Latinos Beyond Reel (Essay Sample)

Latino’s Beyond Reel: Misrepresentation of Latinos in the Media Student’s Name Institutional Affiliation Course Instructor's Name Due Date Latino’s Beyond Reel: Misrepresentation of Latinos in the Media Images are everything. The representation of communities in films, and the media space, continually shape our thoughts and perspectives. Like morals, some acts are vilified, whereas others are commended. The vilified forms part of what is distasteful and unacceptable, whereas the commended forms part of what is celebrated and expected. Media, therefore, shapes reality. This essay focuses on various sociological issues in depicting Latinos, with a particular focus on the film industry, as shown in the documentary – Latinos Beyond Reel. Discrimination Discrimination in the film industry is not something new. The film Latinos Beyond Reel shows how Latinos are discriminated against in the film industry and media. For instance, when the film was made, Latinos represented about 15 percent of the total population in the United States. Yet, their representation in the media made up only 0.6 percent of the unlimited airtime given to all interviews on TV and other forms of media (Picker & Sun, 2013). On the other hand, the population of whites interviewed by the press and other forms of media formed 92 percent of airtime. This omission of Latino stories from the public drives the narrative that Latinos are inferior and their stories are not essential to be given airtime. However, this discrimination does not end there. Latino baseball players, for instance, form a third of all in the united states, yet they only receive, on average, four to five minutes of airplay (Picker & Sun, 2013). However, it does not stop there but touches on sensitive issues such as history. A film by Kim burn about war veterans and their contribution during the world war saw Latinos wholly excluded from the initial 15 hours of screen time. Does this mean that there were no Latinos who made any contributions during the war? Definitely not. Upon the film’s release, the Latinos saw how historians such as Kim Burns were ready to erase and overlook their contributions to the United States during the world wars (Picker & Sun, 2013). This specific exclusion resulted in a backlash from the Latino community. The backlash resulted in the inclusion of two Latino veterans in the film. On the other hand, there seems to be a decline in the number of Latinos working in media companies and the film industry (Picker & Sun, 2013). This decline is not accidental. Media houses in the United States prefer people from other backgrounds, predominantly regarding hiring. This decline in their presence in the media domain has been followed by a similar reduction in Latino stories’ air time (Picker & Sun, 2013). Therefore, it is not surprising that the little airtime given to Latino stories often depicts Latios in degrading situations, which are used to vilify the Latino community. The stories that do get airtime show Latinos as criminals, murderers, assassins, gang members, smugglers, and human traffickers (Picker & Sun, 2013). In addition, to airing this degrading content, the media goes further to add slurs in describing the Latinos. They are depicted in these images as animals, aliens, invaders, weeds, soldiers, and even objects. This vilification in the public media, as is expected, penetrates the public’s perceptions of the Latino community (Picker & Sun, 2013). However, the stories that get airtime do not represent the entire Latino community. Racial hierarchy Latinos, in the United States, is viewed as inferior and subordinate. Films drive and reinforce this ideology. For instance, the movie, The children are all right has a scene in which a man, who is a Latino, is depicted, as being worthless, inferior, and subordinate, to the white woman who is in the same scene with him (Picker & Sun, 2013). In almost all films, the depiction of Latinos is degrading. The Latino man is depicted as either a bandit, servant, or uneducated individual. In addition, to this, the Latinos play characters where they are portrayed as the villains or the bad guys. On the other hand, their women are depicted as sexual deviants or hypersexual maids who want to sleep with the houseman (Picker & Sun, 2013). However, when this is done, their characters interact, with a white character who embodies, the opposite of what the Latino character represents. Furthermore, the Latino character is often identified by an accent. Unfortunately, the accent is racialized, and a person who has an accent in the films as the norm is depicted as inferior to the one without (Picker & Sun, 2013). When it comes to the issue of representing the Latino in movies, white actors are often the ones who are picked to play these characters. For instance, a white actor was chosen to voice the cartoons in Speedy Gonzalez. The character of Ramon in Happy Feet is also voiced by a white actor, and Consuela in Family Guy (Picker & Sun, 2013). The notion that white actors can fit into any role shows how they are highly placed in the United States film industry. However, this perception of superiority did not start recently. It goes back to the early days when films were silent and white characters played all races. White characters were Africans, Asians, and also Latinos. The depiction of white actors as Africans or Asians is unacceptable, but their depiction as Latinos continues up to date (Picker & Sun, 2013). This clearly, shows or paints an image that the white character is superior to the Latino character. Privilege and power When the issue of who has power and privilege in the United States film industry is considered, the answer is almost immediate. The white characters, of course. White characters, for instance, were for a long time depicted as all races in the various films that were and have been produced (Picker & Sun, 2013). Similarly, when it comes to the slots given to Latino shows, only a tiny percentage is accorded to them, whereas a more significant portion is given to white-directed films. A whopping 77 percent, to be exact. This is unfair, given that they constitute only a third of all movie directors (Picker & Sun, 2013). When it comes to power, whites have the ability in the film industry and use it to their benefit. For instance, in the film Red River, the aboriginals of Lands, are depicted as the ones who started the war, and the white man only responded to this threat to dear life, and it is almost as if it was in self-defense (Picker & Sun, 2013). In a sense, such films aim at justifying the actions of the white Americans while vilifying the acts of the aboriginal people. This is power, and privilege, as it allows them to drive their narrative at the expense of others. Systemic oppression When it comes to this issue, it is clear that in the film industry, Latinos are oppressed. For instance,...