There are many examples of prejudice in the world, including those that are based on a person’s race or ethnicity, some that are sexist-based such as sexual preference or gender, and others that are rooted in opinions about social class or age. Different forms of social media are sometimes responsible for the growth and perpetuation of these kinds of prejudices by using certain language or images that support them. Some of these are rather blatant and obvious, such as the statements made by Rush Limbaugh or Glenn Beck, as well as the demonstrations of some of the members of the Tea Party at their rallies. In my opinion, these all use language that spread the growth of racist ideology and deliberately support certain negative racial stereotypes that go back many generations.
Other examples of prejudice in our media that are much more subtle and can fly right past you if you are not conscious of them are found within books, music, movies, and television shows. These are all forms of entertainment and culture that do not always intend to support prejudice, but quite often do. For example, I sometimes watch Jersey Shore just like many of us, and I realize that the behavior shown by these folks does not automatically reflect the quality of all young Italian-Americans. However, I feel that the behavior displayed in this show can unfairly lead to some people having bad perceptions of all people that are within this certain ethnic group and can help the growth of negative stereotypes about them. The same applies to many music videos that display women as only one dimensional sexual characters, or that show images of Black and Latino males as “thugs” or criminals. Freedom of speech and expression are important values, but while we enjoy and exert these freedoms we should be mindful that dangerous negative opinions can be the result of our expressions in many cases.
In addition to news and different forms of media, there are certain laws that also show blatant signs of bias or prejudice towards certain groups of people. Three felony “strikes” equaling life imprisonment (for non-violent offenses), mandatory minimums on drug sentencing (even for first time offenders), illogical and unfair crack vs. powder cocaine laws, and the general over-policing of many people of color and their communities, are laws and policies that are overtly racist and classist. These racist laws and practices have been devastating to many Black and Latino families as well as entire communities, and have the potential to have a lasting effect on these people for generations to come. Over the last 20 years or so, this has led to American prisons being filled with many people that do not belong there that American tax payers have to support. America now leads the world in the incarceration of its own citizens by a huge margin. Just like many examples of images and language found within our media, these laws and policies need to be re-examined to ensure that prejudice and bias are not perpetuated.
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