Essay On The Negative Depiction Of Race In Television

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The Negative Depiction of Race in Television Television has been evolving along with the constantly changing dynamic between races since it was first introduced to the public. Understanding the racial stereotypes that are perpetuated in certain television programs and diminished in others is critical to the elimination of discrimination. The pilot episode of the popular FX Network series It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia “The Gang Gets Racist” is a program that can be interpreted in many ways in regard to its effect on race. Although the vast majority of the population may not consciously comprehend racial stereotypes being solidified in their brains during casual consumption of media, television can subconsciously manipulate the beliefs …show more content…

In IASIP, three men and a woman; Charlie, Mac, Dennis, and Dee run a bar. When Dee brings a black friend to the bar and the male bar owners become uncomfortable, they decide to prove that they are not racist so that they can hire Terrell to help bring in business (IASIP). Symbolic annihilation is a concept that Larry Gross utilizes in his article, “What Is Wrong with This Picture? Lesbian Women and Gay men on Television” that was defined as the “systematic, non, under, or mis-representation of a given social group” (Brown, Lecture, 12 March 2015). Race plays a significant role in the pilot of IASIP, and although many could misinterpret the significance of the racial stereotypes being displayed because of the fact that the show is a satirical comedy, there still could be some influence on viewers. Larry Gross explains in his article What Is Wrong with This Picture? Lesbian Women and Gay Men on Television, “Even the most sophisticated among us can find many components of our “knowledge” of the real world that derive wholly or in part from fictional representations” (Gross, 144). There is no way to know whether someone has been subconsciously influenced by the television that they view, and this