Pop Culture, Diversity, and
Representation
“TV Diversity: Whose Job is it Anyway?”
“NAACP Takes a Closer Look at
Television Diversity”
Quickwrite #4
• Based on the readings we have done so far
and your own experience, do you think that
the way the media and the entertainment
industries represent (or fail to represent)
minorities has real world consequences for
real people in those groups? Why or why not?
Feel free to respond to a specific quote from
one of the readings if you would like.
What do we mean when we talk about
“diversity and representation” in the
media?
• It might mean a discussion of how closely
media products as a group reflect the diversity
of the society that is producing them.
• It might mean a discussion of how a specific
media product deals with the question of
diversity. Are minority groups represented? If
so, are they represented fairly, or as
stereotypes?
Terms that are Relevant to the
Discussion
• Diversity: the condition of having or being
composed of differing elements : variety;
especially : the inclusion of different types of
people (as people of different races or
cultures) in a group or organization (Meriam
Webster Online Dictionary)
– When the word is used to talk about different
types of people, there is also a connotation of
acceptance of and respect for those differences.
Terms that are Relevant to the
Discussion
• Tokenism: the practice of doing something
(such as hiring a person who belongs to a
minority group) only to prevent criticism and
give the appearance that people are being
treated fairly (Meriam Webster Learner’s
Dictionary)
• Marginalize: to relegate to an unimportant or
powerless position within a society or group
(Meriam Webster Online Dictionary)
A few more words to know:
• Portray: verb (Noun form is “portrayal”)
–
–
–
–
1 to make a picture of : depict
2 a : to describe in words
b : to play the role of
Miss Spitler’s note: This word often has the connotation of a fictional,
not necessarily true representation.
• Depict: verb (Noun form is “depiction”)
– 1: to represent by or as if by a picture
– Miss Spitler’s Note: depict/depiction and portray/portrayal are often
used interchangeably because they are synonyms.
• Problematic:
– a : posing a problem : difficult to solve or decide
– b : not definite or settled : uncertain <their future remains
problematic>
– c : open to question or debate : questionable
Let’s use all of these words in a
sentence:
• Too often, Latinos are depicted as criminals,
gardeners, or maids, and little else. This
portrayal is problematic because, consciously
or not, it props up racist assumptions about
this group. Producers and writers should
make an effort to write characters and
storylines that offer a more complex portrayal
of the people in this historically marginalized
community.
And one more…
• If you read enough about the topic of representation and
diversity in pop culture, you will probably run into some
people who are using some specialized definitions of the
words “Racism” and “racist”
• In this case, dictionary definitions fall short in terms of
helping us understand how writers on this issue use this
word, but they’re a place to start.
• Meriam Webster Online gives me:
• : poor treatment of or violence against people because of
their race
• : the belief that some races of people are better than
others
• In other words, under this definition, “racism” is any
racially motivated prejudice.
But it’s more complicated than that.
• The definitions on the previous slide were focused on the
actions or personally held beliefs of individual people. This
certainly is one kind of racism (individual racism), but
writers on this issue often speak about Institutional racism–
the institutionalized marginalization of a group based on
race
• The difference between these two definitions is that in the
second, the focus is on socially ingrained structures and
systems (in which individuals certainly participate, but are
larger than any one person’s beliefs or actions) that
discriminate based on race and perpetuate racially
motivated prejudice.
• One way that this idea of institutional racism is sometimes
expressed is: “racism is prejudice plus power.”
“TV Diversity: Whose Job is it
Anyway?”
• What larger conversation is this article responding to?
What specific show/event is the article responding to?
• In the first section of the essay, the author, Aydrea
Walden, uses a strategy described in They Say, I Say. She
lists common objections to further inclusion of minority
characters (that’s the “they say” part), and then, she
offers a counter-argument about why each of those
objections doesn’t make sense. (That’s her “I say” part.)
• What did you think of the “they say” objections she
cites? What did you think of her counter-arguments?
Was she convincing?
The Effects of a Lack of Diversity
• In “TV Diversity: Whose Job is it Anyway,” Aydrea
Walden claims the following:
• “The shortest possible answer to ‘does diversity on
TV matter?’ is ‘yes.’ Repeatedly showing people
images absolutely has an affect on the way they live
their lives. It’s the basis for the advertising industry.
By regularly marginalizing people of color on screen,
it makes it easier for people to marginalize those
same populations in real life.”
• What does she mean by this? What do you think of
this criticism?
“NAACP Takes a Closer Look at
Television Diversity” p. 458
• What claims about representation of African
Americans on television is Vic Bulluck making in
this essay? How does he support those claims,
and what is your response to them?
• This essay touches on many of the same ideas as
Aydrea Walden’s essay, though it is different in
terms of tone, audience, and purpose. Compare
Bulluck’s treatment of this issue with Walden’s.
• This essay was written in 2006. Do you think
Bulluck’s points would be different if he were
writing it today?
How do I write about this issue?
• First of all, you’ve got to decide what you think
about the big questions.
– What do you think about how diverse the media
being produced right now is?
– Do you think that it’s enough to simply include
actors/characters from minority groups in shows/,
films, etc? If not, what else should be done?
– Are there certain groups that you notice being
portrayed inaccurately?
How do I write about this issue?
• Start paying attention. I know not all of us watch
a lot of TV, but if you do, start noticing how
diverse the characters you see are, or how
diverse the musicians you listen to are, etc.
• Think of the Miss Representation film we watched
as a model. That film also touched on how
women, in this case, are represented in film,
television, news media, and advertising.
• Start doing some reading. It’s very difficult to
know what you think about this issue until you
know what the big debates are.
Some Questions that Will Help You on
Essay #2
• As you analyze the pieces of media that you
have chosen in order to support a claim you
are making about pop culture and diversity,
ask yourself:
– What are the main values that are being put
forward as “correct” or “normal” by this piece of
media? Are these values particular to any one
group? Are there any groups whose values/ideas
are poorly or unfairly represented?
Some Questions that Will Help You on
Essay #2
• If you narrow your topic by MEDIA (for example, if you
want to examine horror films, or sitcoms, or a specific
genre of music, etc.): Do you notice any patterns in the
representation of diverse groups in the media you chose?,
• If you narrow your topic by GROUP (for example, if you
want to examine the portrayal of Latinos, or the Deaf, or
bisexuals, etc.): Do you notice patterns in the
representation of the one minority group you chose?
• If so, what do you think those patterns mean? Why are they
important?
• Is there anything missing from the portrayals you are
researching? Is there anything complicated that is made
simple? Any subtle differences that are glossed over?
What are the consequences of this over-simplification?
Group Brainstorming Time
• What are groups that are incorrectly
represented (or not represented enough) by
popular culture?
• Can you think of any examples of
controversial/problematic representation of
one of these groups?
• What would a good (not problematic)
representation of these groups look like, do
you think?
Group Discussion (if we have time)
• Share some of your responses to this question:
“Make a brief list of your favorite television
shows or films. How diverse are these pop
culture products? How are characters who are
from minority groups treated/characterized?
Does this issue ever affect your decision to watch
a film/show?”
• Discuss each others’ responses respectfully and
be ready to report back on your discussion to the
class.
Where can I find sources?
• In this case, google is your friend. A lot of the most current
writing about this issue hasn’t made it into the school
databases yet.
• Searches that have been productive for me:
– Diversity and the media
– TV and diversity (or television and diversity)
– If you wish to research a certain group, play around with
combinations of the group name, and the words “diversity,”
“media,” and “television” (or whatever medium you are
researching.
– If you wish to research a certain piece of pop culture, type in the
name of the film/show/genre and “diversity” and see what you
come up with.
• These same searches work with the school databases.
Tentative Topics for Essay 2
• Based on our brainstorming, spend the rest of
the class narrowing your topic. Be ready to
tell me what your tentative topic is for essay 1.
Give me as much detail as you can about the
question you will be exploring. (You should go
into all of our essays with a question you are
researching/exploring, not a topic upon which
you have already completely made up your
mind.)