Stereotypes Directed Towards Latin Americans - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 4 Words: 1317 Downloads: 7 Date added: 2019/04/12 Category Society Essay Level High school Tags: Stereotypes Essay Did you like this example? Stereotypes have a big impact on our life. Without noticing, everyone labels someone by their appearance, the way they talk and maybe even walk. Stereotypes can make a person feel insecure and be unfair because people immediately label someone for something they do or because of their gender. Just because we are all labeled as something by the way people see us as, doesnt mean it needs to be true. Stereotypes can be harmful because they are based on gender, race, and have a really big impact on Hispanics. Stereotypes based on gender say how women should be a housewife once they are married and just take care of their kids. Some families still have the same traditions that their families told them and want their kids to follow it. For example, according to the Latino Leadership Council, Elisa Herrera states, I see young Latino boys being given the freedom to go out.. While the daughters are expected to stay home, be proper, help with the housework and essentially ready themselves to be future mothers and homemakers. This is very true and still happens to this day. Young girls are prohibited from going out, especially on their own because theyre weak and anything can occur to them while a young boy can easily take care of himself because hes stronger. Fathers praise their sons and tell them how if anything ever occurs to them they are responsible for the women and the son will be the man of the house. While the men in the house can just relax and watch TV, the women have to be in the ki tchen, cooking and the daughters have to help out by washing dishes and learn how to cook. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Stereotypes Directed Towards Latin Americans" essay for you Create order While this doesnt happen in my family, my mom does make me do the chores and says how I need to learn how to be independent and learn how to do things on my own without any help. She tells my sister the same thing and although I dont like doing chores, I do them because we all have to help out at home and none of us gets a free pass. Two researches from the University of Nebraska and UC Davis did a 2004 study in where they studied young Latino and Latinas, and one Latina women said: He (her brother) had a very much later curfew than I did. He got a car, got to drive a car and then he also got his own car and I never didI could only go to school-related activities and he could do about anything, he could go any place he wanted and so I always felt like I was the one that she (her mother) just didnt ever let go, she always kept control over everything that I did. This is very realistic and happens a lot, especially in Hispanic shows. When Im watching a TV show, such as La Rosa De Guadalupe which is a Mexican TV show that talks about all different types of problems that happens in real life. While it is different for every person with their social status, there still is a few similarities. People from high class give their sons anything they want and dont have a curfew while their daughters dont have to do chores, they have to stay home and be ready to be the perfect wife by giving their family all the attention they need. For medium and low class, it is the same by the girls having to do chores and the guys not having to worry about washing or cleaning up anything and can easily boss around their own mother and sisters by asking them to do anything they need. This ends up being bad, because the sons look up to their fathers, and see how machismo their fathers are and end up being the same way, not only with their mother and sisters, but even at school, with a girlfriend and with anyone else they feel like because the son feels like he has more power than a woman. Machismo means how a man has a lot of pride, and can be very aggressive, and say things such as, men dont cry. In the United States particularly I have noticed that there are many stereotypes directed towards Latin Americans. One of the stereotypes that brings our Latin American culture down is that many Americans commonly claim that all Latinos are Mexican. According to NBC News, they published an article discussing the struggles Latinos face with this stereotype. Being Latino means being part of a rich, diverse culture. Or does it? Some Latinos feel removed from their peers because of their skin color, language ability, or mixed-race heritage.This is a struggle I relate to. I am a Mexican American. With that being said in my community I feel like there is a certain way I am supposed to act. With stereotypes being one thing and my family constantly telling me to not lose my heritage I find myself questioning who I want to be. At times I even feel ashamed of showing off my culture because I dont want to come across as a stereotypical Latina. I am not ashamed of my ethnicity but stereotypes ma ke me feel that I should be. Many people immediately put a label to someone they see, for example, in school, Asians are known as the smart ones in math because of how easily it is for them to understand the lessons. Another stereotype that sadly is given to Latino Americans is that the majority of us are or will be garden workers, house maids, janitors, or construction workers. Even though there are many people that work in those fields we are much more than just people who come to this country other than cleaning. There are many entrepreneurs, business owners, doctors, lawyers etc. who are Hispanics. For some reason the stereotypical jobs are looked down on by more privileged people. In many times it feels like were even being ridiculed on television. In many films Latinos are portrayed as the nanny or the maid. One of the most recent and disrespectful things that have happened on TV was on a program titled The View. Kelly Osbourne, a co-host and her fellow hosts were discussing Donald Trump wanting to deport immigrants back to their country and she said, If you kick every Latino out of this country, then who is going to be cleaning your toilet, Donald Trump. The comment was not only disrespect ful to every immigrant who has consistently done difficult jobs in order to provide to their family because they arent privileged enough to afford much, but it was also assuming that cleaning toilets is all Latinos have to offer. Stereotypes are harmful to any race. Recently with all the news headlines and the hate increasing towards the Hispanic community those stereotypes have been used to degrade our potential as Americans in this country. As a Latina myself the only thing I can do is to continue to strive and push against any stereotype about my ethnicity. Along the side of a generation of Latinos who are attending college to make something out of ourselves. All I could hope for is that one day our hard work is recognized by those who criticize us. Whether it be proving to your mother you will be much more than a housewife, a man fighting against machismo, struggling to fit in with your community or studying to make a career for yourself just remember us Latinos are much more than that. Work Cited Herrera, Elisa. A Tale of Two Childhoods How We Raise Our Sons and Daughters Differently. Latino Leadership Council, 27 Apr.2011 Rodriguez , Julie M. Latino Life: Are We Tolerant Of Our Own Hispanic Diversity? NBCNews.com, NBCUniversal News Group, 31 July 2014 If You Kick Out Latinos, Who Will Clean Toilets? The View. ABC. Television. 04 Aug. 2015

Watergate A Decade Of Corruption, Lies, And Shadiness

Olivia Sees Mrs. Shandera Mr. Hill English pd. 3 History pd. 9 10 February 2017 *Insert Title Here* The 1970 s: a decade of corruption, lies, and shadiness. It seemed impossible any good could come out of such a disaster. However, only one thing was certain: United States Government would never be the same. Republican President Richard Nixon ran for reelection in 1972, amidst the Vietnam War and a divided nation (History.com Staff). It was crucial that Nixon and his reelection team put forth an aggressive campaign (History.com Staff). The Watergate Scandal increased public distrust of United States Government, therefore creating new acts to disclose government information and closer scrutiny of government by the media. According†¦show more content†¦Archibald Cox was appointed special prosecutor for Watergate in May of 1973 (Feinstein 39). Nixon had previously taped White House conversations and had Cox fired when asked to turn in these tapes (Feinstein 39). Clearly, Nixon had something to hide. According to â€Å"Watergate,† from July 10 throug h July 12 of 1973, former Attorney General Mitchell testified in court. He confessed that he helped cover up the scandal to save Nixon s reelection. Mitchell also revealed the plumbers,† which were a secret White House group created to stop information leakage involving President Nixon (Watergate (1973)). The information that surfaced during the trial always led back to Nixon. The Supreme Court commanded Nixon to turn over the tapes in July of 1974 (Feinstein 39). It was proven on the tapes that Nixon lied about covering up Watergate, thus putting Nixon in the position for impeachment (Feinstein 39). According to Watergate Scandal, more information was unveiled as the trial went on, ironically followed by President Nixon’s resignation in August 1974. Gerald Ford was Nixon’s successor, and he pardoned Nixon for any accused crimes. However, many of Nixon’s aides were not pardoned. They were convicted and sent to federal prison, while Nixon faced no punishmen t. Although Nixon was never prosecuted, the Watergate scandal changed American politics forever, leading many Americans to question their leadership and think more critically about

Reality Television Free Essays

Reality television has strong influence and damaging effects on our society. But let’s face it, we feed on the drama. We love to absorb another life other than our own. We will write a custom essay sample on Reality Television or any similar topic only for you Order Now Along with it comes the misconception of reality which distorts how one believes they have to behave to gain fame or attention. Reality television is bad for culture because it only elevates money, beauty, and fame above other qualities by promoting inappropriate behavior such as bullying, casual sex, alcohol abuse and bad language. The media plays a major role in selling this trash in order to increase revenue. Reality tv has a strong impact on our society because it distorts our view of reality. It pollutes our minds with Knowledge, attitudes, values, and behavior that are influenced by exposure to reality television and deemed acceptable by society. Our culture serves up degradation as a form of entertainment. Such shows incorporate inappropriate behavior such as bullying, scheming, and manipulating in order to get ahead or get the guy/girl. This is extremely harmful to children and teens because at this age they are seeking out their personal identities and starting to develop relationships with family, friends, and the opposite sex. They indentify with the media for what’s cool and look up to these public figures for how they should act, dress, talk etc. One example how these shows are negative would be MTVs Parental control, where the parents are unhappy with their child’s current choice of whom in which they’re dating. So, they get to choose who they assume would be a better choice for their child. While doing so, their current significant watches as they bf/gf go on a dates with their parent’s choices. This usually results in disrespect and bad mouthing to the parents from the current bf/gf. Some of the stuff is appalling that is said and sexually suggested to a teen audience. Not only do these shows encourage inappropriateness it creates drama because drama creates attention that we all crave at times. Other shows spotlight this lavish lifestyle and make the common person believe that they do can live this life if they model these infamous characters behavior and they too can receive stardom for random careless acts. It mainly bases stardom on physical appearance and how far you will go for the prize whether it be 100,000 or the rich husband. It makes us all superficial, materialistic and really unrealistic. Fall in love in 8 weeks, give me a break. But it’s entertaining and does suck us in. The contestants on these shows contribute to the ideology of competitive elements and stereotyping over working. What kid would want to go to school if he could party all day and have a rich bf gf and receive fame for it as well. I think we all seek another unrealistic lifestyle and these reality shows are giving our youth the message that if they act according they may too receive fame. Although, such shows demonstrate negative values ans are corrupting our youth and perception on things, the media is making money and doesn’t see these shows as negative only a positive asset to their bank account. The media has definitely altered the baseline of civility because money rules all things. The cost for these shows and their content are nothing but cheap. According to a recent article by Laurie Hibberd, she suggests cost has much to do with it. Reality shows cost an average of 400,00 to produce and gain up to 2 million for a dramatic series (Hibberd2002. It’s the less expensive option and ratings sky high , why wouldn’t; they keep these drama on the air. They may lack moral and values but big companies are not bothered by this only bothered by financial gain. Also big companies and organizations back these productions up with service or merchandise. Their only motive is to market their products and services, not to improve quality of programs. For in stance, a clothing label may give out merchandise hoping this may promote their brand. If the reality stars are wearing it, the kids will want to wear it as well. They don’t care what else the show may promote as long as its promoting their brand and resulting in an increase in sales. Reality television I believe has such a negative impact on society because it makes us believe that we can see ourselves on tv. That if we fit the profile that we too may receive stardom. But on the same not it makes us believe that our lives aren’t normal and maybe even boring which may even cause more drama in our life. Also, the media’s interest in making money is a contributing factor to wht such behavior these shows represent are coming into the norm. How to cite Reality Television, Essay examples Reality Television Free Essays In the year 1992 a new idea was introduced to America and it was called reality television. MTV produced a show called, The Real World that had seven strangers living in a house together and had everything they did filmed. After many failed attempts at trying to make this reality trend catch on, CBS launched Survivor, which pioneered the way for all reality shows to follow in the next decade. We will write a custom essay sample on Reality Television or any similar topic only for you Order Now It was a show about people battling it out in two separate tribes to their wits end in the jungle and it spread like wildfire across America. Survivor premiere debuted to 28 million viewers and is still on today, a decade and 21 seasons later (McCraley). Reality television did not have the power to tip and become an epidemic until producers began to use clever marketing strategies to bring Survivor to the mass of America. It has been almost twenty years since MTV first attempted to air The Real World with hopes of creating a new type of television America would love. First broadcasted in 1992 it is now the longest running show in MTV’s history and is currently on its twenty-fifth season. It is credited with being the first reality television show aired but it was not the first to grasp America and change the way we watch television. Reality television’s first big tipping point came the night Survivor premiered in May of 2000 on CBS and producers were beyond ecstatic when receiving the numbers the next day of viewers that tuned in (Metz par. 1). An epidemic had begun and it was here to stay. The American Survivor was derived from the Swedish version of the same show but only the first season of America’s Survivor had the same format. Throughout the seasons the producers have added new twists, turns, and contests. The United States version of Survivor is produced by Mark Burnett and hosted by Jeff Probst (Metz par. 1). This one single show caught the eyes of millions of Americans and since then all of our basic channels have been flooded with what we call ‘reality’ television. The format and concepts have changed drastically but there still seems to be a demand for reality television so producers will continue to come up with new ideas until America no longer seems to show interest. Reality television has become a constant target for controversy and complaints but seems to be one of those things we either love to hate or hate to love. Reality television that used to just be fun competition has turned into pregnant teenagers, partying Guidos, rich kids in Los Angeles or eight roommates all sleeping with each other in one house. Each one of these presents obvious controversy for the public eye but the producers do this for a reason. If there is nothing to talk about then no one will talk. The more buzz a producer can build about their show the more people will want to watch (King par. 2). Reality television producers seem to have a certain niche for stirring up as much debate and controversy as they can. As ridiculous as reality television shows have recently become with at least 6 different ones all involving competition of baking the perfect cake, Americans are what propel this industry. We continually watch them and keep their ratings up so they are beginning to take over other shows such as sitcoms and dramas. Some reality television shows are even getting signed for more seasons than non-reality shows are receiving. Survivor and The Real World being prime examples, both having over twenty seasons of airtime (Metz par. ). It is not a question of whether or not reality television is or is not an epidemic, it is a question of how did Survivor manage to turn this industry around and make everyone fall in love with it. The gist of Survivor goes a little something like this; the show starts with sixteen average Americans who are brought to a remote island to fend for themselves. The island is usually a very unforgiving place with no modern conveniences. The sixteen individuals are divided into two teams. Every few days, one of the teams gathers at a tribal council and votes someone off the island. You can gain immunity by winning the challenges, which are very fun and interesting to watch. Once a total of six people remain the tribes merge. After this, it is every person for him or herself. The last Survivor at the end wins one million dollars (Charkow). It is all about who will make just the right alliances and just the right enemies in order to take home the money. Over the past years connecting with people on common interests has become an important aspect of living. Reality TV allows us to do just that; we can watch a show Monday night and then have something to talk about the next day at work or school. We can have a common interest with someone without really having to like the same things. Curiosity also plays a role in our obsession with this trend, viewers will imagine themselves in these certain situations and think how they would react but the difference is the viewers get to watch from afar and not have any consequences for what they might choose (Hotchkiss par. 2). Reality television has completely changed the entertainment industry in that it creates a fun way to follow these participants and since they are real people with real conflicts their lives matter to us. This seems to be one reason surrounding why reality television has become so captivating for America and just why it is undeniably here to stay for the long haul. So what exactly did Survivor have that managed to captivate America and keep us here? Unpredictability with relatability (Crum). Each week there were these normal human beings performing risky tasks unknowing if they were going to be sent home the following week. Americans began to watch, found their favorite contestants, and had to stay to make sure they made it until the end. Survivor producers also knew when creating this show the factor of relatability would play a major role. By taking normal human beings that are not trained actors, viewers begin to realize they may personally know one of the contestants or at least know them through the six degrees of separation. Even if they do not somehow know a contestant there is always one that they can relate to and connect with. When a viewer has a personal connection in a show it makes them want to invest more and they are willing to dedicate an hour of their time each week to tune in and see how their favorites are doing (Yazbek). Producers and casting directors thrived off of this concept of relatability. Each and every contestant is different in some way that producers believe will reach a vast majority of viewers in America. If there is a contestant representing each main demographic there is at least one person for almost everyone to connect with and want to root for. Once the viewers lock in their favorites they religiously watch Survivor in order to check up and make sure their contestant is still in and surviving. This is what helped Survivor manage to tip the reality trend (McCraley). The casting directors and producers knew exactly what to look for in the contestants they choose and they chose perfectly. America originally tuned in for Survivor’s first premiere because they did not know what to expect from these ordinary people getting their own television show and Survivor’s marketing team created a hype that was able to draw in over 28 million viewers for the first time (Metz par. 1). Dr. Kathleen King, who is a motivational keynote speaker, believes that Survivor uses their contestants as characters as a marketing strategy. If situations can’t be resolved in a timely manner, people grow frustrated and bored with them. Our brain starts telling us, through our emotions, that it is time to move on. For a show to be successful, it has to introduce a parade of situations, just like real life would. So, how does a show keep us engaged in between situations? What keeps us tuned in? The characters . Characters are what we connect to. Characters engage us at a completely different level than situations. Situations are an intellectual challenge. Characters create emotional bonds. We care what happens to them (King). This caring, this connection, provides the emotional overtones that keep the situations of Survivor consistently interesting. Americans instantly fell in love with this nail-biting reality show as soon as it made its debut. From the get-go producers created characters that they knew America would fall in love with, each for different reasons. Although Survivor is not scripted certain teams are paired together and certain scenes may be edited in hopes of causing a stir with viewers. Producers create good and bad controversy to evoke emotions from their viewers. Once you are able to pull at the heartstrings of your viewers and have them emotionally involved with your characters you can create a true bond (Morrison par. ). Survivor made viewers fall in love with certain characters so when they were backstabbed or voted off they felt emotions for them. They would continue to watch so they knew exactly how their season would end and who took the winning spot of someone they wished would have won or stuck with their favorites until they would win (Hotchkiss par. 2). This level of emotional connection created a st ickiness factor that helped Survivor stay with its viewers. One more reason Survivor has lasted so long and continually intrigued viewers is they way it is shot. A reality show’s segment producers or story editors usually assemble storyboards and shooting scripts, which are important tools for shaping the direction of the show. In the TV sitcom and drama world, these people would be known as writers. Unlike writers, the Writers Guild of America does generally not recognize them and so they are not union employees. This distinction could be seen as a disservice to the segment producers and story editors, but it benefits the show in that it lowers production costs and it helps preserve the idea that the shows are real and unscripted. It also allows reality shows to keep on rolling when a writer strike hits, like it did in fall 2007. Many reality show staffers have contested the distinction in ongoing court cases since 2005 (Poniewozik par. 2). Reality shows typically do not have scripts, but there is often a shooting script or an outline that details aspects of an episode or part of the show. For example, it can set up a specific challenge for the contestants on Survivor. A shooting script could also create conflict between some of the participants by pairing specific people as roommates or partners. Producers create shooting scripts with viewers in mind thinking about what they might like to see and what would make them stay tuned. In extreme cases, a shooting script might include a storyboard, which is a visual representation of the concept that physically illustrates what will occur in a scene (Metz par. 2). Ultimately, reality producers and editors have a lot of control over what happens on the show, just by the sheer fact that they have put the people together in certain situations, and they are controlling what footage gets aired and what does not. If Survivor were just a 24/7 camera on contestants living in the jungle viewers would get bored. Producers pick and choose the best material and content to air because obviously America does not want to watch strangers sleeping or eating their food, they want to see conflict, emotion, and turmoil. If it were not for Survivor we would never know if some other show would have had the power to tip the reality television trend. Thanks to Survivor, its stickiness factor, and its relatability we will never have to worry about that. Survivor paved the way for the majority of America’s favorite television shows we watch today and opened doors for a new format of television programming. There is no way to tell how long reality television is here to stay but at the rate it is going, it seems like it will be putting up a fight until America stops watching. After all, reality television would not have already lasted this long if it wasn’t a survivor. How to cite Reality Television, Essay examples