Representation in the Media

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@hopedreamlove

this is a great discussion, and super important!

- What is representation to you? Why is it important?
to me, representation is the ACCURATE depiction of my communities in the media! so representation means that people who belong to the cultures or identities that i do are treated with respect and compassion and above all, accuracy! it's important because it not only normalizes and provides some extra support to people who belong to that community, but it also educates people who don't necessarily belong to that community too!
- Do you personally feel represented in the media? If so, in what have you found representation?
I think that it's slowly getting better, but as of right now, no. when talking specifically about south asian representation in western media, if it exists, it usually features a typical standard of beauty and a relatively stereotypical experience. these brown actors, while beautiful, are almost always light-skinned and have straight hair and eurocentric features, which are all things that i don't have. also, the indian subcontinent is massive and so so diverse, so it frustrates me when only certain types of stories are told (immigrant families, assimilating into american culture, etc.) when there are so many more! not to say that those stories aren't important, because they are, but i wish more were told!
- What have you generally seen more of? Representation or misrepresentation?
generally more misrepresentation, although slowly but surely i'm starting to see a little more healthy representation!

Representation to me is showing people who are like you and/or things that you are going through and can relate to. Good reprensentation in the media is important because it is a powerful tool. "The United States have something more powerful than China and Russia. They have the media", said Malcolm X. That is so true. The media is basically witchcraft- controlling how you feel. When people see things in the media, that causes them to react to things to subsconsciously and consciously. It causes oppression, discrimination, hatred, violence, harm, damage, racism, and the list goes on. It causes stigmas too. No, I do not feel properly represneted in the media as an African-American female who suffers from so called mental illnesses. I know from experiences and years of research since slavery in the United States that it is did intentionally and be design. African-Americans are portrayed as: thugs, slaves, savages, violence, hateful, lazy, criminals, dirty, and everything negativity. When you are potrayed like that of who you are and look as an African-American/African descendant person along with having a mental illness, that is hard to cope with. People will from the start without knowing anything about you will already hold and act on that belief. I am a brown skin female. Light skin Africans/African descendant people and mixed raced people are represented in a better light in the media. It have even spread like that to Asian cultures. I totally agree with that. Yes, they are often portrayed with eurocentric features. They should portray positive black families and representations such as: The Cosby Show, Family Matters, Montel Jordan Show, Teen Summit, BET's Nightly News, and show Africans/African-American people in all walks of life including the science, mathematics, engineerning, and technology.

Acting on b1/2 of sum1. It opens the doors 4 more opportunities, voices n journeys 2 b heard. It can also b helpful in reducing - stereotypes ab other groups. Thru it, we validate lives of this disenfranchised by racism, discrimination & support.

Misrepresentation.

Ofc! 🤍