Monday, February 11, 2013

Mantsios "Media Magic"

     This article contained some interesting information, none of which was too shocking. It is a little shocking that a small amount of corporations own the majority of news companies, media outlets, and other types of media that we use to entertain ourselves, but if we examine it with the same critical focus that we used when we found that a small amount of companies own business interests in the U.S., we will not be so surprised. It is also not surprising that the media does not want us to know that the United States is a sharply divided society with a small majority of people holding the majority of the wealth. After all, why should movies, television shows, and other forms of entertainment address the plight of the poor when they can show us sunny, suburban neighborhoods with middle-class families? It is worth noting that the very wealthy are rarely, if ever shown in these television portrayals, and if they are, they are not shown in settings that allow us to think critically about the differences between them and us. The myth of the middle-class and suburbia is perpetuated in order to make us as a nation keep believing that we are middle-class and that there are no poor people among us. If by some miracle, poor people show up, we can simply ignore them.
     I thought that Mantsios's statements about how we view the poor are spot-on, and they line up with everything we have been reading this semester. The media usually does ignore the problem of poverty, and if they are forced to address it, they usually portray the poor, who are the victims, in the most negative light possible. The wealthy are seen as the best in society, and this is what we all want to be. To be poor is to be dirty and unworthy. Although the wealthy are responsible for suppressing the poor, no one sees this. Instead, the wealthy are seen as good, kind people who would never trample on anyone. Their example is held up as the standard. The message is that "if we could make it, why can't you?" even though they are relying on several years worth of wealth in many cases. The poor are usually portrayed as drug addicts, prostitutes, and so-called "welfare queens." The middle-class, on the other hand, are portrayed as the real victims. Any problems they have, such as drug abuse, are worthy of sympathy. For instance, if one hears of a suburban housewife being addicted to pills, this would garner sympathy, whereas a poor drug addict would get little, if any, sympathy. As usual, anything that happens to the poor is their fault, and we as a society look down on them and try to ignore them rather than helping them.
     Obviously, it is hard to live in today's world without reading newspapers, listening to the radio, or watching television. Since the media has an interest in keeping us blinded to class differences and keeping us divided, the best we can do is to try to view what we watch and read critically, and to try to educate ourselves about these pitfalls in mass media.
   
     

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