Eurocentric patterns of perception Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Eurocentric patterns of perception - Essay Example It looks into the impact the media has on the nation, highlighting good practice as well as bad along the way. It aims to enlighten everyone with an interest in the media about how it all works, how quickly things are changing. It's also intended to be essential listening for those who work in the industry itself, those who study the media - and, of course, those who simply enjoy well-produced and lively radio. Williams, Tannis MacBeth (1986) The purpose of this study was to examine how the media has shaped student perception about class and privilege. In particular, this study looked at how classroom instruction might help students more critically examine the relationships between print media and television media hereafter and student notions of privilege. One reason this study may be significant is because it begins to examine the role of the social studies teacher in making the unintended consequences employed by mass media to define culture visible to students. It is also important because it attempts to measure student awareness of the media. It may begin to provide insights for future research on how the media affects student's perception of not only privilege but of other aspects of social studies education like race, gender, and conditions of freedom. Thompson, Robert J. (1996) The purpose of this study is not to condemn the media; rather this study is focused on empowering the modern society with reflective skills enabling them to be more critical consumers of modern media, by raising issues of race and class as it relates to media. 1.2 Media and Embodying Difference; Divided percepception Mass communications is crucial in today's world - yet people allow it to govern their minds, perceptions, and world views completely unchallenged. I respect the entertaining and educational aspects of media - and its overall power - yet I find all too often, the mass media does not serve the well-being of people, society, or this planet, in general. Greenberg, Bradley S. (1980) People of colour well understand how disempowering media can be. While we may be increasingly included in media representations, we still remain two-dimensional, 'either-or' stereotypes or caricatures of who we are and have the potential to be. Such stereotypes are often subtly negative. There's also what I call 'The Stickiness Factor;' I'll explain more about this, later. All activists, fringe types, and marginalized folks experience being 'othered,' in one way or another - especially by the media. Be you a person of colour, queer, low-income, female, differently-abled, or whatever, there are many ways to get stigmatized. Being viewed as less credible by those around you, or in the public's mind, is a constant struggle. 1.3 Literature Review 1.3.1 Social and Historical Background of Media in Society Several writers think that reality, the material and psychological aspects of culture, one's identity, is defined and shaped by the media. Hart (2000) believes the media forges many attitudes, raises barriers and can play a role in limiting freedom in a democratic society. His position contends the media helps to reproduce the privileges of whiteness, thereby playing a passive role in supporting, and in some cases,