Ellington

#include virtual="/html/macros/1999/opinion.top.html" start-take #hide#show http_user_agent="Lynx"#show Are minorities really under represented in the media? #hide#show http_user_agent="Lynx"#show #hide#show http_user_agent="Lynx"#show Bob Larner #hide#show http_user_agent="Lynx"#show Contributing Writer #hide#show http_user_agent="Lynx"#show     

    Long ago, in a galaxy far, far away, the original Star Wars was released, introducing a world where all humans were white and the minority with the most screen time was a Wookie. The recent release of Star Wars - Episode One included a small but important (this guy can call Yoda a friend) role for Samuel L. Jackson. In Episode Two, Jackson's character will be more developed and a character played by Jimmy Smits, an actor of Hispanic background, will be introduced. In other words, there was a time when minorities were being unfairly portrayed in entertainment media or omitted all together. That time is in the past.

    Our population is 82.3 percent white. According to a Ball State survey, last year, the percentage of Caucasians on TV news was 79 percent. African Americans make up 12.8 percent of our population. Last year, the percentage of African Americans in TV news was 11 percent, up from 9 percent in 1999.

    The range of the characters portrayed has also improved. In the past, it seemed that shows featuring African American actors were always sitcoms. Now on dramas like ER, African and Asian Americans are portraying doctors. On The Practice and Ally Mcbeal, African and Asian Americans are portraying judges and lawyers. The issue of race is rarely even brought up on these programs.

    Reality TV inarguably presents minorities and whites in a realistic light. On shows like COPS it seems like the majority of crimes depicted are trailer-rocking domestic disputes between white couples and rednecks who can barely slur to the police officer that they can drive. Of America's 10 Most Wanted, as cited by the TV show of the same name, seven are white and one is wanted for a "white-collar crime," namely, extortion.

    These arguments assume that TV somehow presents reality. This usually isn't true. Although you won't see a minority on Friends, you aren't going to see any unattractive people either. This doesn't make the omission somehow OK, but Friends doesn't present reality or pretend to. Also, how can one argue that Friends is "insipid" and "sub-moronic" while at the same time complaining of the lack of an African American counterpart?

    Historically, the media has not fairly included minorities. Now networks are taking an active role in promoting diversity on TV. Last year, Fox and CBS signed documents presented by minority groups led by the NAACP, promising to, among other things, hire a vice president of diversity who would be in charge of increasing diversity on the network. Around the same time, NBC and ABC began programs to train minority writers and other behind-the-scenes staff.

    With the numbers of minorities on the news now closely representing the number of minorities in the population and rising every year, I would hardly call the media unfair in this respect. The complaints against the media have been justified and have been heard. Things have changed and are changing for the better. As long as the networks back their promises, the time to complain, although certainly not long ago, or far away, is in the past. #hide#show http_user_agent="Lynx"#show Previous article Next article Copyright©2000 The Daily University of Washington #include virtual="/html/macros/1999/opinion.bottom.html"