How the media influences you about gender through TV (by Evan)

Introduction: Gender stereotypes and discrimination play a bigger role in society then we let ourselves think. The truth is most people would deny that they use gender stereotypes or discriminate against people because of their gender. According to Wikipedia, “Sexism, a term coined in the mid-20th century, is the belief or attitude that one gender or sex is inferior to, less competent, or less valuable than the other. It can also refer to hatred of, or prejudice towards, either sex as a whole (see misogyny and misandry), or the application of stereotypes of masculinity in relation to men, or of femininity in relation to women.” Here’s one example of sexist humor from the T.V. show, “The Office”: in season six episode ten (“Murder”), Angela gets the part of the voodoo queen because she, in the words of Michael, “fits the part.” Really he’s just making fun of her because she’s not pretty. This is why you believe too much of what the media tries to get you, to think what they think that’s why I wrote this, to educate you on the media’s influence through television.

 This picture fits my topic because Pam is the only girl in the picture. She’s the only pretty girl on the show they could have picked any other girl but they picked Pam so there’s some gender discrimination right there. She also represents the idea of a midriff (that girls best weapon to get noticed by men is their sexuality). 

Research description: I researched gender discrimination and gender stereotypes in the popular TV show, “The Office”. I watched the episodes of season six through Hulu and the normal airing time. During the show I would look for and note each gender stereotype or gender discrimination joke shown, while keeping track of them throughout the season.

What I found: I found that there are about three big gender jokes that continue throughout the episode. (E.G. Kevin’s voice is used as cookie monsters in a parody video because he’s fat and not muscular.) Also there are about five that are just mentioned and stop there. (E.G. Angela the voodoo queen because she’s not pretty.) 

Thought shots: My conclusions are that the hidden messages in the media are that if you don’t fit your gender’s quality standards, then you’re a loser. And no one likes you because the media doesn’t like you. Prettiness and muscles are rewarded and ugly or obese people are shunned. The positive conclusions are; the messages that are sent encourage you to fit the quality standards. But otherwise nothing about the messages are good. 

If people didn’t understand that there are messages in the media, girls would be three times more self aware and all guys would work out. They fear that if they don’t fit the mold that the media creates, and then they aren’t “one of us”, aren’t cool, and can’t be happy in life. 

This media could tear people apart. Say if a man laughs at something the women finds offensive they might leave the room. Watching “The Office” is an opportunity to teach your kid about the evils of marketing and the need to think with their minds and not let the media influence them. This show will tell a person that being homosexual is a bad thing and heterosexuals are better so it puts gay people down for being gay. This show says that if you’re a boy and you’re fat then you’re a loser. If you’re a girl and you’re not skinny: loser. If you’re a boy and don’t have muscles: loser. If you’re a girl and not pretty: loser. 

I think that this media source shows you inequality just for your entertainment. This media source says that no matter what, the media is the decider for what is hot and what is not, but no matter what the media says makes your own decisions. It’s that simple; just make your own decisions. 

Before I had done this project, “The Office” was just a funny show that I watched and there was nothing else to it. I don’t know what to think about what I found, other than to say that the media doesn’t want to let me think what I want to think. I feel that everyone just needs to stop agreeing with the media and just think what they want to think. This will radically change how I watch TV. One, I will probably see almost all things wrong that involve gender. And two that I will be careful to not let the media change my opinion, just because characters in “The Office” are saying things that would effect about how I look at gender, and how I look at people because of their gender. I think that the media drives us to think mean things about other people. That makes the show not so funny anymore.