Racial Stereotypes in TV or Movies

Racial Stereotypes in TV or Movies

Does the show you’ve chosen reflect racial and gender diversity?
The television show I have decided to focus on is called Lost. The show debuted in 2004 and ran for six seasons. An airplane crashes on a deserted island and is left with about forty-five survivors. It is up to them to use what the island provides them to survive until rescued. The group is quite diverse in many ways. There are many white people, from both Europe and America, some black people, Asian people (one who cannot speak English), and some Latino people. However it seems as though there are more men on the island than women, and there is only one child. Diversity is important in a television show because the show needs to attract a broad audience. An audience of many different racial and gender backgrounds. For example, if there are no black people on the show, a black person could be less interested in watching it, and that goes for every race. This show does a good job of making it interesting for both male and female viewers.

Are there any racial stereotypes in the show you’ve chosen?
There are absolutely stereotypes in the show. The leader and protagonist of the program, Jack, is a white male doctor in his thirties. He is rich and smart and powerful, and of course…white. Sayid is a former Republican Guard member for the Iraqi military. The middle-eastern man is very good with computers and technology, and is often looked at to find some way to connect with people off of the island in hopes of rescue. Shannon is a beautiful young white female on the island. She does not help contribute anything to the other survivors. Instead she works on her tan and continues to apply make-up. And finally, Kate, is also a young beautiful female on the island who everyone seems to like. The thing is, Kate is a convicted felon who was being transferred to another prison on the plane. Because she is a beautiful female, a convicted felon is the last thing people think she is. Stereotypes are everywhere, and some do more harm than others. As a society, we have to show the power to not completely buy in to the stereotypes of today.