I believe television makes social issues more graphically visible to Americans, especially race relations. Beginning in the 1960’s, tolerance of racial integration became a popular theme in film, television programming and network news. The prevalent cultural narrative of racial tolerance developed into the celebration of diversity that permeates today’s culture.
While I realize that racial discrimination, prejudice and stereotypes can be found in the media, I do not believe that it is prominent trend in the mainstream media. There are numerous examples. In terms of television newscasts, there is a very concerted effort on the part of broadcasting agencies to portray a racially and ethnically diverse team of news anchors and political commentators. Furthermore, it is essentially taboo that a major mainstream news agency would even consider utilizing a strictly caucasion news team.
Additionally, television and movies have made significant headway in their efforts to fairly represent racial minorities not only in terms of sheer numbers but also in character quality and their traits. As Gary Gerstle discusses in Liberty, Coercian, and the Making of Americans, I believe it is true that “the cinema gave its ethnic…producers, directors, and actors opportunities to represent themselves in a variety of roles and masks and thus to negotiate the terms of their entry into American society.”
While there are far too many examples to recount, one that, in my opinion, seem significant is “The Cosby Show.” This show portrayed an unapologetically well-to-do African-American family that had achieved financial and social success based on their own merits – patriarch Cliff Huxtable is a doctor, and his wife Clair is an attorney. However, the critical aspect is that the Huxtables’ success is not the show’s focal point, but merely one aspect of a complex familial dynamic and identity.
Okay, this is a very convincing and efficient argument you’ve put together. Really nice job.
I find myself agreeing, for the most part, although I think it’s not quite as simple as it sounds. Take the Cosby Show. It was revolutionary in its crossover appeal: white people watched it who had never watched a television show with black protagonists before. But some might argue that presenting the main characters as exemplars of professional success (a doctor and a lawyer) and middle-class respectability were necessary to get a mainstream white audience to watch the show. In other words, you can only cross one barrier (race) at a time. A second point is that for every Cosby Show, there are six or ten or twenty shows that narrowcast to a race and/or class-specific niche audience. I’m not sure that a trend away from racial niche-marketing has accompanied the multiracial mix evident in the countenances of nightly news anchors. I guess what I’m suggesting is that there may be several trends at work that cut different ways.
At any rate, fabulous post.