Negative Stereotype of Muslims and Latino Male in Media

Negative Stereotype of Muslims and Latino Male in Media

            Introduction

How often does the negative stereotype of Muslims as terrorist and Latino males as undocumented/gang member appear in mainstream media and how does this portrayal affect members of that community.   In today’s society many people watch the new and believe what the news has to say.  In the news you see that Muslims are always always terrorist and that Latino Male are always undocumented/gang member. Even American Current President says it. The journal written by Dixon and Charlotte is more of an article with a bigger picture since it touches on both the Muslims, Latinos and also the blacks. The research gives out finding that the stereotypical content of the media can change the perception of people with regards to racism and social policy. It also shows the findings of a survey one with the UCLA Communication Studies Digital News Archive where one hundred and forty-six cables of that were under study from 2008 to 2012 got sampled. According to the survey, blacks were underrepresented as people of violence or victims of it since they were practically invisible. Latinos, on the other hand, were represented in large numbers since the people of that culture get portrayed as undocumented immigrants. The is an overrepresentation of Muslims with the view being as terrorists on the news programs. These implications found in the findings are generally put into context using a media coverage theory known as the “guard dog theory,” economic interests of the media, blemish of ethnicity and the perspective of community philanthropy.

Rationale

The media represents various cultural groups differently, and for many years, the media has been seen to discriminate some groups. Throughout the media, both Muslims and Latino Male face stereotyping. It is essential to understand the stereotypical media coverage of the Muslims and Latino Males since it influences the public opinion about these groups. Looking at how the media covers certain issues, it is essential to reveal the specific media’s political and attitudinal positions. Several studies have been done on the prejudice against Muslims and Latino Male and the stereotyping of them. However, there fewer resources that take on media analysis and stereotyping. The research attempts to understand the negative stereotyping of Muslims and Latino Male in media.

Literature Review

There are fewer studies on the case of Media stereotyping among the Muslims and Latino Male. According to Erba (2018), mainstream media profoundly influences male Latino by the way it represents them and their ethnic differentiation. In his research, Erba displays some confirmation on how dissemination of pictures in the media can influence university lives of celebrity Latins as compared to those who were of the great heritage Latinos as compared to those were low recognizing. Moreover, the media tends to brand Muslim as a terrorist (Odartey-Wellington 400). Wellington feels that the press negatively stereotypes these individuals rather than condoning the practice of stereotyping.

Unlike blacks, both Muslims and Latino males are overrepresented as individuals who have a pattern of engaging in violent activities. They have been documented as immigrants who unlawfully enter the country. Moreover, Muslims are majorly represented in prospected programs. These insinuations found in the outcomes are put into perspective with the application of the media coverage theory commonly identified as the “guard dog theory,” imperfection of ethnicity and the viewpoint of community philanthropy (Dixon, & Charlotte).

Additionally, the Latinos and the Muslim are also based in the same “terrorism” and “violent” light in some of the Hollywood movies. According to an article written by Guillermo about a film called Ugly Betty, he indicates that the show fails to be sensitive regarding the social aspect of some ethical topics. He suggests that the film expressed cultural conformity where it shows Latino youth trying to speak English in America. Ugly Betty among many of the film that continues to stereotype either the Muslims or the Latino by giving a precise indication of how they are represented in the media.

Research Question/Problem

The role mainstream media plays in negatively stereotyping Muslims and Latinos as terrorists and gang members and the effect it has on the two groups’ communities. I have choice to some questions that will help gain better view on how people see Muslims and Latino in the media. Some examples of these questions.

1. Do you have a fear for the Muslims and Latino Male in Media?
2. Do you know the native countries for the Latino and Muslim people?
3. Do you agree that all Latino people are illegal immigrants and should not be allowed to work in the media?
4. Is it fair and right for the government is to repatriate all the Muslims and Latino immigrants back to their native countries?
5. Are all Muslims terrorists?
6. Do you love watching media reporting by the media male Muslims and Latinos?
7. Can there be a solution to the existing stereotypes and accept male Muslims and Latino males in the media?
8. What is your opinion on connecting Muslims to acts of terrorisms?
9. In what ways do you think the inclusion of Muslims and Latino males in the can promote violence and terrorism?
10. What do you think promotes the general fear that people have on Muslims and Latino Male in Media?

Methodology

This research will utilize and analyze different contents in Hollywood entertainment, Newspapers and news reviews. The aim of using the three sources is to examine the controversy that has been raised by the media regarding the two cultures. The sources will give an extensive visual and print layout of the difficulties that the two cultures undergo when they are all stereotyped for mistake some of the weak community members did like terrorizing. The primary sources used to support the research questions included Ugly Betty and the Canadian Journal of Communication (Guillermo, 140). Besides, different newsroom based in non-Muslim of non-latino countries would be an unusual source to identify the degrees of stereotyping they generate. However, newspapers as a secondary source will give precise information with the added advantage of timing and accessibility

Discussion/Conclusion

For the past twenty years, the U. S media has released a substantial amount of news reporting on Islamic and Latino-related news. The events following the Rushdie Affair, 9/11 attacks, and Latino drug and human-trafficking related cartels has raised a lot of controversies globally. The media story usually provides people worldwide with the news that label all Muslim and Latino men regardless of their ethical standing. It is evident that the mass media has played an essential role in raising stereotyping beliefs among non-Muslims and non-Latinos (Odartet 400). Therefore, it is vital to comprehend the approach the mass media displays the Muslims and the Latino men contributes to negative stereotyping of the two sub-cultures which affects their day to day activities. Also, a different survey has overrepresented the Latinos as violent people compared to the black community who were under-represented.

The stereotyping of Muslim and Latino as violent and terrorists is a common practice, especially in the West. The idea of the Muslim and Latino being a terrorist is as a result of the Terrorist attacks, human trafficking and drug trafficking that some of the two culture men have participated in. Therefore, the imprint of their activities contributed to people non-Muslims and non-Latinos perceiving treating them as violent people. When different Latinos and Muslims were asked about the perspectives of the news media, they described the media house as prejudicial and indiscriminately in their viewpoints about the Muslims and Latinos. In a study done in 2003, nearly all American Muslims regarded the news media as influential in stereotyping. Additionally, they indicated that even Hollywood movies portray the Latinos and the muslins in an undeserving aspect. Most Hollywood movies overrepresented the Muslim as terrorists.

The stereotyping of the two groups in the mass media is mostly a result of different people having minimal knowledge about Islam as a Faith. Also, the survey indicates that almost all Muslims including women and some Latino men were discriminated in one way in the year 2017. Besides, some have not experienced discrimination, but they have suspiciously treated due to their religion and culture. Therefore, mass media has played a vital role in encouraging discrimination by releasing “labeling news” for the last twenty years.

                The negative generalization of Muslim and Latino culture by the media as people who involve in terrorism changes the perception of many people. According to research conducted by UCLA communication studies News Archive, 146 cables were reviewed where the black community was underrepresented as violent people. On the other hand, the Latinos were overrepresented as passionate people, which contributed to many Americans perceiving Latinos as loving people. For instance, in a study done by Erba, he indicates that central media tendency of stereotyping has psychological affected Latino youth especially from rich and affluent who think that other students tend to believe that they are violent as the media states(Erba 102).

In conclusion, a negative stereotype has affected the capability of the two communities in diverse ways. For instance, the study indicates that it is three times harder for a Muslim or a Latino to be cleared in the immigration office or find employment in foreign countries due to the negative perceptions about them. Besides, they usually find a hard time allocating comfortable houses or neighborhood due to the magnitude of the issue.

Works Cited

Dixon, Travis L., & Charlotte L. Williams. “The Changing Misrepresentation of Race and Crime on Network and Cable News.” Journal of Communication, vol. 65, 2015, pp. 24–39.

Erba, Joseph. “Media Representations of Latina/os and Latino Students’ Stereotype Threat Behavior.” Howard Journal of Communications, vol. 29, no. 1, 2018, pp. 83-102, DOI: 10.1080/10646175.2017.1327377

Guillermo Avila-Saavedra. “A Fish Out of Water: New Articulations of U.S.–Latino Identity            on Ugly Betty.” Communication Quarterly, vol. 58, no. 2, 133-      147, DOI: 10.1080/01463371003773416

Odartey-Wellington, F. “Erasing race in the Canadian media: The Case of Suaad Hagi Mohamud.” Canadian Journal of Communication, vol.36, no. 3, 2011, pp. 395-414