The Huge Role of the Media on a Global Scale - Essay Example

MultiracialOn My Block

 Globally the media plays a huge role in molding and shaping viewers culturally. Television shows direct, how viewers perceive timely social issues, and directly speaks to positive changes in the community. Some of the most entertaining television shows require writing that will encourage social ideologies, challenge them, and allow them to continue playing a role in our society. A Los Angeles based comedy on Netflix, On My Block, for example, is one of the shows that best embraces and addresses sociology ideas. The writers of On My Block (Lauren Iungerich, Eddie Gonzalez and Jeremy Haft.) made a great effort to demonstrate the existence of social standards, and norms regarding ethnicity, class, power, and sexuality. Hopefully, the experiences the characters in the show face will not turn into a real-life society trend, but rather bring awareness to harsh norms within the show.

The writer also had the most influence on the viewers by encouraging them to be open-minded and forego typical stereotyping, as seen throughout the show. For example, the hood toughness stereotype is overruled in the television show On My Block. For example, the four teenagers Jamal (Brett Gray), Monse (Sierra Capri), Ruby (Jason Genao) and Cesar (Diego Tinoco) who are from the hood where local gangs are the order of the day, they do not portray toughness a teenager from the hood portrays. They do not engage in petty crimes and drug dealings in the hood. For example, Oscar is trying to escape from joining the gang, although his brother Oscar is forcing him.

The teenagers are also seen defying the common stereotype when Jamal (Brett Gray) does not want to follow the ways of his stereotype father. The latter wants him to be a football player; typically, sons wish to live up the expectations of their fathers if not copying what their father is doing. He is also shunning the coon trope stereotype commonly directed to black characters as he is portrayed as physically weak while black characters are usually physically strong in movies. Monse (Sierra Capri) goes against the typical stereotypes subjected to women as she is seen speaking and fighting for herself in the hood, something that rarely happens in our current society. Cesar (Diego Tinoco) defies the macho stereotype when he expresses his dreams of pursuing a life outside his family's legacy of being in a local gang. The overruling of the standard stereotype is crucial as it tries to portray to viewers that they do not let the surroundings you grew up in define and corrupt your morals.

Having a multi-colored cast also had a lot of influence on the television show. In On My Block, the writer validates and appreciates the people of color. The four main characters, one Black, one Biracial, and two Latinos, have entirely represented the minorities by showing a positive representation of their life experiences by showcasing their dreams of a brighter future it is not common to have the main cast to be people of minority especially in The United States of America. For Example, Monse (Sierra Capri) wants to become a writer in the future, and Cesar (Diego Tinoco) has dreams of getting out of the gang tradition and live life outside gang violence in typical situations people grow up accustomed to the environment they grow up in. The series wanted to give the minorities hope that despite growing up colored and exposed to a lot of dangerous things, there are also many positive things.

The television show challenges the viewers by giving a reality check and creating awareness that young teens are engaging in sexual intercourse; thereby, viewers need to talk about it and stop ignoring it. Mouse (Sierra Capri) and Cesar Diaz (Diego Tinoco), who are freshmen in the fictional Freeridge High-school, have already slept together even though they are 14-year-olds point at the end of season three, Ruby agrees to date Jasmine, and they engage in sexual intercourse. The show shines the light on the rampant sexual activities between teenagers, society needs to talk about it and the steps they need to take moving forward.

Slut-shaming and double standards to the female gender are evident in the current society we live in. The television show has done a great deal to explore the social vice as Monse covers up the fact that she has a relationship with Cesar to avoid the double standard slut-shaming in high-school for being in a relationship and for having sex. This is important because I think it is the right time to stop the gender double standards as a community.

The writer creates awareness of teen relationships portrayed in the series On My Block. The relationships are evident, at the end of season three, Ruby (Jason Genao) and Jasmine (Jessica Garcia) finally are on the same page and agree to a date. Monse (Sierra Capri) and Cesar (Diego Tinoco) started secretly dating in episode six but finally came in the open in chapter ten. Cesar (Diego Tinoco) and Olivia (Ronni Hawk) briefly dated before breaking up so that Cesar (Diego Tinoco) can be with Monse (Sierra Capri). They are seen kissing at the Halloween party after Cesar (Diego Tinoco) is mad at Monse (Sierra Capri) for calling him dangerous. Ruby (Jason Genao) and Olivia, their short-lived relationship, quickly got obsolete when Olivia kissed Ruby (Jason Genao) on her quinceanera in episode ten. The show shows the norms of the society of teenage relationships. These relationships are essential as they are a true reflection of the society we live in, thereby making the show more relatable.

On My, Block displays life in the hood well by incorporating gangs. The Santos gang, which was founded by "Lil Ricky," Galindo is seen terrorizing the streets. The constant fights between the Latinos gang The Santos and the Blacks Gang the Prophets are detrimental to the community's day-to-day lives. For example, Latrell (Jahking Guillory), a member of the Prophets group, kills Olivia and shot Ruby (Jason Genao) when he intended to kill Cesar (Diego Tinoco) in Olivia Quince during the end of Season One. Also, we can see the consequences of gangs. For example, Cesar (Diego Tinoco) was exiled and forced to live on the streets because he failed to roll up and kill Latrell (Jahking Guillory), a member of the Prophets gang who had rolled up on him and Monse (Sierra Capri) in season One. The writer also depicts challenges accrued from growing in the hood as Cesar (Diego Tinoco), who is 14 years old, is handed a gun and tasked to kill his former friend turned foe Latrell (Jahking Guillory). The show is against gangs as it shows how they can cause havoc to the society we live in. I think that it was important that the negative sides of the gangs were displayed.

The writer portrays the theme of feminism through Stacy Jaramillo “Cuchillos” (Ada Luz Pla). The show defies usual community standards suggesting that gang leaders are men Cuchillos (Ada Luz Pla), a female Latino gang leader who is ruthless and psychopathic. She is a go-getter who, in chapter twenty, is quoted saying that she answers to no one, and also, displays her psychopathic characteristic when she is quoted saying, "Oh no, no, no, Mamacita. I'm not suggesting I'm going to hurt you. I am suggesting I will hurt your dad.' in chapter twenty. In the standard community setting for a female to be the leader of a gang is almost impossible. This is important as it shows that female leaders can make good leaders.

The more television becomes part of our day to day lives, themes the writer tries to portray, massively affects our lives. On My Block directly shows the cultural and social challenges facing the teenagers and how they go about it. The show fully represents the minorities through the diverse races present; it also depicts how the teenagers defy common stereotypes and cultural practices while exploring their sexuality and gender. As entertaining as On My Block has proved to be, the writer’s ability to address these teenage lives in the hood was vital to reach a broader audience since the show encourages the diverse races in the hood that no matter how much worse things happen in the hood, there is still some positivity.

Work Cited

Iungerich Lauren Eddie Gonzalez, Jeremy Haft. On My Block: Seasons One-Three. Netflix. 2018-2020. Television.