Presentation: Misrepresentation and Under-representation of African-American's in television

I've grabbed two clips from two different shows that reflect the misrepresentation of African-Americans in the television industry.

- My first example is of a clip from the ABC family sitcom, Black-ish.

• As seen in the clip, it is clearly expressed from the father that the head nod is the "internationally accepted, yet unspoken sign of acknowledgement of Black folks around the world".
• By saying this, he's identifying to the stereotype given to us that every black person uses and understands what "the nod" is and signifies.
• The grandpa then adds on to say that this is "basic stuff", that every black person should be aware of and do.
• The issue with this, is that not everyone uses the head nod as a means of acknowledging or identifying to their race and by saying that they do, that's giving truth to the stereotype, making it acceptable for people to assume or think that.
• It's also encouraging the kid to identify with people according to color, and thats where the issue of race begins to surface.

- The second example is a clip from the show, "How to Get Away With Murder".

• This clip shows actress Viola Davis removing all of her makeup and exposing her natural self
• This scene reveals her most vulnerable side, emotionally and physically
• Taking off her wig and makeup symbolizes her slowly "de-whiting" herself before she goes to bed.
• As an African-American woman, it's rare they are given a platform to reveal their true form and beauty on television

Blog 6: Propaganda Techniques

This video clip uses the propaganda technique Euphemism by using many examples of how certain words we used can have more than one meaning and the irony in it. I actually laughed watching this because it's very true. 

I'm not sure what technique this video would go under, but for some reason this commercial came directly to mind. It's interesting how they use celebrities to make an effect and impact on certain social issues that are currently popular in the media. I guess this could go under the "bandwagon" and "beautiful people" propaganda techniques. 

Blog 9

It's funny because I wasn't sure what to expect when I enrolled in this class. I had no idea that journalism encompassed so much, even though I've made it my major. Honestly, my only intention on adding this class was because it counted towards my major. I had no expectations of actually enjoying, understanding, and applying the curriculum. However, I am pleasantly surprised. I've learned so much about the media, how it operates, what it entails, and who it all involves. There's so many aspects that go into media and it's grown my interest in journalism to the point where I feel like I might actually consider becoming a journalist, which I always said I would NEVER do. I learned that journalism is based a lot more on opinion than facts, leaving a lot of room for healthy debate which I thoroughly enjoyed doing in this class. My favorite aspect of taking this class was being able to debate and share opinions with others because it not only allowed me to express my own view points, but expanded my mind to consider other peoples opinions as well. In regards to the first amendment, I actually learned a lot because truth be told, I didn't know much about it to begin with. I didn't know that there were so many different levels and aspects of the first amendment, and a lot of technicalities that go along with it.

Here's a link to a video that speaks on the first amendment in a humorous way, touching on the many contradictions and hypocrisies of the amendment.