As with
many aspects of life, the media plays a significant role in regards to the way
the general public interprets and perceives current events in the world. In
most instances people do not have a great depth of knowledge from which to draw
from to make informed conclusions on their personal perspective in regards to
current issues, thus most people look to multiple forms of media for their
information. Media is incorporated into daily life so heavily that people do
not realize that their perspective may not necessarily be their own, but a
perspective that has been filtered and constructed in such a way that clearly
illustrates a particular bias. Without realizing the affect that media has on
our worldviews, people become heavily influenced unknowingly through television
shows, news programs, social media, radio etc. Bias in the media is strongly
evident in the numerous and varied portrayals of different religions. Hall has
the understanding that “the media constructs for us a definition of what race
is” (Hall, 2000, p.
273)
highlighting the idea that as an audience, our stance on certain issues,
particularly something as controversial as race, is very easily influenced and
manipulated by the bias illustrated in the media. The significance of the role
in which media plays within today’s society is great; for it is through
engaging with the media that people are able to understand things that perhaps
they would not have had the opportunity to try and understand before.
Despite the
fact that all religions have a standard stereotype within the western media; it
is apparent that particularly Islam and Christianity are often seen to be polar
opposites. On the popular American teen
drama The Secret Life of the American
Teenager the show’s creators depict the Christians in a strongly stereotyped
and concerned, conservative manner with “awkward conversations such as
"What would my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ think?" (Darden, 2009) . Whilst, Islam, furthermore
Muslims are frequently portrayed as being “pre-modern and violent, unlike the
West, which emerges as superior, modern and enlightened” (Canas, 2008, p. 195) . Such portrayals are
often considered to illustrate points of ignorance and fear, with unkind
depictions and representations of Islam in that way, many seek to change that
negative perception commonly found in the media. A TV
show called Little Mosque on the Prairie,
aims to “expose western viewers to the everyday lives of
Muslims living in the West” (Canas, 2008, p. 198) . Throughout
the duration of the show, the storyline explores the prejudices and nasty
attitudes commonly held towards Muslims. Through television shows such as this,
the media can allow comedies or other television programs to educate the masses
of viewers and attempt to change their world view for the better. Therefore
whilst there will always be bias in the media, it is important that members of
the general public have access to multiple perspectives.
References:
Canas, S. (2008). The Little Mosque on the Prairie:
Examining (Multi) Cultural Spaces of Nation and Religion . Cultural Dynamics,
195-211.
Darden, K. E. (2009, January 6). Sex and the City
for Teens: The Secret Life of the American Teenager Season One Review.
Retrieved May 12, 2013, from Yahoo Voices:
http://voices.yahoo.com/sex-city-teens-secret-life-the-2459495.html
Hall, S. (2000). Racist Ideologies and the Media. In
P. Marris, & S. Thornham (Eds.), Media Studies: A Reader (2nd ed.,
pp. 271-282). New York: New York University Press.
Video Courtesy of YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vA-ZASFmuiY
Image Courtesy
of Pixabay: http://pixabay.com/en/photos/?q=muslim&orientation=&image_type=
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