1. Examine the characters:
What images and messages do they send concerning race and gender? Make comparisons of racial portrayals in the media to people
you know in your own life. What
kind of similarities and differences exist?
Notice the voices of characters. Do
“bad” or evil characters have accents? What kind of accents do the “good” characters have?
What kinds of relationships are portrayed between characters? Observe the existence of healthy, stable relationships versus
unstable, unhealthy relationships. Are
there any connections between these relationships and issues of race or gender?
Look at the roles of Caucasian men.
Do they own the power, take the leadership positions, and make the
important decisions? Are females,
people of color, lesbians, gays, elderly, or people with disabilities depicted
as basically supporting, passive characters?
Who are the heroes/heroines of the
selected media and whose interest is the hero/heroine benefiting?
Ideally, heroines and heroes should be identified according to the
beliefs of and strife for justice appropriate to their group; pay close
attention if the character is from a parallel culture and is considered a hero
or heroine simply because they have benefited the dominant, white culture.
2. Plot:
Notice the setting. Are the
geographical locations representative of the cultures that live there? Are portrayals of certain cultures realistic representations
of that setting?
What kinds of conflict exist in the movie, and how are problems solved?
Are the problems that people of color face socially constructed? Is an unjust society to blame for the circumstances affecting
oppressed groups? Are conflicts
resolved for people of color through the generous interference of a white,
middle-class male? Does the story
line encourage passive acceptance or active resistance of problems faced by
people of color?
What defines success? Do
white male behavior standards determine what it takes for a person of color or
female to succeed? Is succeeding in
the dominant white society projected as the only ideal?
To gain recognition and admiration, do people of color and females have
to demonstrate extraordinary qualities?
3. Accuracy:
Check for accuracy and authenticity in the portrayal of cultures and
lifestyles. Do the depictions offer
genuine insight into the culture of the character?
Be critical of unintelligent, oversimplified or exotic depictions.
Be aware of cultures being portrayed as a novelty.
For example, are all Italian characters shown as having involvement in or
connections to organized crime?
4. How could a
child’s self-image be affected?
Could harm be done to a child’s self-concept by presentation of out of
reach or impractical standards? For
example, are women depicted as underweight or objects of desire? Are people who are overweight portrayed in negative ways?
Are people of the dominant culture portrayed as being better than or
superior to people of other cultures? Every
person from every culture should be portrayed as an individual with unique
strengths, weaknesses, interests, lifestyles, and beliefs.
5. Language:
Contemplate the language used in the selected media.
Examples of offensive terms include: savage, primitive, retard, Jew em
down, Welsh on a bet, conniving, lazy, backward, squaw, papoose, and Indian
givers. Pay attention to sexist
language that excludes or in any way degrades females.
Some words used for females that are considered derogatory are: broad,
chick, and babe. The general use of
the words “man” and “he” were accepted in the past but their use today
is outdated; for example: using the word firemen instead of firefighters.
6. The Year
the Chosen Media was Made:
A recent copyright date is no guarantee of the movie’s authenticity,
but movies on minority themes created in the 50’s, 60’s, and 70’s were
usually written and directed by white males.
They often reflect a white, middle-class, mainstream point of view.
