Though we may not always realise it, there's a lot to be said about the type of media we consume daily. Whether we're scrolling through an algorithmically charged Instagram feed or watching Netflix's latest hit series, we're absorbing plenty of messages (some more obvious and some more subliminal) through all of this content.
Ethnicity has been at the forefront of the discussion for quite some time, when it comes to media representations and their impacts. There has been an active shift in a lot of media content to represent ethnic minorities in more realistic ways, but not all creators have achieved this goal.
Let's take a look at how we, as sociologists, make sense of the causes, trends (current and changing), and significance of ethnic representations in the media.
- In this explanation, we are going to explore ethnic stereotypes in media.
- We will first look at the meaning of ethnicity and the meaning of ethnic stereotypes within the social sciences.
- We will mention a few examples of ethnic stereotypes, as well as representation of ethnic minorities in the media.
- Then, we will move on to the representation of ethnic minorities in the media, such as the press, in film and on television.
- After this, we'll explore a couple of ways to prevent ethnic stereotyping.
What are ethnic stereotypes?
If asked about ethnic stereotypes, we'd likely all be able to name a few based on what we've heard and seen around us. But what exactly are 'ethnic stereotypes' in sociology? Let's take a look!
The meaning of ethnicity
While different people may have different levels of commitment to their ethnic group, there is plenty of evidence to show that people from the same ethnic backgrounds do share some common identity traits.
Ethnicity refers to the cultural characteristics of a given group, which enables members of that group to both cement their belonging to one group and distinguish themselves from others. Examples of cultural characteristics include language, dress, rituals, and food.
Take care to note the difference between 'race' and 'ethnicity'. The word 'race' is increasingly out of circulation in sociological discourse. This is because race, as a concept, has used supposed 'biological' differences to justify harmful and discriminatory practices. Where 'race' is often used in a physical or biological context, 'ethnicity' is used in social or cultural contexts.
Fig. 1 - There are several important aspects to consider when defining the word 'ethnicity' in the social sciences.
The meaning of ethnic stereotypes
In sociology, the word 'stereotype' is used to refer to oversimplified views and assumptions about groups of people - they are over-generalisations about the characteristics of people in those groups. As you may well know, stereotypes aren't unique to ethnicity - they exist across other social domains as well, such as sexual orientation, gender, and age.
The problem with stereotypes is that they ignore the existence of individual differences. Whether a stereotype is 'positive' or 'negative', it is harmful all the same. This is because it leads to assumptions that people who belong to a certain group must subscribe to every norm and value of that group.
If and when someone strays from that stereotype, they may be marginalised or judged because they fail to meet the expectation of belonging to a certain group.
Examples of ethnic stereotypes
Some common examples of ethnic stereotypes:
South Asians are forced into arranged marriages.
Chinese students are good at maths.
Black people are very good athletes.
French people are snobby and rude.
Media stereotyping of ethnicity in sociology
Studying media representations in sociology is very important because the mass media is our main source of entertainment and information about the world around us. As we know, the media plays a significant role in shaping our norms, values, and interactions. Sociologists argue that unpacking our media content is vital if we are to understand how it affects us.
Representation of ethnic minorities in the media
Media scholars have found that ethnic minorities are often represented as a 'problem' in stereotypical ways. For instance, Asian and Black people are often represented through negative imaging in the media, with more complex and nuanced differences between and within ethnic minority groups being ignored.
Racism in the press
Ethnic minorities are often shown to be the cause of social unrest and disorder in a community, perhaps through rioting or committing more crimes than their White counterparts.
In his study of the press, Van Dijk (1991) found that White British citizens were presented positively, while non-White British citizens were presented negatively in ethnic relations reporting in the press in the 1980s.
Where experts from ethnic minority backgrounds had a voice, they were quoted less often and less fully than their White counterparts. Comments from authority figures, like politicians, were also mostly from White people.
Van Dijk concluded that the British press was characterised by a 'White' voice in the 1980s, creating a viewpoint of the 'Other' from the dominant group's perspective.
Fig. 2 - The press is often racist in its portrayal of ethnic minorities.
Stuart Hall (1995) identified an important difference between overt and inferential racism.
- Overt racism is more obvious, in that racist images and ideas are represented approvingly or favourably.
- On the other hand, inferential racism appears balanced and fair, but is actually racist underneath the surface.
Inferential and overt racism in the press
In light of the recent war between Russia and Ukraine, there has been a lot of speculation about the handling of such news by the media and the public. Many argue that the coverage of this event has exposed the underlying racism that is extremely pervasive in the media today.
Let's examine this using Stuart Hall's paradigm.
An example of inferential racism in this instance is that there is significantly more coverage of the Russia-Ukraine war than there is of conflicts or humanitarian crises taking place in countries like Afghanistan or Syria. This is indicative of racism just underneath the surface, in that there's little to no mention of those problems at all.
In a similar vein, a prominent example of overt racism regarding the Russia-Ukraine conflict is a comment made by senior CBS correspondent Charlie D’Agata, who said:
“This isn’t a place, with all due respect, like Iraq or Afghanistan, that has seen conflict raging for decades. This is a relatively civilised, relatively European — I have to choose those words carefully too — city, one where you wouldn’t expect that or hope that it’s going to happen.”
This comment is outwardly racist, and it is made without any attempt to conceal the speaker's racist perceptions of non-White countries.
Racism in film and TV
There are many prominent tropes with problematic ethnic minority representations in film and television as well. Let's take a look at a couple of them.
The White saviour in film and TV
A common trope in Hollywood productions is that of the White saviour. A familiar and hotly debated example of this is The Last Samurai (2003). In this film, Tom Cruise plays a former soldier who gets tasked with suppressing a Samurai-led rebellion in Japan.
After he is captured by the Samurai and understands their point of view, Cruise's character teaches them to defend themselves against the Japanese imperialist army and is ultimately responsible for achieving the Samurai's goals.
Despite being described by Japanese critics as being well-researched and intentioned when it was released, the film has been subject to a lot of debate in more recent years.
White actors' racist portrayals of ethnic minorities
In the early 1960s, Blake Edwards adapted Truman Capote's famous novella, Breakfast at Tiffany's, for the big screen. In the film, the character of Mr Yunioshi (a Japanese man) is played by Mickey Rooney (a White man) in a very stereotypical, overtly racist manner in terms of both his actions, personality, and way of speaking. Upon the release of the film, there was very little criticism geared toward the character.
However, after the 2000s, many critics have called out this representation as offensive, not only because of the character itself, but also because Mr Yunioshi is a character of colour being portrayed by a White person. This is indicative of a shift in what is accepted in media content over time.
Changes in the media representation of ethnicity
Let's look at how the media landscape is changing.
Media representation of ethnicity in film and TV
The rise of public service broadcasting led to the emergence of Black cinema in Britain. Shows and films that were made for minority audiences have become popular with White audiences, and there has been a shift toward minority ethnic actors playing ordinary characters without typecasting them.
Typecasting is the process of casting an actor in the same type of role over and over again because they share the same characteristics as the character. A prominent example is the 'ethnic friend' to the White protagonist in Hollywood movies, who is often the only significant minority character in the cast.
Statistics show that there have also been improvements in the representation of ethnic minorities in film and TV - so much that the difference is notable over just the past few years.
According to the 'Hollywood Diversity Report' by the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), White actors made up 89.5 per cent of lead roles in Hollywood movies in 2014. In 2022, this statistic is down to 59.6 per cent.
Advertising
There has also been a rise in the representation of non-White actors in advertising. It is common for companies to incorporate narratives of diversity in their advertising campaigns, such as those from Adidas and Coca-Cola.
While more diverse representation is an improvement to be sure, some scholars argue that some forms of ethnic minority representation can inadvertently reinforce stereotypes instead of challenging racist beliefs.
News
Studies show that since the early 1990s, there has been an increase in anti-racist messages being conveyed by digital and print news media. It has also been found that immigration and multiculturalism are more positively represented in the news than was previously the case.
However, sociologists and media scholars are careful not to exaggerate these changes, as biases (whether deliberate or not) against ethnic minority groups are evident in news to this day.
When an ethnic minority individual is responsible for a crime, the criminal is more likely to be labelled a 'terrorist'.
The affirmative action debate
Despite a clear upward trend in ethnic minorities being cast in - and even creating - media content, some argue that a lot of this has been achieved for disingenuous reasons.
The process of giving minority groups more opportunities for remedying past and existing instances of discrimination is called affirmative action. These types of policies or programs are often implemented in employment and educational settings.
However, it is believed to be implemented in Hollywood just for appearances - that is, to make producers and casting directors appear more inclusive than they really are. This is often done by increasing on and off-screen diversity in minimal or problematic ways.
In 2018, Adele Lim was invited to co-screenwrite the sequel to the Hollywood hit film Crazy Rich Asians. She ended up declining this offer as she, a Malaysian woman, was offered a very small fraction of the pay that her collaborator, a White man, was offered by Warner Bros.
Moreover, statistics show that films with more diverse casts are generally better received by audiences - this means they are more profitable. However, behind the scenes, ethnic minorities (whether in the cast or production crew) also tend to be paid less than their White counterparts.
This is another reason why critics suspect that diversity in Hollywood is not meaningful. They argue that, while the situation looks more equitable from the outside, filmmakers still operate in a fundamentally inequitable way on the inside.
What are some ways to prevent ethnic stereotyping?
Seeing as we consume a hefty amount of media from day to day, we ought to consider how we can challenge and overcome the ethnic stereotyping that we are exposed to - particularly in the field of sociology.
Of course, ethnic stereotyping doesn't only occur in the media - it can also be seen in the workplace, the education system, and the law. As sociologists, our main goal is to identify social problems and study them as sociological problems. Being aware of the existence of ethnic stereotyping, as well as where it comes from, is a good first step in attempting to prevent it from proliferating further.
Ethnic Stereotypes in Media - Key Takeaways
- Ethnicity refers to the cultural characteristics of a group, such as dress, food, and language. This is different to race which, as an increasingly outdated concept, refers to physical or biological characteristics.
- Ethnic stereotypes are over-generalised assumptions about a given group based on their ethnic or cultural traits.
- Ethnic minorities are often represented negatively or as a 'problem' in the media - this is done overtly or inferentially.
- There have been improvements to ethnic representation in the media where the news, film and television, and advertising are concerned. However, there is still a long way to go until the media achieves full and proper diversity.
- Identifying the source and existence of ethnic stereotypes is an important step in overcoming them.
References
- UCLA. (2022). Hollywood diversity report 2022: A new, post-pandemic normal? UCLA Social Sciences. https://socialsciences.ucla.edu/hollywood-diversity-report-2022/
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