| Sexism and Culture |
| Sexism and Culture in Television |
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Television permeates so much of society that it has grand influences on our culture. It seems that culture and television are intertwined with each other--television affects culture and culture affects television. Because of this relationship, sexism exists on television only because it exists in our culture. People seem to want sexist shows, and thus this demand is fulfilled. If one realizes that sexism can be eliminated by changing our culture, then the demand for sexist shows will decrease.
One may find that the media, and especially television shows, is sexist because of the viewers' demand for them. It appears that most viewers would like to have sexist shows that are dominated by male characters. Sometimes male characters, to put it bluntly, are more qualified to play some parts. In fact, some television programs require a leading male actor in order to have a believable plot. For example, action shows require the strength and endurance of a male character to provide the necessary stimuli to the viewer, thus creating the thrill and suspense. The television program Walker: Texas Ranger has an actor named Chuck Norris who knows several martial art forms such as Tae Kwan Do. He uses his martial art forms with skill and perfection to defeat his adversaries. If one imagines a female character playing Chuck Norris's role then the show would not be very believable. It is hard for most viewers to imagine a female character performing life threatening Tae Kwan Do techniques on agressive criminals. Therefore, action shows such as Walker: Texas Ranger are sexist not because of the producer but because of the viewer themselves. The viewers' demand for "high quality" shows stem from our culture. It is our culture that causes television programming to be sexist. Not only can culture affect television, but television can also affect our culture. By using this to our advantage, one can manipulate our culture by altering television programming. For example, some television programs today contain lead female characters. These shows can affect and change the thinking of our society, thus creating an equilibrium of male and female shows. The science fiction program Star Trek: Voyager contains a lead female captain named Katherine Janeway. She battles with other lifeforms, settles diplomatic disputes, and maintains the high efficiency of her ship. Katherine Janeway displays a strong sense of leadership, courage, and loyalty. Normally, one would think that a male would play the captain of a ship. Star Trek: Voyager is one prime example of a television program that defies the norm by containing a strong female lead character. Sexism can be eradicated in our culture if shows such as these are implemented in television programming. Every attempt to incorporate females augments to the changing of our culture. Any attempt, whether large or small, will positively cause some change in our society. When CBS included Connie Chung on their news program to co-anchor with Dan Rather, there was enthusiastic response from the viewers. But as time went by, viewers became less interested and ratings slowly dropped. Nevertheless, this attempt to include a female anchor has been successful because it has somewhat changed our society's way of thinking. Each atttempt to create a more equal world certainly adds up. Today, television, in general, is still sexist but progress has certainly been made to improve the situation. Television may be used as a double-edge sword-as a didactic method to teach moral values or as an eye to capture the facts of the real world. The goal, in order to diminish the stereotypical gender roles that are pervasive in such media, is to present television as a forum for establishing what is right and what is wrong. Children in their early years are the most receptive to learning, and the content of what they view must be monitored and regulated. Only by acting in this direction may we see a less sexist society. |
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Since women began their fight to obtain equal status and treatment as men, there have been many controversies of several magnitudes that have eventually led women to achieve higher roles in society. The topic of sexism has been heavily tackled and today it seems that women, by our laws, are created equal and should be treated the same as any other person. There are certain factors, however, which limit the growth of influence of women in our society. One factor, explained by Katha Pollitt in her essay "The Smurfette Principle", blames the environment in which children are raised. Today, environmental factors such as television and books are essential to a healthy, sound child. Children's television, however, contains cartoons with apparent sexism where the heroes and main characters are predominantly male and the females are depicted as the ones to be rescued. Katha Pollitt presents an issue of an unsuitable child's culture--a culture that is stemmed from children's television and books causing "girls to exist only in relation to boys." While Katha Pollitt has certain views that may seem important to our rapidly changing society, her views cannot be justified merely by using children's cartoons and books as an argument. Katha Pollitt can be on the show, but I suggest other experts be asked to come in to promote debate.
Katha Pollitt should be invited to our daytime talk show to speak about her beliefs. People like her can bring high ratings to a daytime talk show, a time period when interested mothers can be lured to watch. While Pollitt has certain views that are interesting, there were some apparent flaws in her essay that needed to be addressed. For example, how does she know for a fact that television shows can affect a child's perception about the roles of males and females? She naively asserts that "kids pick up on the sexism in children's culture," but she has no evidence or statistics to back this statement up. In a similar statement, Katha Pollitt also declares that our " sexism in preschool culture deforms boys and girls." Again, she affrims assumptions without truly churning out the evidence to back up her claims. Concrete evidence must be established by researching if television shows do affect children. By comparing our children's culture in the United States with the children's culture of other countries, there may be some discernible differences that might help us understand the current situation we are in. Therefore, experts who have done research in this particular area should be asked to come in to our show for a thorough debate. Improving our ratings is an important goal. In order to maintain or supass our current ratings, our show must be one that consists of radical ideas while maintaining our intelligent and professional quality. Important and controversial issues must be discussed else viewers will not be satisfied. Therefore, Katha Pollitt's focus on sexism in children's television and books is not enough. Throughout her essay she constantly bashes children's television without realizing that there could be other factors that can cause sexism. She even goes as far as to disclose the sex of Big Bird in the show "Sesame Street"--a male. One may ask, "Who cares?" Has she ever considered if other factors can cause sexism? One may argue that sexism is inherent, that the differences between men and women are sufficient enough to encourage segregation. Males possess a hormone called testosterone that increases aggressiveness and muscular form. Perhaps this distinction alone causes males to be dominant over females. Maybe that is why males are always the heroes-because they are stronger and ready to take action. The idea is just one powerful thought that will cause viewers to become more attentive to the show and will therefore increase our ratings. Cartoons such as "Garfield," "Smurfs," and "Muppet Babies" do indeed incorporate what Pollitt calls the Smurfette principle: "A group of male buddies [that is] accented by a lone female, stereotypically defined." It seems that in Pollitt's essay she would like to see sexism ended in children's culture, to finally rid shows and books based on this Smurfette principle. However, after a second examination one may also discover that Pollitt may be trying to promote female dominance in children's culture instead of male dominance, the exact opposite of the Smurfette principle. It is even possible that Katha Pollitt is "deforming" the mind of her three-year-old daughter, Sophie, by regulating what she watches. Katha Pollitt was explaining in her essay, "I know one little girl who was so outraged and heartbroken when she realized that even Big Bird-her last hope-was a boy that she hasn't watched the show since." Is this the mental manipulation of a little girl's mind? Many people believe that "Sesame Street" is a perfectly normal and a one hundred percent educational show. They would gladly recommend it for any child to watch. Hence, Katha Pollitt may have a distorted view of what she would like to accomplish. This is another issue that also needs to be addressed in the show. Pollitt's views can spark many ideas that can lead to change. It is up to the media to explain to the people what the problem is. Eventually, a solution will be found. Katha Pollitt can bring high ratings to our show, but we must bring in other experts to speak of the subject. People at home and especially the female population will tune to our show, for it is them who it will affect. |
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