Why Media Matters
Luke Cage has made headlines this fall for tackling cultural issues that are facing our country. The Harlem hoodie-clad, bulletproof superhero looks to save his neighborhood from corruption and crime. The Netflix series has also had some critics- about the lack of diversity. Some people found the predominately black cast “unsettling.”
The national reaction to a predominately black cast for a show set in a predominately black neighborhood is indicative of the media landscape of this country. This is shown even more by the deeply divided result of the presidential election as to why media representation matters. Being open to the stories and experiences of everyone in the country is extremely important.
This year we learned the impact of ignoring groups and not acknowledging their stories and experiences. Perhaps more so than ever we understand how volatile this lack of communication between groups can be. Media representation is much more than having a token people of culture in media, but embracing differences and understanding stories different from our own.
Luke Cage’s critics are now feeling what people of color, women, and members of the LGBTQIA community have been feeling for years. Hollywood’s history of whitewashing, appropriating, and twisting culture has marginalized them for decades. There have been more white actors and actresses who have won Oscars in yellow face than Oscars awarded to Asians.
Media representation has made big headlines in 2016. From the #OscarsSoWhite and the many other issues with the Oscars themselves (the seemingly knee-jerk reaction of having Chris Rock host, parading out asian children to be the butt of a joke by the host, lack of any black actor or actress nominations despite the multiple critically acclaimed films they were in, etc.) to the casting of Scarlett Johansen as the main character in the movie adaptation of a popular Japanese manga, the year has been full of criticism.
However, there are signs of positive change. As the media landscape is changing, new media makers like Amazon and Netflix have moved into creating content versus simply distributing it. Popular shows like Orange is the New Black, Luke Cage, The Get Down, and Transparent feature casts filled with diverse casts. Having shows on these platforms allow scripts to push the envelope in terms of issues they can tackle.
Orange is the New Black features a predominately female cast with people of all races, ages, and sexual orientations. The characters, mostly female inmates at fictional Litchfield Prison, tackle issues from crushes and unrequited love to addiction to opiates and assault and rape by guards. The series is easily one of Netflix’s biggest hits and helped to establish the platform as a serious contender in changing the TV landscape. It’s garnered national attention for its tackling of major issues like the way transgendered people are treated, racism, and corruption in the US prison system. Most notably, this past season ended with a major character with a guard’s knee to her back. Her last words were “I can’t breathe.”
The success of stories being told by Netflix and Amazon haven’t gone unnoticed by major TV networks. As the demographics of their audience change, “big tv” is making strides to address the diversity issue in primetime television. New popular shows like Black-ish and Fresh Off the Boat highlight black and and asian families and their experiences living in the States. At its peak, Black-ish amassed 7.2 million viewers compared to 6.2 million viewers for Orange is the New Black. However, even both of these are dwarfed by The Big Bang Theory’s 12 million viewers. The predominantly white cast has a token Indian scientist, played by Kunal Nayyar, a UK native who dons an Indian accent for the role.
Multiple studies on the impact of media on audiences show how large the impact can be. American children spend more time watching television and surfing the web than they do in the classroom according to a study done by the Pediatric Child’s Health Institute. The impact of media on their psychosocial development is linked strongly. Even for adults, the link is strong. Ideals for beauty, gender/ethnic stereotypes, and more impact our expectations in real life. Some studies have even linked media portrayals to the lowered life expectancy of Black men in America.
In media today, East Asians are depicted as passive, nerdy, math wizards who might also be good at martial arts. South Asians almost always have accents (a issue tackled by Aziz Ansari in his Netflix series Master of None). Even worse, black men and women in media more often than not play stereotypes of inner-city thugs. Hispanics are depicted as drug users. Women of color groups are hyper sexualized. The problem runs deep- especially when multiple studies show that these media representations affect our perception of these groups in real life.
The emergence of diversity and issues faced by certain groups in the US has continued to incite debate and split our country. From schools and workplaces to the media that we consume, changing demographics have felt backlash. Culminated in this year’s presidential election, many conservatives have been pushing back against these changes.
Our country is deeply divided in a way we haven’t seen since the North battled the South. As new forms of media continue to challenge the norms, we have to encourage open discussion to why representation matters.