Race and Culture

 

Race (in the media)  – the representation of different people with varying ethnic background, including aspects such as appearance and speech, through the use of characters.

Culture (in media) – the inclusion of the characteristics and knowledge of a particular group of people, encompassing language, religion, cuisine, social habits, music and arts.

When creating characters, and content, it is important to consider these things, because they are very real and large parts of life. Different racial groups and cultures exist worldwide, and they are what bring colour, vibrancy and exuberance to humanity. People’s differences in appearance, behaviour, values, passions – the things they celebrate, believe in, listen to, talk about, live by, it all comes under the massive umbrella terms of race and culture. They are not small things and need to be represented in the right way in the media, a way which showcases the differences in people’s lives, why that is something interesting and beautiful, and not ‘weird’ or ‘alien’. All too often in media, mostly in film and television, racism, or traces of it are displayed without thought of the impact it has on the audience. Misrepresentation leads to confusion, people do not understand other races or cultures, nor do they care to, thinking that its overly complicated or bizarre, but what is worse is when an ethnic group is exploited, or culture made fun of. Insulting an entire history, a ceremony, a religious ritual, or something as simple as the food people eat and the way they dress is an insult to a group of people’s entire way of life, not only offending those from that group watching but also diminishing their lives, creating the chance for other groups of the audience to laugh, talk about and look down on the people who are shown. This is why representation is so important – the media is everywhere, and its influence over people is greater than ever before in history. During this modern age, when people are simultaneously divided by technology, and united through it, misconceptions and hate can spread rapidly, with social media and the world wide web. People have power and can extend a single opinion to the furthest reaches of the internet, resulting in a mass of followers that believe in this opinion, and neglect or dismiss a certain group. Race and culture have to be shown positively and accurately so that this doesn’t happen, and so we can all cooperate and help each other, as one species.

 

Examples

 

To see how race and culture are presented in popular media in a more in-depth view, I have chosen two movies to use as examples of positive and negative representation.

 

 

The first is 1939’s Gone with the Wind, one of the most popular films in cinematic history. It is a romanticised portrayal of the south during and after the civil war and it is considered by nearly all critics and viewers as one of the greatest films ever made. However, there are some serious issues that lie underneath the glamour and fame of its success. The depiction of black people, whether slaves or otherwise, make this movie very racist. The most visible character, Mammy, is unable to function without her white masters, and virtually every slave is shown as docile, even loving, to the whites who owned them. ‘Bad’ blacks were demeaned by all, even Mammy, seen as “apes” who attack white women with every chance they got. Plantations in the film, look like idyllic places run by cheerful slaves who were treated more or less as family by their owners. In reality, slavery was a brutal institution and thousands of black people died because of it. This film is a perfect example of negative racial representation because not only was slavery sugarcoated, but there were hideously obvious inaccuracies with the way slaves lived: clothing, housing, behaviour, statistics, punishments and relationships, all showcased entirely differently. An entire race was insulted with this blatant lie – black people lived in horrible conditions and the movie depicts the opposite as though it were true! But the horrific things that black people had to endure cannot be ignored or erased. They deserve to have the truth shown to the entire world so that we can learn from the mistakes made instead of pretending like they didn’t exist. This is especially important in modern-day, with things like the black lives matter movement making a global impact. Clearly, we as a species, still haven’t learned to respect our differences, which makes race in the media all the more important in how it is presented.

 

 

My second example is Disney’s cross-cultural retelling of a popular Chinese folk tale, Mulan. This 1998 animated historical action-adventure film follows a peasant girl who disguises herself as a man and takes her ailing father’s place in the emperor’s army. Mulan pushed cultural barriers when it premiered and before it, Disney was lacking the diversity and proper representation, making it a crucial turning point in animated tv. The catalyst of the film is not, in fact, the antagonist as it seems to be, but actually, the heavily rooted cultural norms of China, which naturally discouraged someone like Mulan from being who she truly is. The biggest aspect of Chinese tradition that is focused on is gender roles. Men are expected to fight, and women are expected to look and act a certain way and get married. The movie does well at both conveying these traditions, and the various ways that Mulan as a character, goes against them and whilst not 100% accurate, it positively represents Chinese culture, even with a character who actively defies one part of it because of the accurate depictions. Another reason it is positive in its cultural representation is that it does not in any way ridicule Chinese customs, nor does it glorify them. We see realistic traditions and mindsets of the community, as well as what really matters in the way (wit and intelligence, not just brute strength) and how China comes to accept that. It is very much a story of self-improvement, and overcoming the invisible barriers that exist in every culture across the world, which is a beautiful way to present the culture, and send the message that we are all one, even with our different ways of living.

 

Folk Art

 

Folk art covers all forms of visual art made in the context of folk culture. It can be used to pass on information, or be viewed as an expression of cultural identity. Generally, the art:

• May be decorative or utilitarian
• May be used every day or reserved for high ceremonies
• Is handmade; it may include handmade elements, as well as new, synthetic, or recycled components
• May be made for use within a community of practice or it may be produced for sale as a form of income and empowerment
• May be learned formally or informally; folk art may also be self-taught
• May include intangible forms of expressive culture like dance, song, poetry, and foodways
• Is traditional; it reflects shared cultural aesthetics and social issues. It is recognized that, as traditions are dynamic, traditional folk art may change over time and may include innovations in tradition.
• Is of, by, and for the people; all people, inclusive of class, status, culture, community, ethnicity, gender, and religion

Here are some examples that I have compiled. There are Mexican, Chinese, Egyptian, Bulgarian, Indian, Greek and other types of folk art shown. As can be seen, there is an array of colours and styles, and the varying levels of detail and use of perspective, as well as the different textures and materials, is magnificent and shows just how culturally diverse our planet is.

 

 

I have created an iteration of one of my characters in the form of a folk art style from one of these cultures, which can be seen in the character profile. Thank you.