My new favorite television show is "Life Unexpected" on the CW. The plot of this show is centered around Lux, a fifteen year-old foster child who was put up for adoption by her parents as a baby. Her parents, Cate and Baze, had Luz when they were teenagers & now are living seperate lives (Baze owns a bar and Cate is one of the hosts of a local radio show) . The show doesn't perpetuate any distinct racist stereotypes, although there have only been two episodes thus far in the series. However, while I was watching the show last night, I tried to pay special attention to the characters that could be considered "the ethnic minority". There were three other teenagers in this episode, two African American guys & one Caucasian girl, who were Lux's friends from foster care. Towards the end of this episode, Lux accuses one of the boys for stealing Cate's engagement ring (Cate claims she left it on the counter by the sink). Whether or not this was supposed to be considered a stereotype, it seems to be. How many times have we seen this exact same situation? The plot is simple enough: a white woman claims she can't find her ring, a white girl immediately thinks that the person who stole it was a black male. Later on, we learn that it wasn't actually this person who stole the ring, but the girl. True, this could be a stereotype regarding gender, not race; it could be both. However, it seems so formulaic-- of course she didn't ask the entire group at once, but immediately targeted one person in particular. This type of situation in particular, and the people involved, is the norm in most media.
Another interesting observation I made was that the representative from foster care was a black female. This is definitely a stereotype regarding gender, but what about race? Why would a black woman be cast for this part? Is this alluding to the possibility that the woman could lack of intelligence (finding a "better" or more profitable job), money (even having to work), or opportunity (education, job availability)? I feel that I have now read too far into this, but at the same time, feel obligated to think about why shows/movies are cast the way they are. It seems that black women are often cast in similar roles- the mother figure, the one who looks after the children. The one who settles for the stereotype.
My experience has of course been different from what I have observed while watching this show. There are plenty of people who steal, but the color or tone of their skin doesn't decide this (although it does often influence if they get caught). There are numerous intelligent American American students, just as there are numerous intelligent Caucasian students (many of which are in this class). The world it how you see it--stereotypes are only inhibitors to the overall vision.
Another interesting observation I made was that the representative from foster care was a black female. This is definitely a stereotype regarding gender, but what about race? Why would a black woman be cast for this part? Is this alluding to the possibility that the woman could lack of intelligence (finding a "better" or more profitable job), money (even having to work), or opportunity (education, job availability)? I feel that I have now read too far into this, but at the same time, feel obligated to think about why shows/movies are cast the way they are. It seems that black women are often cast in similar roles- the mother figure, the one who looks after the children. The one who settles for the stereotype.
My experience has of course been different from what I have observed while watching this show. There are plenty of people who steal, but the color or tone of their skin doesn't decide this (although it does often influence if they get caught). There are numerous intelligent American American students, just as there are numerous intelligent Caucasian students (many of which are in this class). The world it how you see it--stereotypes are only inhibitors to the overall vision.
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