Media Reaction Paper - Essay Example

1 The article I will address, appeared in the Saturday October 7, 2006 edition of the Charleston News and Courier. The Article featured a City of Charleston Councilman (Larry Shirley) who reacted to the misadventures of three African American juveniles (aged 9, 10 and 12 years of age), who attempted to rob a local video store in the early evening on Friday October 6, 2006. The media also included in this article, the City Councilman's attempt to point out how rampart the lawlessness among children was throughout the county, when he mentioned a string of robberies and grand theft auto incidents which were perpetrated by a group of high school football players who were students at a high school east of Charleston, in an upscale suburb. The article cast a sweeping indictment of parents who reside (in a predominately African American low-income community) on Charleston's East Side. However, he does not associate the negative behavior on the environment. The City Councilman alleges that the parents of the three juveniles are crack heads and they had no idea where their children were, or what they were doing. Moreover, Councilman Shirley said that bad parenting was at the root of the anti-social behavior being exhibited by today's youth, and it was his proposal that the only way to weed it out, is to "sterilize the parents", of kids gone bad. 2 Did the article attempt to address the diversity represented in the American landscape The article begins by citing the incident of the attempted robbery of a local video store, and how two of the children had been retained in police custody, while the third, the nine years old, was returned to his parents. Additionally, the article quoted the City of Charleston Councilman's reaction to a string of robberies which occurred during the month of September in an up-scale neighborhood east of Charleston. The article was so inflammatory until it was imperative that the author draw parallels. Albeit, the underlying thrust of the piece had very strong negative overtones, there was no explicit mention of race. Nonetheless, as the locations were mentioned, it was obvious that race was being put on trial. In mentioning the residential locations of both groups, the city councilman was implying that he had a zero tolerance for juvenile crime. However, in my minds eye, it was calculated positioning, to avoid admonishment or being labeled as a racist. While he made value judgments and cast aspersions upon the character of African American parents, he did not follow in kind with the parents from east of Charleston. This article was minus a reasonable base and exhibited a lack of respect for diversity. The City Councilman was expressing his outrage concerning the recent crime wave and he felt the most appropriate manner to address these types of negative behavior would be to sterilize the parents.. Obviously his response borders on genocide. He would prefer to eliminate a race of people and forever remove this aspect of diversity from the American landscape. The article exhibits a wanton disregard and an absence of sensitivity towards human nature in general and diversity in particular. To what extent do the media rely on stereotypes when depicting a certain group The media ostensibly exists to serve a public good; to present an unbiased and accurate 3 account of events which the community may be interested, or even have a common bond. This should be presented without projecting the social orientation or economic status of its editors. However, in the real world, we have come to know that some media outlets may have a tendency to lean a little to the left of the bell-shaped curve, while others may lean to the right of the curve. Given the precepts of the first amendment, this is their right. In either instance, the public tends to receive reports which are imbued with social and economic bias. As Americans, our problems with stereotypes emanate from either fear or an absence of understanding of social phenomena. It is often said that what might seem to make sense to one man, is seen as foolish by another. In other words, all actions and circumstances can not and should not be viewed and analyzed through the White-Anglo Saxon prism. Writers and editors may purport to know a certain group, (their idiosyncrasies and their characters), but their understanding is usually peripheral. And if the leaning is to the left, then the assessments tend to be patronizing. On the other hand, whenever the conservative viewpoint is reflected upon certain groups, it is obvious that an enormous gap in understanding exist. This writer operates on the premise that there are basically three acceptable levels of understanding; low-level, mid-level and high-level. Presumably only members of the group will possess a high level of understanding of themselves, the mid-level will be occupied by some members of the group and a representative segment of the media, while the low-level will be occupied by those arrogant individuals who rely upon misguided theories and unsubstantiated statistics, which fosters the breeding ground for stereotypes. As with the article which is being presented in this particular instance, the media elected to print the irresponsible comments of a person who many would believe has both and educated and 4 experiential understanding of human nature. The media used the words of this public official to perhaps project some of its own biases. They print a story which calls for the long term elimination of a race of people. Clearly, by running this story the media is complicit in its stereotypical attitude towards African Americans. Can you imagine this media outlet printing the remarks of someone calling for the sterilization of Jews. Assess whether or not the selected article fostered a better understanding of diversity and multiculturism While the remarks contained in the article were ostensibly made by a responsible public official, the irresponsible remarks in the article has positioned itself in dealing a terrible blow to diversity. As the saying goes, every situation presents us with an opportunity to learn something new. Surely, this elected official would not have made this statement if he thought for a moment that it would jeopardize his image or chances with his constituents. It is clear, that while many people parade with their masks of understanding and purport the brotherhood of their fellow human beings, there are many who only put up a faade. This article points out that there is much work to be done in the area of diversity. Albeit, there is diversity, we must stop thinking of each other as "us" and "them". This is exactly what this article does and it does not foster a better understanding of diversity and multiculturism. It points out that there is a distaste for diversity and an acceptance of exclusion, which precludes anyone who is not in the likeness of the majority to be excluded.. I think it is important to submit, that I do not condone criminal behavior, but I do think that there are more sociably acceptable means of solving our dilemma, which keeps us in touch with being a leader in the civilized world. Works Cited The Charleston News and Courier, Councilman Larry Shirley Proposes a remedy for bad parents, Accessed on line on October 11,2006, from www.charleston.net Read More