is considered the norm. Some places are able to use McDonaldization effectively, while others are still strugglingto implement it in a way which makes it work. It is a complicated process, which requiresa good deal of thinking and brainstorming to manage successfully. All in all,McDonaldization has both positive and negative impacts on our world. Bibliography: