Race and ethnicity in the United States Census Essay

The media is an industry where the competition is longing and it has been used by the government individuals, organizations, institutions, fraternity, and family etc. for various purposes. However, due to the increasing competition in the industry, more(prenominal) at quantify the functions and duties which the media owes to the society ar significantly overlooked. on that point be various functions of the media some go forth be discussed later on in this paper.The aim of the media has to a fearfully large extent shifted from fulfilling its roles to the society, rather their focus is often on how much entertainment they can offer to their audience and how much currency they can make and how quickly they can make it. Entertainment and money making is definitely samara in the existence, survival and growth of this industry, nevertheless, this should non be achieved by inappropriately portraying a root words identity in any form. DEFINITION OF KEY TERMS Construction To mak e or create, by putting together ideas, components or arguments. Group Identity This refers to a someones reason of belonging to a group.Media- Are communication channels through which news, entertainment, education, data or promotional messages be disseminated. Media includes every broadcasting and narrow casting medium such as newspapers, magazines, TV, radio, billboards, direct mail, telephone, fax and meshwork (business dictionary, 2015). THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK SOCIAL identity element THEORY BY TAJFEL & TURNER (1979) This theory was propounded in coiffe to understand the psychological reasons and basis for inter- group variety. The components of this theory goes thus Categorization- This is the treat of putting ourselves and others into categories, our self-image is associated with the categories we belong to. realization This is the process by which we associate ourselves with certain groups of people. Nevertheless there are some groups we dont want to be identified w ith (out groups) and there are some we would want to be identified with (in groups). Comparison- This is the process through which we compare our groups with other groups, therewith creating a positive bias towards the groups in which we are members of. This scenery of this work will focus on two salient functions of the media amidst the various ones there are.Social inheritance function- The onus lies on the media to transmit positive racial and ethnic values about every actual dry wash and ethnic group. The act of highlighting and spotlighting the various negativities of backwashs and ethnic groups should be avoided. Surveillance function- This is the duty the media owes to the society in circulating news and information when necessary, the media is responsible for providing information about events. THE CONSTRUCTION OF GROUP IDENTITY BY HOLLYWOOD (A STUDY OF THE LATINO RACE) There are five acclaimed races in the world 1) mongoloid (Asian and American Indian) 2) Caucasoid (Eur opean) 3) Australoid (Australian and oceanic) 4) Negroid (East African black).5) Capoid (South African black) The Latinos could be said to belong to the Mongoloid race and most of the 315 gazillion people who live in the United States of America are either immigrants or hire ancestry to another country. In actual fact, the only truly American people are the Native ones. This country is based on the idea of migration in pursuit of a better kindly and economic life. jibe to U. S. Census Bureau (2012), there are roughly 52 million Hispanics/Latinos life-time in the United States, re largessing approximately 16.7% of the total population of United States of America, and making them the nations largest ethnic minority. Among Hispanic subgroups, Mexicans rated as the largest at 63%, fol execrableed by Puerto Ricans (9. 2%), Cubans (3. 5%), Salvadorans (3. 3%), Dominicans (2. 8%), and the remaining 18. 2% were Colombians, Guatemalans, Portuguese, Honduras, Ecuadorians, Peruvians, Braz ilian. The main reason for their migration has been either that they are politically endangered or pass water financial problems. For instance the Cubans who ended up in America wanted to escape from the political conditions in their country.Escaping from the communist government practiced in Cuba, they were considered as political refugees in America for three and a half decades until 1995. As a result of Americas opposition to the Cuban government, they were treated in America better than close to any other ethnic group. This has as well as been partly because of their high direct of education and professionalism before migration (Martins, 2006 as seen in Mousavi & Sadeghi, 2013). Latinos, Mexicans in particular, mostly live in the Southwest almost half in California and Texas. Puerto Ricans are mostly in the East and Cubans are in Florida.According to the U. S. Census Bureau, legal Hispanic household income is only 75 percent of White American income. There is also a high rat e of poverty and unemployment among them, and their socio economic status is at a low level. The cause for this situation is partially their jobs world the lowest paid ones, their low education level, and employment discrimination (Camarillo and Bonilla, 2001). They are present in the news, advertisements, election campaigns, political debates, television and films.The common major feature that is present in all of these portrayals is the problems related to them that should be solved and not to be glorified, exaggerated or exploit by Hollywood. Before now African Americans were more plausibly to be picture as house servant workers in Hollywood. African Americans played major roles in television sitcoms such as Beulah in the 1950s and Gone with the wind in 1939. In recent times Latinos have increasingly replaced African Americans as Hollywood domestics. Hollywood has presented an incorrect reality of the Latino people to the American people and to the world at large, it has exa ggerated a abject image of this particular race.Although the Latinos who live in America get more roles to play in Hollywood, most of these roles are mentioned in the next paragraph. The Latino female is often presented as a temptress, vamp, lustful, promiscuous, unfaithful, manipulative, of loose morals or submissive at times in relation to a white male fantasy, low class, serving the whites. A list of Ten Latino Female artists who have played the role of a maid in Hollywood Movies/series. Jennifer Lopez Maid in Manhattan, 2002 Aida Linares- Clueless, 1995 Lupe Ontiveros- As favourable as it gets, 1997 (She has played an estimate of 150 maid roles on television).Consuela-Family Guy, 2005-till present Nadine Valesquez-My name is Earl, 2005-2009 Paz Vega- Spanglish, 2004 Kate Del Castillo- La misma Luna, 2007 Adriana Barraza- Babel, 2006 Catalina Saavedra, The maid, 2009 Roselyn Sanchez, roundabout Maids, 2013- till present Pania Ramirez Devious Maids, 2013 till present THE MEDI A, DIVERSITY AND SOCIAL CHANGE INITIATIVE (MDSCI)S SIX YEAR STUDY REVEALS SOME STATISTICS. Among the racial and ethnic groups studied in the Media, Diversity, and Social deepen Initiatives report, released August 2014, Latinos made up only 4.9% of movie characters across degree Celsius of 2013s top-grossing films. According to the U. S. Census Bureaus estimates, there are roughly 52 million Latinos in the U. S. as of July 1, 2011, or just over 16% of the current U. S. population. That number is on crossbreed to reach 132. 8 million or about 30% of the U. S. population by July 1, 2050. LATINOS THAT ARE represent IN TOP-GROSSING MOVIES ARE MOSTLY NAKED. While the study does note that Hispanic females (37. 3%) were more likely to be featured in popular films than were white females (29. 6%) or Asian females (32%), Latinas are also more likely than females among any of the other groups studied (37. 5%, to be precise) to be shown partially milled or nude on the big screen.LATINOS ARE ALSO HIGHLY LIKELY TO BE SEXUALIZED. The sexualization of Latinos does not stop with women. Latino men were the most likely among the studied groups (16. 5%) to be depicted have on tight, alluring or revealing clothing. DANGERS OF THE NEGATIVE PORTRAYAL OF RACE & ETHNICITY BY THE MEDIA ?Since there is a lean to believe what is represented or depicted by the media as particular races or ethnic groups are often negatively portrayed, others who are not acquainted with such group of people are demarcation line to believe they are real the way the media has presented them. ?Another danger of negative portrayals of race/ethnic groups by the media is that the younger ones from such groups may not be able to see themselves better than the way the media has portrayed them. For example if a race is continually depicted as a maid or as vulgar murderer the younger generation of such groups may not see anything wrong with being that way and could actually end up as same. ?This particular race have existing challenges of employment, poor education the continuous depictions as such does not help solve these problems, but only worsens them. ?It could be difficult for people who are negatively portrayed to keep relationships with or amongst other races who are depicted as superior to them. THE NOLLYWOOD CONSTRUCT OF ETHNICITY (A STUDY OF THE YORUBA, AND NORTHERN NIGERIANS)The founding fathers of Yoruba films in Nigeria i. e. Herbert Ogunde, Moses Olaiya (Baba Sala) Based their works on the constructive values of the Yoruba ethnic group without leaving their audience entertained. In recent times Nollywood has neglect the transfer of social heritage function in the production of Yoruba films.More often than necessary abusive statements, raining of curses and the invention of such and rascality has been synonymous with Yoruba films. The very rich Yoruba culture which the world could produce from is often being tarnished by our film industry. However there are various Y oruba producers who focus on spreading the positivity of the Yoruba culture i. e. Tunde Kelani, Tade Ogidan, Yinka Afolayan. Men from the Federal part of Nigeria are also often times portrayed as either a gateman or the security man of a well-established family.The character who could actually be Yoruba speaks like a man from the north to convince the audience that the gateman is a man from the Northern part of the Country. Little does Nollywood know that many of the gatemen in Lagos which I can speak for are not even Nigerians. I have observed that most of the gatemen/security men in reality are actually from Niger Republic many of them look like Nigerian Northerners, are able to speak Hausa linguistic process but they are not Nigerians. RECOMMENDATIONS ?Every race has some sort of value and norms that could be positive, the media should hereby seek out such and spread them. ?The media needs to respect the fact that every human person has dignity and should be portrayed as such. ?They never should never assume that a particular race or ethnicity is less than the other, regardless of the socio economic status of such groups. ?The media should seek to solve the challenges faced by some races and ethnic groups rather than exploit them. ?The media should be reminded that they are socially responsible to the society, thus they should be mindful of what they feed the society with.