Television as an Agent of Socialization
I chose the first episode of the very popular television program The Event. I viewed the first episode on Netflix, October 20, 2011. This program originally aired on NBC, September 10, 2010, and is titled “I Haven’t Told You Everything”. This program has a total of twenty two series to date and is classified as an action-adventure drama. After viewing a picture of the main characters with the synopsis of this program, I noticed immediately that this was a male dominated show. The picture shows seven people standing together and merely two of the seven are female. The premise of the story is about a man searching for his missing fiancé. The story line was a prime example of the gender male role of the fearless and virile man and the gender female role of the damsel in distress needing a man to save her.
Although the list of main characters of this show has a total of seven this specific episode only brought to the forefront five in total with two being female and three being male. Every scene in this movie is heavily male oriented. All of the main men characters are playing major roles and are portrayed as men of influence with strong convictions. I was able to recognize the importance of their characters quite easily by their actions and titles in the program.
The president is a man and all of his advisors are men. In one scene where the president was entering a facility he was accompanied by four men and one woman. All of the secret service, military, security and police officers are men. There is a scene where there is a busy airplane control center and seven people are working and only one is a woman. In an additional scene where the president is sitting with his top of...
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...president; however, I was able to find three series to date that depict woman as presidents: President Laura Roslin – Battlestar Galactica, President Allison Taylor – 24, and President Mackenzie Allen – Commander in Chief. Having resilient woman in compelling roles on television is very important and gives young girls the indication that they can possess the American Dream.
Can a woman truly have the American dream? As an American woman viewing women on television I am not convinced that I can reach all my aspirations, even with hard-work and fortitude. I believe I will always be one step behind a man. Although I think this way, it will not deter me from acquiring a higher education. I will continue to encourage my five year old daughter, Breanna, to strive for excellence and reassure her that she is just as entitled to the American dream as anyone else.
In conclusion, this show focuses on many aspects, particularly gender roles and sexism. Although this show could have more diverse characters, it focuses on male and female stereotypes very well. I appreciate that there are several strong female characters who aren’t afraid to stand up for themselves and perform typically masculine
Everything that the women are not these men are; they are prominent, powerful, often messy as with her co-workers, and most importantly in positions of power over Hildy. Specifically, Walter is the epitome of male-gendered roles because of his good looks and head position at the paper which would make him in charge of Hildy and her works.
...eir gender, this portrayal of women suggests that the target audience for these female characters is towards young male viewers. The show constructs the idea that femininity is the epitome of gorgeous looks and erratic behavior. Many of the females in the show also depend on men in some way for affirmation of their looks, personality and talent.
usage. Television shows and movies that have a strong female lead role who are also not
5 scene to is about a women’s role and in some parts it seems like
Juni is called to help his sister because she was unable to complete the mission and save the world. There were females in powerful positions but there is always a male in a high position or as a leader partner. The president, head of the Department of Computer and Technology and an agent receiving an award are all “strong” males. The head of the Department of Computer and Technology has a wife and department partner but no matter what he is the one calling the shots and knows best. Also Juni’s parents Georgino and Ingrid Cortez are partner OSS agents and help each other out but Georgino does the physical fighting. Also a huge stereotype of men were the ignorance and stupidity dealing with women. Juni is so infatuated with Demetria, Juni and the other male characters fail to see she is the reason many issues happen in the
that the female gender is what the documentary is focusing on. This documentary argues that the
In films, female characters ‘reflect and perpetuate the status and options of women in today’s society’ and play
In the ratio of men to women alone this is apparent there are only two women in the film who have a major role compared to the countless male characters that are in the movie. This can be seen as a lack of diversity and in site into the roles of women but when looked into the purpose of this you start to realize that Wes Anderson has done this for a reason. In traditional gender roles women take the back seat when it comes to action. The tend to support them men whenever they do things and are expected to stay out of the way when the action is going on. The lack of women characters in the movie supports this. Whenever the men leave the boat for a mission the Female characters are out of view and play no role in it. The only time they are involved is when there is down time or some sort of planning that is going on in the film where they can support the
Led by Laura Mulvey, feminist film critics have discussed the difficulty presented to female spectators by the controlling male gaze and narrative generally found in mainstream film, creating for female spectators a position that forces them into limited choices: "bisexual" identification with active male characters; identification with the passive, often victimized, female characters; or on occasion, identification with a "masculinized" active female character, who is generally punished for her unhealthy behavior. Before discussing recent improvements, it is important to note that a group of Classic Hollywood films regularly offered female spectators positive, female characters who were active in controlling narrative, gazing and desiring: the screwball comedy.
The most important events of this film all revolve around the female characters. While there are some male charac...
When Marcus and Kevin are working the failed drug bust, all the employees involved in the scene at the gas station are males because this scene results in fighting, chasing, and shooting. All of these are stereotypical predominately male actions. After completing their assignment, Marcus arrives home from work expecting a hot meal and is disappointed when there is only take out. This pulls in gender ideology and the idea of the second shift by exampling male working stereotypes and female caretaking stereotypes. When returning to headquarters the next day Marcus suggests they take on their future assignment of escorting the sisters to the Hamptons and Kevin states, “I didn’t join the FBI to become a nanny I want to be on the streets where the action is.” This effectively shows traditional gender ideology as well. They believe as males they deserve to be front and center in the action, and that caretaking jobs were designed for women, not the other way around. In another aspect when the agents disguise themselves as the sisters, transforming themselves from African American males to white blonde females. In doing so they must mimic not only how they have already seen Brittney and Tiffany present themselves, but also how their peers in the Hamptons would expect to see them dress and act. This brings into play centerfold syndrome. This means that women are often
A number of popular television shows and films filling mainstream media today have taken a spin to promote women to main character roles of power and command. The traits of these female characters, however, become illusionary as plots thicken to reveal their status to be subordinate to leading male character roles; of which are typically controlling or manipulative over gender stereotypic female traits within the script. While media is being blindly applauded for their newfound glorification of women in power, there remains an underlying message of male supremacy in more than many broadcasted portrayals. Today’s mainstream television media delivers a notion that only a man can pave way for the merit of a woman.
Television is a vital source from which most Americans receive information. News and media delegates on television have abused theirs powers over society through the airing of appealing news shows that misinform the public. Through literary research and experimentation, it has been proven that people's perception of reality has been altered by the information they receive from such programs. Manipulation, misinterpretation, word arrangement, picture placement and timing are all factors and tricks that play a major role in the case. Research, experimentation, and actual media coverage has pinpointed actual methods used for deceptive advertising. Television influences society in many ways. People are easily swayed to accept a belief that they may not normally have unless expressed on television, since many people think that everything they hear on television is true. This, however, is not always the case. It has been observed that over the past twenty to thirty years, normal social behavior, even actual life roles of men and women and media, regulatory policies have all been altered (Browne 1998). Media has changed with time, along with quality and respectability. Many Americans receive and accept false information that is merely used as an attention grabber that better the show's ratings and popularity. Many magazines and Journal reviews have periodically discussed the "muckraking" that many tabloid shows rely on to draw in their viewers. This involves sensationalizing a story to make it more interesting, therefore increasing the interest of the audience. "Along the way, all sorts of scandalous substance and goofy tricks appear, but not much mystery in the logic," (Garnson 1997). People often know that these shows aim to deceive them, but still accept the information as truth. Many times, people have strong opinions on certain topics. Yet, when they are exposed to the other side of the argument, they may be likely to agree with the opposite view. As Leon Festinger said, "If I chose to do it (or say it), I must believe in it," (Myers 1997). This is an example of Festinger's cognitive dissonance theory, which pertains to acting contrary to our beliefs. Television influences many people to change their original beliefs. It has the viewers think that the majority of other people hold the contrary idea. Once these views are presented, people have the option to hol...
Our generation has been raised in a technological advanced world and there has been definite controversy over many of these innovations that this new culture has brought. An innovation that has troubled the youth of America for many years is television. Although there is no certainty to eliminate this 'plug-in drug,'; there are many ways to control and monitor your television as a parent.