Joe Coleman Newman Chapter 3

Joe Coleman
Reading outlines September 14, 2007
Newman chapter 3
Description
Everyday assumptions in language, words, and symbols are some of the biggest problems in the fight to stop the demeaning of gender and culture.
Analysis
· People do not even realize what they assume about people every day i.e. the Christmas assumption story.
· Symbols work in different ways to add fuel to the fire. Slurs are conditioned at young ages and stay with people all their lives. They are among the hardest habits to drop.
· The process of calling men who appear weaker “girls” or women associated slurs also fits into the symbol way that women are demeaned in our culture.
· Words also get used to lump similar looking people into groups regardless of what their background is.
· Political correctness usually exacerbates the situations that it tries to help
· Commercials and TV commonly use stereotypes of women in the kitchen roles and men as the breadwinners.

Vision
The media is bloated with all the points mentioned above, thus creating a huge task of trying to stop the everyday use in order to alleviate the problem.


Strategy
The problem is deep seeded, making it far more difficult to handle. The best advice to try to stop this is to train people to think on their feet and interpret what they see from a sociological standpoint. This will at least make an attempt at some reform.

Clare D. Newman. "Portraying Difference: Race, Class, Gender and Sexuality in Language and Media."

Clare Duffy
September 14, 2007
WGS 220 Section 05
Newman. Chapter 3. p69-103

Description:

· Ideas surrounding other races, genders, ethnicities, sexualities or class based largely upon media representation (p102)

Analysis:
· Symbols can evoke different emotions (p72)
o Flags as symbol of patriotism or disrespect (p72)
· Misogyny embedded in language (p76)
o Words such as spokesperson indicate female because –man isn’t used (p76)
o No need to add male to beginning of titles because is implied (p76)
o Members of organizations instructed to avoid gender-biased terms (p77)
§ Need to be taught because bias is so prevalent
· racism embedded in language as well (p79)
o white vs. black defined as pure vs. wicked (p79)
o euphemisms thought to be racial-neutral but subtle symbols of racism (p78)
· panethnic labels (p80)
o assimilation vs. multiculturalism (p81)
· differences in language style transfer to one side’s superiority (p82)
· Media presents stereotypes of gender (p87)
o Introduced during childhood (p88)
o Women portrayed either as sex object or housewife (p89)
§ unsuccessful without good looks (p90)
o men as womanizers or rugged characters with a hint of sensitivity (p91)
· ethnoracial stereotypes in media (p92)
· homosexuality in mainstream culture (p96)
o images remain narrow (p97)
· working class and poor families depicted unfavorably and stereotypically in media (p99)
o wealthy portrayed favorably (p100)

Vision:
· eradicate stereotypes from media allowing society to form own conclusions of people of different races, classes, sexualities, genders, ethnicities (implied)

Strategy:
· observe stereotypes in entertainment and media (p102)
o Recognize. Examine. Then avoid. (implied)

Mary S. Newman - "Portraying Difference" (Chapter Three) 71-103

Mary Shaw
September 14, 2007
Gender and Pop Culture (WGS220-05)
Newman - "Portraying Difference: Race, Class, Gender, and Sexuality in Language and the Media" (Chapter 3, Pages 71-103)

DESCRIPTION:
- While society bases difference on things like race, gender, ethnicity, religion, and class, the language we use and the symbols we employ perpetuate and point out these differences in our daily lives (Page 71).

ANALYSIS:
- Symbols, although arbitrary and wholly human created, can have a very powerful affect on our thinking and emotions (Page 72).
- Language is gendered, sexual, racial, and ethnic, meaning it reflects these different aspects of society and changes according to changes within each category (Page 76).
- The media plays a very significant role in the way we look at things, dividing the world into very "us and them" categories, based on race, sex, sexual preferences, and class (white, middle class, heterosexual, middle class males are the most common actors and audiences, yet they are rarely, if ever, scrutinized and torn apart so thoroughly as those who don't fit into these specifications) (Page 87).

VISION:
- Implied: The author writes to inform people of the way in which symbols and language (most notably those used in the media) promote racism, sexism, and elitism, in the hopes of making people care more and getting rid of the gendered, racial, ethnic, and sexual language.

STRATEGY:
- Since the act of naming things is what creates a very divided society, we must learn to stop categorizing based on names and start treating all people equally, whether this means helping those who don't get help (ex: those wielding little or no power) or exposing those who remain hidden behind the media and tricks of language (ex: those who run the media and hold a mass amount of power in society) (Page 103).

Newman. Chapter 3: Portraying Differences. Pg. 71-105. Rachel Seaton

Newman. Chapter 3: Portraying Differences. Pg. 71-105.

Description:
• Social inequalities, in regards to gender, race and ethnicity, sexuality, and social class are created and reinforced in everyday conversation and in the media. (p. 103)

Analysis:
• The importance of language in portraying perceptions of differences is found more significantly in what is not said. (p. 73)
• Through the use of gendered language, ethno racial language, sexual language and different slurs, differences are depicted. (p. 76-82)
• The use of language to conceal variation, gendered differences in linguistic style and "political correctness" also stress differences. (p. 82-86)
• The media represents gender through the use of stereotypes. Femininity is reinforced by either showing a woman as successful, or an "exhibited" woman who is a seductive sex symbol. (p. 91). Masculinity is reinforced by poking fun, which is not seen as derogatory because of the power men traditionally have. (p. 93)
• Race, ethnicity, sexuality and social class are all depicted in media generally by using their stereotypes or in television shows which segregate differences. (p. 95-101)

Vision:
• To live in a society where oppression is not consistently facilitated by forces that are powerful and go unquestioned (implied)

Strategy:
• Not stated

Newman Ch. 3 Portraying Difference pgs 71-105 Jen Hatrak

Jennifer Hatrak
September 10, 2007
WGS 220-01 Gender and Pop Culture
Newman. Ch. 3. Portraying Difference. Pgs 71-105

Description:

• Newman describes stereotypes, mostly racial, found in mainstream media,
and seeks to dispel these stereotypes and false representations of groups
of people (pg 73)
Analysis:
• Symbols are powerful in that they can bring people together or separate
people (pg 74)
• Language can be hegemonic (implied) and dominant when using negative
stereotypical words to describe people or groups of people (pgs 76, 77)
• Media plays a large role in construction of gender stereotyping and
construction of gender (pg 89)
Vision:
• According to Newman, a society where the media does not portray people
in a stereotypical view, and getting rid of the social hierarchies and
categories which are used in society (pg 104)
Strategy:
• Understanding that the media's portrayal of certain groups are
stereotypes, i.e. awareness and consciousness raising, and understanding
of the 'othered' in society by listening (pg 105)

Ron P. Newman. Portraying the Difference: Race, Class, and Sexuality in Language and the Media. (71-105).

Ron Parks

September 14, 2007

WGS 220-05

Newman. Portraying the Difference: Race, Class, and Sexuality in Language and the Media. (71-105).

Description:

• Explores the media’s impact on social groups and identities as a result of accepted inequalities (73).

Analysis:

• Symbols tend to have more meaning than what is obvious (the American flag means more than just a piece of cloth/plastic) (73).
• Slurs are used as derogatory, but after awhile can be used as a sense of pride (75).
• Many English words tend to be genderized, showing priority to males, such as founding fathers, man-made, female doctor (78).
• Language tends to be unconsciously racist (white lies are small lies, black magic is dark and ominous) (79).
• Panethnic labels group several ethnicities together for simplicity, assuming they are all the same (Tanzanians, Ethiopians, Kenyans are all called ‘Africans’) (82).
• Language differences are the result of power imbalances (men interrupt more, women’s speech more emotional (84).
• Political correctness is used to give more voice to various minority groups (86).
• Media imparts racial, gender, and class ideas into our culture (white-male news anchors, men outnumber women in key behind the scene roles, working class=minorities) (89).

Vision:

• Social and gender identities are not readily accepted from the media (103).

Strategy:

· Identify ourselves without the use of labels (103).

· Do not accept “assumed” roles in gender, class, or race (104).

Newman, Portraying the Difference: race, class, and sexuality in language and the media. (71-105). (Roz Bocker)

Description:
• Language powerful in defining identity/social reality (73)
Analysis:
• Slurs=derogatory terms, often applied to nonmembers of target groups
(football coach calls players "girls") (76)
• Gendered language usually assumes male (freshmen, chairmen, fellowship)
(78)
• Ethnoracial= colors have meanings (black= dirty, soiled, white= pure,
good) (79)
• Panethnic labels= lump together, all "blacks" ="Africans" etc. (82)
• Media reinforces/invents labels for class, gender, race, ethnicity,
sexuality (88)
Vision:
• Define selves without adjectives and labels, no need to portray "way of
life" (103-104)
Strategy:
• Reject reinforced memberships, assumptions/be aware of linguistic
conventions (103)