Race and the Mass Media Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Race and the Mass Media - Essay Example In this paper, we will discuss the impact of mass media on improving or weakening the relationships between the people belonging to different races. It is not difficult to identify how mass media can weaken and marginalize a particular ethnic group which is outlined in the article titled ‘Revealed: How UK media fuelled race prejudice’. Rather it is more of a challenge to understand the concepts of race, marginalization, racial prejudice, and institutional racism. These concepts along with the Antonio Gramsci's concept of hegemony and Stuart Hall literature provide us with an in-depth understanding of why racial discrimination is happening in the United Kingdom and in all western countries including Australia. Once we understand the concepts of race and hegemony, we will become able to truly identify what responsibilities media holds in improving race relations. In this paper, we will discuss the impact of mass media on improving or weakening the relationships between the people belonging to different races.... Another critical issue which is affecting the rights of minorities living in any specific part of world is racial prejudice. Racial prejudice occurs when one specific race is given more powers and attention as compared to other races or ethnics minorities. The concept of racial prejudice stems from the issue of unequal distribution of powers among the people living in a country. Power is one of such elements of a society which give rise to severe problems for the society if handled improperly. When one race is given all powers, racial prejudice occurs which takes away the peace of the society along with the rights of minorities. Institutional racism is another concept related to the overall concept of race. Institutional racism occurs when institutional powers are given to the people belonging to one specific race. Social caste system based on the differences between people leads to institutional racism. â€Å"Institutional racism results from the social caste system that sustained, and was sustained by, slavery and racial segregation† (Head n.d.). 3. Concept of Hegemony The basic concept of hegemony is that it is not just the force or power which drives a man rather ideas also play a considerable role in this regard. Trubshaw (2004) states, â€Å"Hegemony can be established either by coercion or more subtly by what are usually termed 'consensual' processes† Antonio Gramsci's concept of hegemony was that one social class dominates other classes. He believed that the dominant class not only controls the society politically and economically but also makes other classes perceive the world as the dominant class perceives it.