Stereotypes in the Media

For class, we were asked to put together a presentation on a stereotype that we have noticed in the media. This was my groups presentation on the "hipster" stereotype: http://prezi.com/ev6noyxy8a1h/hipster-stereotype/?kw=view-ev6noyxy8a1h&rc=ref-16590626

Whether there are gender, racial, age or cultural stereotypes, there are always shows that have that "typical" nerd or woman. After looking into some articles about stereotypes in the media, I found this one titled The 10 Characters You Meet On Primetime TV. This wasn't much different then any article you can find on stereotyping.

But then I found a follow up article titled 10 Stereotype Bustin' TV Characters. What was great about this article was it went through and looked at popular characters in TV who have been breaking stereotypes (even if they might fall into another stereotype). Most of these I've heard before but the examples are pretty good.

Django Unchained & Girls

Django Unchained Reviews by Roger Ebert, David Denby & Armond White

Reading Roger Ebert’s review, it’s very apparent that he has been writing for some time. For starters, he has the longest review of all three yet the most entertaining. Second, he knows his audience. David Denby’s article follows the same flow of Ebert, praising Tarintino for being an artist and pushing the ethical envelope, but, unlike Ebert, Denby spends time with elaborate words that only complicate the reading for a more general audience. Denby’s audience seems to be a more educated group while Ebert writes for the masses. 

Ebert’s article doesn’t necessarily praise Tarintino but understand why he writes the way he does – he explains “QT’s” forward thinking and avant-garde art for being different and explosive. Denby seems to think that Quentin Tarintino is to “in love” with himself and his words. He seems to respect the movie, Django Unchained, as a whole but not when the script is dissected which includes Tarintino’s long, wordy scenes.

Armond White, however, takes a different approach to his review. Instead of praising Tarintino throughout, he focuses on Samuel L. Jackson’s character and the references to Uncle Tom’s Cabin, which then leads into more of an evaluation on Tarintino’s work.

“Girls” Review by Todd VanDerWertf

I have never watched “Girls” before. This article is different than the reviews on Django because this critic watches every episode and has a very clear understanding of what they think the show should be so anything that is a little different and unexpected might not be what they wanted to see. Also, “Girls” and Django have very different tones to them so the articles are different. While the Django articles focus on Tarintino and his art, the “Girls” critic focuses on the show’s dialogue and characters instead of the writers and the other creative people behind the scenes. I haven’t seen Django Unchained either but it I was able to follow what the critics were saying much easier because there wasn’t much history behind what you see in that 2 hours in the theatre. For “Girls” it’s harder because I don’t know the background and the characters of the show. The audience for this piece was aimed for people who watch “Girls” on a regular occasion (AKA, not me).

Media Profiles

This blog is for my MDIA 3110 with Professor Nelson at Ohio University. This is our Week 1 assignment.

1. Current Shows
• 30 Rock (on Hulu)
• New Girl (on Hulu)
• Parks and Recreation (on Hulu)
• Numb3rs (on Netflix)
• How I Met Your Mother (on Netflix)
2. Peripheral Shows (Shows I watch because someone else in the house watches them)
• Harry's Law
• 60 Minutes
3. Guilty Refusals (Shows I think I should watch because critics or friends say they are good but I don't)
• Psych
• Weeds
• Parenthood
• Dr. Who
4. Guilty Pleasures 
• Law & Order: SVU
• Food Network
• Chopped
• Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives
• Iron Chef
• True Blood
• Criminal Minds
• Curb Appeal: The Block
• Pawn Stars
5. All-Time Favorites (Shows I'll watch in re-runs even though I've already seen them before)
• How I Met Your Mother
• Arrested Development
• Big Bang Theory
• Gilmore Girls
• Friends
6. Shows I Used to Like, But Not So Much Anymore 
• CSI: NY
• NCIS
• Bones
• Charmed
7. Shows I Resisted for a Long Time, But Now I'm a Fan
• Parks and Recreation
• Numb3rs
• 30 Rock
• The Office
8. I Would Rather Eat Charcoal Than Watch These Shows
• Honey Boo Boo
• Teen Mom 2
• Tosh 2.0
9. Shows I've Wanted to Watch But Haven't Yet
• Mad Men
• LOST
• Dexter
• Portlandia
• Breaking Bad
• Suits