Gender
roles are likely to make people develop various stereotypes. For example, there
are roles that are uniquely and separately designated for males and females. On
the same note, masculinity refers to physical characteristics of a man, and
therefore, if a female has masculine features, she may be perceived
indifferently in society. This explains why the media has a tendency of branding
people with masculine features to be gays or homosexuals. In most cases, the
print media and radios do not have capacities to stereotype people. However, televisions
and movies have highly been used to categorize people as gay, feminine or
muscular in a negative manner.
The media has for a long time been associated with creation of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) themes. In addition, the study of LGBT is important because it enlightens people on how society has become dynamic. The media has also been perceived as the center where negative perceptions about this group of people are created. As a result, there are numerous stereotypes associated with this category of people in the modern society. Out of the many categories of media broadcasts, television and movies are widely known to reinforce negative perceptions on people who belong to LGBT category.
Do you agree or disagree with the above observations? Let's have your comments below!
The media has for a long time been associated with creation of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) themes. In addition, the study of LGBT is important because it enlightens people on how society has become dynamic. The media has also been perceived as the center where negative perceptions about this group of people are created. As a result, there are numerous stereotypes associated with this category of people in the modern society. Out of the many categories of media broadcasts, television and movies are widely known to reinforce negative perceptions on people who belong to LGBT category.
Do you agree or disagree with the above observations? Let's have your comments below!
Stereotyping
people can be harmful because it can transform slight assumptions on people to
perceived realities. Such stereotypes are capable of perpetuating inequality
and social prejudice in society. However, it is imperative to note that stereotyping
through the media is sometimes inevitable. In the case of television, stereotyping
occurs through advertisements, news bulletins and entertainment. For films,
stereotyping has been used as a form of marketing. The stereotypical codes give
TV and film audiences a common and quick way of understanding a particular
person.
In
most cases, stereotypical codes focus on ethnicity, social role, sexual
orientation, occupation, race and gender. Most often, the groups that are being
stereotyped may not defend themselves. They are usually the minority and
raising their voices may make little impact. However, there are some measures
which have been instituted to help reduce stereotyping.
There
are those who have a common tendency of thinking that the way people think and
cat can be uniform across the globe. This is not true because people are
diverse and their mindsets also vary. This is mostly applicable in
homosexuality whereby gays and lesbians are viewed to be outside the mainstream
or dominant culture. The dominant culture in this case refers to marriage and
love relationships between people of different gender. With the emergence of gothic
culture, it is probable to categorize them as being weird or abnormal. Same sex
marriages and behavioral patterns are prevalent in virtually all cultures. As Carroll (2009) documents, “same sex
behavior is found in every culture, and its prevalence remains about the same” (p.290).
Media
is a viable source of information in society such that televisions and films
are very influential due to both sound and visual effect. These two mediums of
communication are crucial in symbolic annihilations of lesbians and gays. Moreover,
films and TVs tend to avoid integrating gays and lesbians in their programs for
fear of offending advertisers, target audiences as well as investors. This kind
of portrayal is not desirable because it denies them their human rights. The
fact that they belong to a new generation culture does not mean that they
should not enjoy their rights.
With
their visual effects, the two mediums of communication cultivate a perception
that homosexuals are bad elements in society. They should not be given a chance
to be heard if they have views to rise. Due to fear of loosing audience and
revenues, these two mediums of communication edit their programs to extent that
audiences place homosexuals under the category of abhorred people.
The
issue of sexual orientation has been used as an indicator of villainy and
deviance in children’s movies. If children are to be shown movies that portray homosexuals
as bad characters in society, then, they would grow up hating them. A negative
perception is cultivated in such children. Such kind of stereotypes can
instigate violence in society. For example, a gay male may not be welcomed in a
party. It is only a question of ethics. Homosexuals are also put as either
victims or villains in movies. They are depicted as belonging to a weird or
foreign culture that cannot be tolerated. It is rare to have a movie that has
the main character being gay or lesbian.
If a girl begins to demonstrate some signs of male
characteristics, she is referred to as a ‘tom-boy’. It is like a taboo to show
such kinds of signs in a girl. On the other hand, if a male does not have
masculine features, he is seen as an outcast. All of these perceptions are obtained
from the media, and especially televisions and movies. Besides, media houses
have for a long time helped to construct and reinforce stereotypical ideas
about masculinity and men. From what is portrayed in the media, it is possible
for people to dismiss others on the basis of whether they have masculinity or
are feminine.
Televisions
and movies through their visual effects help define ‘a real man’. During
advertisements, there are some particular aspects of man that are portrayed. A
man who fails to have certain forms of male features may not be shown on TV or
may not be considered for a film. Moreover, the marketing companies have
started to object men in the same manner women have been objected them for
long. The fitness of a man, his muscles and general outlook count a lot in
determining whether he is to feature in a program or not.
A
research study titled, Attitudes toward
stereotypical versus counter-stereotypical gay men and lesbians indicates
that 662 confessed gays, lesbians and bisexuals had contended with
victimization in the society. 20% of those reported having faced criminals
because of their sexual orientation. In the year 2005, Federal Bureau had
reported 1,171 hate crime offenses of people perceived to be of homosexual
orientation. This is the kind of segregation that has existed in the society.
The major problem is because media and mostly electronic media show homosexuals
as people who have undertaken ‘abnormal’ directions of life. They are not part
of the mainstream culture. The only solution to this is for governments to put
up institutions that can help people understand that everybody ought to enjoy
unlimited human rights. Forums can also help eradicated the notions cultivated
by media about gay and lesbians and institute in the minds of people a culture
of tolerance.
To
recap it all, it is imperative to note that gender stereotypes are discouraging
the minorities to invest in businesses. No
particular person should be segregated on the basis of masculinity. However,
the contemporary society seems not to be careful on categorizing people on
gender and most importantly on femininity and masculinity. The best solution
out of this tricky situation is to invest in education of young generation on
how to accept all categories of people in society.
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