Journalism 4250

Hello, my name is Mario Barbosa and I am currently a senior at the University of North Texas. I am working to obtain my bachelors of social sciences in Communication Studies with double minors in Marketing and Journalism. As part of my requirement for the course Journalism 4250, I am required to but will willingly, blog and reflect about class discussions throughout the Fall semester of 2019. Overall, I hope that this experience helps me tone my journalism skills and allows me the freedom to express myself in regards to an academic discipline that foregrounds social issues regarding race, gender, and the media. 

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“Race, Hierarchy and Hyenophobia in The Lion King,” “Princesses, wicked stepmothers, and racial stereotypes in Disney films.”

This class was interesting because we focused on the harmful impacts of Disney. Although, Disney is known around the world for its family-oriented values and the magic of every child’s dream, Disney can fill the shoes of a darker and larger truth. Today in class, a group held a presentation on how Lion King can perpetuate harmful stereotypes about race & gender. The groups discussed how the author in the textbook argues that the lion king is an example of racial hierarchies. Because of the fact that racial hierarchies often involve segregation of “inferior” groups who are seperated from society and forced to live with inadequate resources. The group continued to integrate the concept racial heirarchies through the exploring of “Hyenophobia”, which could be considered the segregation of hyenas throughout the lion king, representing a group of outsiders, who are depicted as bad. Hyenophobia is a creative way to imagine that tensions of discriminatory value could potentially trickle down into less realistic expressions of human character. The fact that the animals throughout the movie can talk and have a voice gives way to humanize them to a degree. When these animals are humanized they can fall into categorical archetypes that we see throughout our culture all the time. Although archetypes can also be focused on the physical understanding of others and therefore are not the most effective measurement of character, they can still be used to indicate superficial understandings of others. The group compared characters to how certain races are stereotyped to behave. Incidentally, the group also looked into the ways that the princesses throughout Disney have depicted a very heteronormative ideal throughout their discourse. The common thread that a princess needs saving from a man, is based off of heteronormativity and uplifting this idealogical sense of sexism. Overall, it was interesting to examine Disney with this context in mind because it gave way for critical depth.

HIGGS, S. (2016). Damsels in Development REPRESENTATION, TRANSITION AND THE DISNEY PRINCESS. Screen Education, (83), 62–69. Retrieved from http://libproxy.library.unt.edu:2066/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ufh&AN=118191998&scope=site

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Hispanics/Latinos in the media

Throughout this class we focused on a pattern that has been seen in regards to how Hispanics/Latinos have been represented and seen throughout the media. Although hispanic people are diverse and come from all walks of life, there is still this association with hispanics being criminalized & depicted as undocumented or illegal. Furthermore, we can look into specific terminology such as "alien", to further focus on language throughout the media and how it has created oppressive distinctions that alienate the hispanic community. While engaging in the class discussion, one class member mentioned how trumps reference to Mexicans, "They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people.", was a discriminatory offense towards the community entirely, that shouldn't have been taken lightly. The ideology that Trump has about Mexicans is not only misleading but it stems from a racist & discriminatory ideology. Furthermore the video that we watched "Latinos Beyond Reel", did a great job of showcasing the lack of representation of latinos, and how the misrepresentation has worked to negatively impact how latinos are perceived throughout the mainstream media. This video focuses on how media representations of latinos have historically been meant to disavow the community and cause them to be perceived as lazy, unconcerned, & undocumented aliens who are simply stealing American jobs and resources, which in the grand scheme is not realistic or true. Latinos contribute to taxes and fill major segments within the American market. We found that throughout mainstream media, there is a common emphasis on making hispanics out to be dumb and easily amused while overlooking all of their contributions to society. Overall, this class was interesting because as a latino I understand what the latino community goes through and it's validating to know that there is a shared consciousness about how hispanics are treated by the mainstream media. Hispanics deserve more respect, representation, & visibility throughout media. 

Gonzalez, E. (2019). Stereotypical Depictions of Latino Criminality: U.S. Latinos in the Media during the MAGA Campaign. Democratic Communiqué, 28(1), 46–62. Retrieved from http://libproxy.library.unt.edu:2066/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ufh&AN=135902019&scope=site

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We Watched The Movie GET OUT

During one of our journalism Classes we watched the movie Get Out, the fact that this movie was released in 2017 just after President Trump was elected, really highlights the racial tensions that have affected society as a whole. It was interesting how Get Out depicted this racial narrative that many people feel they have experienced, a dehumanization and sense of slavery, maybe not physically, but to a system that has control. Throughout the movie there was already an assumed tension because of the idea that the characters were an interracial couple. Chris and Rose were finally reaching a relationship mile-stone, Chris would be visiting Rose's family and meeting with them. What Chris didn't realize was that it was a trap and part of a creepy and eery story which targeted black men. Although there is a reversal of mainstream roles, and black men who are stereotyped as the aggressor, in this case are seen as the victim. When engaging the movie with a critical lens and really targeting the various meanings that could form as product of the Get Out concept, the movie still continues to highlight that the white heteronormative is the most ideal and that power differentials will exist. Chris who is visiting on good terms ends up being consumed by this supernatural experience that physically impairs him and places him vulnerable to the control of Roses racist caucasian family. Throughout the movie, Chris only becomes excluded as the minority and horrifically targeted for simply falling in love with a white woman. Although, many would argue that it's just "a movie" there is definitely specific undertones that focus on race and the struggle for the interracial experience to accepted as something normal. Overall, Get out was interesting to watch because it engaged with the discourse that interracial couples deal, even though it was to an extreme and horrific impression.

Carew, A. (2019). American Horror: GENRE AND THE POST-RACIAL MYTH IN GET OUT. Screen Education, (94), 14–21. Retrieved from http://libproxy.library.unt.edu:2066/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ufh&AN=137066280&scope=site

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Reality TV, film and stereotypes

For this class we were assigned the reading, Lind book, “Bella’s Choice: Deconstructing Ideology and Power in The Twilight Saga,”in which we engaged with the ways that Twilight uplifted certain standards as ideal and was based on very exclusionary values. Throughout this class we watched a group presentation in which the group that was presenting deconstructed the concept of the movie “Twilight” down to very specific identifiable features. The group critically evaluated how there is this hegemonic propensity for white people to be represented and highlighted with the most dominant roles. The group explained how Edward and Bella maintained a dominant relationship as ideal. Although Bella engaged in a relationship with Jacob who is considered POC, it never took ground as the most dominant feature because there was this very exclusive approach and misrepresentation of bodies throughout the entire series. Furthermore, it was interesting to hear the class engage with the idea that there was this heteronormative obsession with highlighting specific things like marriage, reproduction, and the woman in distress, or a love triangle in which two men obsess with one woman. Furthermore, the group discussed the concept of toxic masculinity and how it takes many forms throughout our culture and can serve to be toxic not only to women but men themselves. From early, on men are forced to identify with more masculine traits, as seen and imposed through mainstream media, therefore subjecting men to suppress their emotions. Toxic Masculinity reproduces the sexist ideology as the norm and places the white heteronormative male on the pedestal. Furthermore, we also talked about reality shows like the Bachelor, that create this concept of various women fighting over one man highlighting him as a prize and causing petty disputes among the women who are competing for him. Although it is controversial, considering there is shows like the Bachelorette, the idea that they could work in different ways to perpetuate specific standards was of main focus. Overall, it was interesting to engage with the class discussion and how different people perceived the hyper-masculine tendencies in mainstream media like twilight & reality shows.

Tager, M., & Nell, L. (2016). A vampire and a damsel in distress: A postfeminist analysis of selected female South African viewers’ perceptions of the romance between Bella and Edward in the film Twilight (2008). Communicare, 35(1), 77–93. Retrieved from http://libproxy.library.unt.edu:2066/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ufh&AN=119351719&scope=site

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Gays, Lesbians, Bisexual and transgender in the Media.

During this class we focused on how the LGBTQ+ community is portrayed in the mainstream media and we held a class discussion about how mainstream media perpetuates harmful stereotypes that negatively impact the LGBTQ+ community. For this class we were assigned to read Lind Book, "Special Rights for Queers? Content, Pattern, and Context of Anti-LGBTQ Internet Hate Speech", In which we were able to find many examples about how the LGBTQ+ community has experienced anti-lgbtq discourse historically. The LGBTQ+ community has been further marginalized throughout the internet with the use of oppressive language that trickles down into the infrastructure of our social construct. One class member mentioned that the development of meme culture has disavowed the lgbtq+ community which can cause for this community not to be taken seriously throughout mainstream, heteronormative media. Furthermore, we were also assigned to read Lind Book, “And Then There Were Two: The Coming Out Stories of Jason Collins and Michael Sam in Sports Media,” p. 227-232, in which we engaged with the discourse surrounding openly gay athletes and how coming out as openly gay athletes creates a higher sense of representation for members of the LGBTQ+. The LGBTQ+ community is diverse enough to include all types of people & interests, however, there is this common stereotypes like the association with gay men being flamboyant or feminine, that cause some to feel misrepresented by the gay ideology. However, stories like Jason's and Michael's are what allow for more members within the LGBTQ+ community to feel further represented, to be depicted as group of diverse identities that can populate the sports industry openly, in the same capacity that one would imagine gay men populate the fashion industry. Overall, we found that media has formed misleading representations of the collectivity of the LGBTQ+ community, and the question whether it is ideal for an athlete to come out as openly gay just showcases the type of discourse that harms the LGBTQ+.

Billings, A. C., Moscowitz, L. M., Rae, C., & Brown-Devlin, N. (2015). The Art of Coming Out: Traditional and Social Media Frames Surrounding the NBA’s Jason Collins. Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 92(1), 142–160. https://libproxy.library.unt.edu:2147/10.1177/1077699014560516

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Sex Sells But Gender Brands!

Today In my journalism class, my group was assigned to Present over the topic Sex Sells but Gender Brands, we covered an article in which they talk about James Charles and Jaden Smith engaging in gender-fluidity through brand-affiliation. When James and Jaden were seen taking a gender bending approach it was extremely controversial in different ways, but this helped open up a discussion about gender in our society overall. Which is essential because gender is such a huge factor in our lives that has been socialized by heteronormative expectations for too long.  Although the representation of Gender-fluidity in media opens doors for a more accepting culture, we need to ensure that it’s not exploitation for profit. Both Covergirl and Louis V. made bold statements when going against heteronormative representations of men in media. Although the statements were provocative, they helped further the discussion about gender-identity within our society. 

As we continue to see representation of gender-fluidity in media we need to ensure that it is done so with genuine intentions to include the queer community and not because companies are beginning to realize that the LGBTQ community is a huge sector to profit from in the market. 

While sex has been used in marketing for years, we are beginning to experience the emergence of a more accepting orientation towards gender-fluidity. Gender identity helps brand, in the sense that by including queer identities throughout media representation, consumers become more socially-aware about company values and in turn contribute to its growth. Overall, one of the major conclusions that we found throughout our research is that even though we see more representation of queer identities in the media today than ever before, there is still a lack of diversity and representation of queer people of color specifically. We hope to see queer identifying  people of color endorsed in the same capacity that James Charles was endorsed by Covergirl or Jaden Smith by Louis Vuitton. 

Spencer, L. G. (2018). Transcending the Acronym. Women & Language, 41(1), 7–15. Retrieved from http://libproxy.library.unt.edu:2066/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ufh&AN=132687647&scope=site

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Nicki Minaj & Black Feminism

Throughout Today’s class presentations a group discussed Nicki Minaj’s role in Hip Hop which is a male dominated industry and I have to say it really resonated with me because I have been one of her loyal followers for years. The presentation was based on how Nicki Minaj’s role as a female is perceived throughout the media as a dominating force of black feminism. I learned about the Black Feminist Theory and how it’s essentially about taking an intersectional approach towards analyzing the lives of black women which can be best understood through looking at the inequalities they experience on a regular basis. It was interesting to learn about the ways that women used dominating and owning their sexuality to deconstruct hegemonic norms. I personally enjoyed learning about how Nicki Minaj has worked her entire career to brand herself as a dominant force over her male colleagues in the industry. The fact that Nicki Minaj was able to brand her image and reach global success through monetizing off of her sexuality instead of submitting to it was really inspiring. Furthermore, I found it to be a respectable quality that she always writes her own music because it introduces the female perspective to an industry that is so saturated with toxic-masculinity traits. Overall, it’s interesting how she pioneered collaborations with various genres and expanded herself to a market beyond hip hop when she collaborated with the greats like Madonna or Mariah Carey & took part in making hip hop global. I also enjoyed hearing the video in which Nicki Minaj reads a poem by Maya Angelou because it showcased the growth and progress people of color have experienced and encourages the continuation of that same ambition and pride. Overall I enjoyed that I could learn about the black feminist theory through someone as fun as Nicki Minaj.

Vesey, A. (2015). Putting Her on the Shelf. Feminist Media Studies, 15(6), 992–1008. Doi: 10.1080/14680777.2015.1033639.

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Islamic, Religious Cultural and National Identities

Today in my Journalism class my peers presented a video about Islamic, religious cultural and national identities. We learned about the concept of a mipster which is like the muslim way of describing a hipster. We also learned that the traditional function of the hijab is to veil both physically and metaphorically, although It is often associated with a need to “hide” the female body. The hijab is used as a reference for concealment and it is used by both men and women. However in the American concept, the hijab is most commonly associated with women because many women continue to wear their hijab as sense of pride & identity. It’s inspiring to see the Muslim community take pride in their culture despite the criticism or comments they may receive from Americans with white nationalist ideologies. The group also argued about the ways in which muslim women frame their bodies as Muslim, yet continue to be inclusive in secular body politic. A lot of muslim fashion bloggers do not debate religious issues nor do they really want to enforce or create a global uniform of Islamic dress. For example, when fashion-blogger Saufeeya had enough and said, “Do not confine me to your labels and expectations. I’m not here to impose my beliefs on anybody”. Despite being a proud muslim woman, she was attacked by the public for not being muslim enough or vice versa. It’s evident that the Muslim community continues to face a lot of pressure in terms of free religious expression. This is incredibly important to consider because it suggests to me that society has been so exclusive throughout representation in the United Sates. The group presented a lot of information about how the muslim community was depicted in the U.S. media and pointed out some unhealthy stereotypes that continue to affect the community. Furthermore, we even watched a video by the program called “What would you do?”, in which they host social experiments to see how people would react to social issues in various situations. In this example, we saw a muslim woman denied service by a donut shop, although it was part of the experiment, the aim was to see how people would react when seeing a muslim woman being discriminated against. While some bystanders supported denying the muslim woman service, many were outraged; the overall point was to see how people would react to this form of discrimination given the racist climate that was created with September, 11 narratives. Overall, this class was really engaging because it clarified a lot of misconceptions about the muslim community and educated us about them. 

NEUMANN, R., & GEARY, D. (2019). Reaching Muslims From the Bully Pulpit: Analyzing Modern Presidential Discourse on Islam and Muslims From FDR to Trump. International Journal of Communication (19328036), 13, 4107–4129. Retrieved: http://ijoc.org.

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Body Image and adolescent girls’ selfie posting, editing

Today in my journalism class, my classmates discussed the concept of Body Image and brought about a lot of interesting points in regards to how body image has evolved in our society. We watched the Dove Selfie video in which young girls are encouraged to take selfies and reflect on their personal feelings about their own body image. Throughout the video many of the girls made comments about being unhappy in their skin and hair. The group presenters argued about how selfies allow for us to control how others see us and the layers of unhealthy self-image that have developed with the rise of social media constantly promoting the ideal of what many consider “perfect”. The rise of social media has resulted in people using it to almost construct their identity. Consequently, this can create dangerous social norms that result in harmful self-image or body image. We also watched a video that talked about self-esteem and how good self-esteem has been scientifically linked to more productive and successful results. Although, this concept stimulated a social culture that encourages feeling good and looking good, it was also a concept that could reach narcissistic principles and unhealthy tendencies all in hopes to preserve a status within our culture. They found that we construct our identity through experiencing how others construct their own identity and mirror this ideal of what we consider acceptable. Another group in class introduced the concept of how media constructs this idea of the ideal woman and imposes certain qualities that make women seem like their value lies in their sexuality. The group showed us various ads in which advertising promotes diminishing the value of women by dumbing them down and hyper-sexualizing their social role in our culture. For example, there was this American Apparel advertisement for a unisex flannel in which the guy was shown as dressed casual, however for the girls picture it was shot with cleavage and hyper-sexualized. Overall, today’s class was interesting because it made me reflect on our societies use of media and question the effectiveness of social media as a tool for empowerment because it can influence a desire to be accepted by others, when we shouldn’t have to change ourselves to be accepted. Furthermore, some interesting questions to consider when thinking about body image were “Are selfies a tool for empowerment or detriment to adolescents experiences?” and “Do you think that self-objectification affects adolescent girls more than boys?”. 

Rubinsky, V., Hosek, A. M., & Hudak, N. (2019). “It’s Better to Be Depressed Skinny than Happy Fat:” College Women’s Memorable Body Messages and Their Impact on Body Image, Self-Esteem, and Rape Myth Acceptance. Health Communication, 34(13), 1555–1563. Doi: 10.1080/10410236.2018.1504659

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Rest in Paradise Cokie Roberts

Today in my journalism class which is focused on Race, gender and the media: through a methods approach, I learned about Cokie Roberts, a prominent journalist who worked for ABC News in broadcast journalism. Cokie Roberts was considered by many a “veteran journalist”, having won three Emmys, she was also considered a “trailblazer” in broadcast journalism. After fighting a difficult battle with breast cancer, Cokie Roberts passed away on Tuesday Sep, 17, 2019. There was an outpour of support for Cokie’s family throughout the media. The former president’s of the United States even commented on the news, “She was a trailblazing figure; a role model to young women at a time when the profession was still dominated by men; a constant over forty years of a shifting media landscape and changing world, informing voters about the issues of our time and mentoring young journalists every step of the way,” said former president Barack Obama. Former president George Bush even commented “She covered us for decades as a talented, tough and fair reporter”, “We respected her drive and appreciated her humor. She became a friend”. Cokie Roberts was a respected and well-known journalist in the media landscape with good & fair judgement, therefore, it was incredibly provocative when the current president of the United States, Donald Trump directed a tweet about her, and made it all about himself. Donald Trump tweeted “I never met her”, “She never treated me nicely, But I would like to wish her family well. She was a professional, and I respect professionals. I respect you guys a lot, you people a lot. She was a real professional. Never treated me well, but I certainly respect her as a professional”. As I learned about this response to the loss of someone’s life who was such a prominent force in broadcast journalism, it causes me to question where we stand in terms of social awareness as a society. The current president of the United States, who was elected by “the people” is regarding to someone’s death by addressing his bias towards them. Considering this through the scope of race, gender, and media, Donald Trump’s address towards Cokie Robert’s passing serves to be extremely problematic, and it invalidates the credibility & professionalism of her commitment to a very successful career. 

LeBlanc, P. (2019, September 18). Trump on Cokie Roberts' death: 'She never treated me nicely. But I would like to wish her family well'. Retrieved from https://www.cnn.com/2019/09/17/politics/donald-trump-cokie-roberts-death/index.html.