I’m sure most of us will be able to confess that we are guilty of committing the seven sins in a way or another. But, many a times, very few of us will have the courage to confess that we do have prejudice against each other.
Prejudice takes place in different ways such as having the wrong idea about the other gender, racial groups or even just plainly on appearances. It is mainly due to our perceptions of the world around us. One wrong perception will ultimately lead us to a feeling of distaste and disapproval of another person.
There are many factors that help us to construct a wrong perceptive of another and mass media, in my opinion, is the largest contributor that gives us the concrete “evidences” that stabilises our opinions. Why is that so?
The very thing that allows us to relate the most in mass media is the news. I’m sure that most of us would have read the gossips in the entertainment sections at one time or the other. And, these news do” guide” us into having misconceptions and be judgmental about certain people.
Take for example, the photos and the scandalous news of the Miss Hong Kong 2009 have led to neutizens’ negative opinions of the contestant herself even though she has already claimed that the scandals are not true. So what if she is a lesbian or not? Does it mean that people who are not within the social norm cannot prove themselves worthy in these contests?
Besides this, some media sources can protray certain groups of people into a bad limelight though it may not be intentional. A simple advertisment may cause incorrect perceptions due to different cultural background. A Macdonald’s advertisement of a Singaporean waiting for the ERP(Electronic road Pricing) to end in order to save on his taxi fare may portray a light of ” All Singapore white-tie professionals are thrifty or stingy (in extreme cases)” in other foreigners’ eyes. But, for Singaporeans, we know what is exactly is going on (perhaps some of us feel that the ERP is a huge burden in our daily expenses and that we should try to cut down on these costs if possible)
Yes, I can imagine a number of you out there are trying to disagree with my view (No worries, I have nothing against this ad or Mac)
On a personal level, everyone has their own viewpoints and anyone can relate and be swayed by the opinions of others. Media comes in as a form of support via the internet. Websites that provide users to express their thoughts in blogs and videos can amplify the problems of the unknown and trigger the prejudist nature within people. Here’s a video clip that projects the viewpoint of the creator:
Here are some comments from the video:
1. Did anyone notice that the nigger looked just like a monkey in the way he hopped over the counter, maybe i’m the only one that noticed. and this goes out to shiam35 way down there , fuck you you stupid fucking nigger , i’d gladly met you anywhere any fucking day, knock the WHITE right out of your eyes
2. Typical black behavior, nothing new
Will the audiences know that this may be a video suggesting racisim when they watch it without knowing the environment in such places? They don’t.
So this rounds up my points of the media on having a larger influence on our prejudices as compared to the other sources. Therefore, I hope all of you out there will take extra precaution and evaluate critically on every media sources that you gather information on.
You will never know when you will be the next target.
Chu Yuan
atashielle Said:
on September 12, 2009 at 10:33 PM
Yup I agree that media has indeed made a big influence on our perspectives and opinions. Since they are readily available everywhere, it’s impossible to avoid or ignore the message they tried to bring across to the audience.Definitely, it will affect the audiences’ opinion towards the issue raised.
Prejudice develops from the opinion of an individual to a cookie-cutter mentality of a group. It is in the nature of man hence we cannot eliminate it from our lives. However, through understanding and communication, i believe that we will learn to accept what we could not before.
Chu Yuan Said:
on September 13, 2009 at 2:32 AM
Hopefully most of us will learn that before we jump to conculsions too quickly.
commmediadiscourse Said:
on September 13, 2009 at 12:06 AM
hi chu yuan,
I disagree to a certain extent that mass media gives wrong information, or perhaps causes people’s misconception.
Maybe in gossip news, definitely it’s a yes. Indeed I agree with you about the case regarding Miss Hong Kong. It has always been a social norm in many societies, that when someone is different, he or she will be considered as abnormal and be discriminated against.
However, when I see things from a different perspective, the mass media do give the most correct information. One example would be news stations and newspapers with regard to the global news(of course, not celebrity gossip!). In fact, I personally feel that traditional mass media is a better platform for spreading news instead of the internet to a large extent.
Do comment on my blog too!
Kai Ting
http://commmediadiscourse.wordpress.com
♥ junying Said:
on September 13, 2009 at 12:36 AM
Hi, I agree that we are all susceptible to prejudice, which usually we are guilty of judging one by ones look. Recently I’ve also suffered from the prejudice and judgement from others due to my red hair (which you should know). I could tell it from their stares and the way they look at me. Most of the time, we pass judgement without having to consider the feelings of others. Only until we really get judged upon then do we truly get affected. I was most taken aback by the comment for the video that the “n” word was actually used. Isn’t it supposed to be taboo or something? Furthermost, comparing the guy to a monkey just shows how the commenter degrades a dark person to animalistic behaviour. I suppose if the report was regarding a Caucasian, comments would different greatly. It is so easy for people to just judge by looks, and I won’t even say that I am not guilty of it.
Chu Yuan Said:
on September 13, 2009 at 2:34 AM
Well, that’s the people there. Im so glad that Singapore is a harmonious country. I wonder if these people know what they r missing out in learning about the different cultures of different races? We r so lucky!
Edmund Said:
on September 13, 2009 at 1:54 AM
I agree that the media plays a huge part in encouraging prejudice. However, I feel that most people feel the way they do just to make sure they will be accepted by others. For example, racial discrimination comes about not because one’s race is really superior to another, but because of a fear that if such a thinking is not adopted, they will be rejected by their own race
Krystal Said:
on September 13, 2009 at 2:03 AM
I agree that media can influence people to certain extents especially gossip news whereby the writers can write in such interesting ways that people just cannot ignore and at times thought they were real. Even though if there are evidences such as photo, it can be easily protrayed differently – negative and positive views.
As for judging people by looks, it can be consider that all of us have this nature. For example, job interviewers, they always jugde interviewee by their appearances first as they couldn’t see what you really are without getting to know you first. To my opinion, as an “interviewer” or “observer” always must keep in mind that they shouldn’t judge a book by its cover and as an “interviewee” or “one being observed” should try to understand that judging others by looks is an immediate reaction, and should not mind so much because they don’t know who you really are.
minzhi Said:
on September 13, 2009 at 2:58 AM
hey.
i feel that the media is very influential in forming our perspectives, whether good or bad. afterall, most of us stay glued to the television or computers, so much so that we become passive targets of the message the media wants to put across for there’s no outlet for feedback. as this pattern carries on, we lose the tendency to question and thus the intended message gets stuck in our heads.
Shu Ling Said:
on September 13, 2009 at 3:24 PM
Hi there!
I think that personal prejudices are derived from one’s own and unique experiences, and it’s strengthened by the message propagated in the media sources which agree with his prejudices. I feel that the likelihood of the media sources largely moulding one’s prejudices is small. For example, if I had very good impression and good experiences with the African-Americans all my life, I would think that the man featured in the video is just an isolated case, and would not in any way group them together under the same category and form my prejudice of this race.
In all, I agree with your point that we should exercise critical thinking and discretion while viewing these videos and articles. If not, we would not be aware that we’ve taken in information that’re in fact biased.
nic1990 Said:
on September 14, 2009 at 6:33 AM
HEY! I like this post! Gives great insight into how different perceive various situation! Indeed, the media, past experiences, sterotypes and our own prejudices do contribute largely to how we perceive situations. I believe that as an individual, we shouldnt jump into conclusions or make comments without thinking of the consequences(: Great job I must say!
Celeste Said:
on September 14, 2009 at 6:00 PM
HELLOOO CHUYUAN!
Yes I agree with your stand and enjoyed your videos! We should not take everything we see in the media for granted. Media would best reflect a linear model (one-way communication). It may be useful in spreading of information, but we still must keep in mind to look out for prejudice content ( with reference to Bacon’s Idol of Tribe and Idol of Cave) to prevent miscommunication.
))))
cforceleste.blogspot.com
Wen Jie Said:
on September 15, 2009 at 2:41 PM
Hihi! Yes it’s so true that we are prejudiced against certain things in nature…and that the media may not always tell the truth. So we, as the consumers, mustn’t believe what the media say totally? We have to see things in different perspectives and know that the media might not always be reporting from different prespectives. So, ultimately it is US who decides whether to believe what the media says or not. =)
Yuting Said:
on September 15, 2009 at 4:12 PM
Hi,
i agree that media plays an important role in influencing our views. Hence, we must be wary of irresponsible media and not let them leads us in believing nonsense.
Rachel Lim Said:
on September 18, 2009 at 4:05 PM
HEY!
Yes I agree with you that we should be careful not to believe anything and everything the media says or at least tries to portray. Being a trusting and naive person I do tend to allow media to influence my thoughts alot. (I try not to now) I guess we must look at the intentions behind the media to see its real purpose as well. Brought up in our country where media – people interaction is so frequent, one can’t help but sometimes be ‘brainwashed’ or form prejudices.
But this does not apply to every situation, I’m sure for some advertisements or whatnot we will react hostilely to its content because we know it to be untrue. So our past experiences / education does help us alot in determining what is alright to believe or form opinions on.
We are all quick to jump to conclusions, but we must be quicker still at reasoning if our conclusions made are justifiable.
Sarah Said:
on September 20, 2009 at 5:26 AM
Hi!
I approve of what you said about our perceptions and media. Despite this, I will like to say that media does not always the protray the “bad light” for perceptions. As media is found everywhere, the uses for it vary widely. One good point of it wil be that it can highlight the plight of others as show in the effects of the screening of “slumdog Millionaire”.
Overall, I will try to take note of my assumptions of everything from now on and try to have a balance between my perceptions. Good arguments.:)
Nicole G. Said:
on November 5, 2009 at 9:37 PM
I do agree to a large extent that the media indeed plays a huge role in shaping our perception of people. However, the media can sometimes lead to us forming certain stereotype of different groups of people which can be cause unwanted tension and discord within the society.
Therefore, I feel that the members of the public who consume the various media products should take all the media messages shown with a pinch of salt so as not to cause unnecessary tension.
benn Said:
on November 7, 2009 at 11:35 PM
Often people are prejudice not because the other party is inferior but because we refuse to even try accepting them. Without experiencing something firsthand, who are we to comment on anything? It is our human nature to be prejudice but a lot more can be done to change that.
Cindy Said:
on November 8, 2009 at 12:52 PM
Perception depends on the individual’s way of thinking. The reasons that people discriminate ort prejudice against may be that they feel threatened by the (mainly) minorities groups for economic purposes or social stautus. Racism occurs so that the elites get to keep their places in the society and the prejudiced ones remain below.
However, Im optimistic that this trend is going to change soon although massive reconstruction of the societies are still required.
Justin Said:
on November 9, 2009 at 12:05 AM
what i feel is that prejudice has been around for centuries and it will be hard to exterminate. the only way out is to stem it from growing and to do so is education.
racism, prejudice, discrimination would always be around. it is how we should prevent this ball from rolling and stop the people using ‘coloured eyes’ to look at other people.
marilyn Said:
on November 9, 2009 at 12:23 AM
Prejudices do influence our behaviour and this would become “full blown” when the media is involved. For example, after the attacks on September 11, muslims around the world are being associated with terrorists and I even saw writings in the lift of my block that they were scum and deserved to die.