Stereotypes in the Media

Stereotypes definitely exist in the media today. A favorite T.V. show of mine is The Simpsons. This show embodies the whole idea that there are stereotypes out there. On the show, there is a character that is smart and gets good grades so naturally, he is portrayed as a geek, a pansy, and a coward. There is a character who likes to ride a skateboard and gets bad grades; therefore, he is a troublemaker. Probably the most offensive stereotype in the T.V. show is that of the local small, grocery store owner named Apu. Apu is an Indian immigrant, speaks with an Indian accent, and is poor. This is just one T.V. example but I’m sure that I could pick out a stereotype in any T.V show, billboard, or magazine in America if you asked me to.

Are People Tuning Out the Real World?
Let me tell you a story about my little brother Jordan. He is the youngest of four boys and was born in the late 90’s. All of Jordan’s older brothers are very into all types of sports and they are all very athletic, but Jordan doesn’t really care for athletics. He would just as well stay inside all day and play his Nintendo DS, watch a movie or play a cool computer game. I think Jordan is the way he is because he grew up in a time of great technological advances, whereas, his older brothers didn’t have as many neat gadgets and gizmos. This has greatly influenced Jordan’s character, I think, for the worse.
This is an increasingly big problem in America and I think that it will only continue to get worse. If you walk on any American campus, you will see students all over the university with headphones in their ears; each person in their own little world. Instead of visiting our friends and families, we text, email, and call them on our cell phones. I don’t think technological advances are going to decrease so that means neither is society’s impersonal trend.