Influence of Popular Media on People’s View on Gender
People are not born with their own opinions, rather their opinions are created and shaped through what they see and hear from sources that they consider trustworthy. This why most popular media mostly showcase ideas and opinions that the average person finds the most acceptable. When it comes to stereotypes, they originate from those in power who creates an overgeneralization that ends up repeated countless times that it eventually begins to be considered a fact. Authors such as David Brooks assert that women are better students than men and that men are more aggressive, an assertion I disagree with. Stereotypes dealing with gender like the one promoted by David Brooks
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This was a common wartime practice for the U.S and other nations. Whether it was World War 2 propaganda films demonizing the Japanese towards modern day war movies and shows like Rules of Engagement and 24 noteworthy for their excessive violence and inaccurate portrayals of Muslims and Arabs. The purpose of these films is to encourage male stereotypes that men are prone to excessive violence. Likewise, Paul Theroux talks about this in his article, "Being a Man", where he argues that he finds traditional displays of manliness to be "appalling" which he defines as, "Be stupid, be unfeeling, be obedient, soldierly and stop thinking". This is a trait that the popular media seem to desire to bring out in men, most likely an attempt to create the ideal soldier: an idiot willing to march to his death without a care in the