Television and Diversity

Television has been an important part of the American entertainment system for decades, and its popularity is only growing.  Since so many people watch it, the shows that people watch affect things outside of the fictional world.  As the journey to more racial equality continues, many people are saying that television shows are obligated to show more diversity.  While I am a strong proponent for racial equality, I simply do not agree with this sentiment.  I think the reason why my opinion differs from the norm is because of differing ideas about the purpose of television.  Journalist Jemima Johnson states “The goal is for a person to turn on the television and not only see himself or herself or people who they already identify with, but to be able to identify with people they do not share a race or culture with” (12).  However, is this really the goal?  My thought is that television is made strictly to entertain.  Therefore, I think that learning about other cultures is important, but I do not think television producers should be obligated to do anything.  It is my and many others belief that “imposing standards for television programming would be unconstitutional and damage important values that define America: the right to a free and open media [and] the right to free speech” (Frederickson 13).  If television shows are obligated to show diversity, who is to say that they won’t become obligated to fix other criticisms?  It is up to the individual if they want to watch something or not, and if they don’t like what they see, my advice is to turn off the TV.

How would adding diversity to television change real life and/or society?

What are some incentives for television producers that could be offered for showing more diversity?

Frederickson, Caroline. “Why Government Should Not Police TV Violence and Indecency.” The Christian Science Monitor. The Christian Science Monitor, 6 Sept. 2007. Web. 17 Feb. 2015. <http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0906/p09s01-coop.html&gt;.

Johnson, Jemima. “OPINION — Johnson: Strong Need for Diversity in Television Shows.”    The Daily Toreador. N.p., 16 Feb. 2015. Web. 17 Feb. 2015. <http://www.dailytoreador.com/opinion/opinion-johnson-strong-need-for-diversity-in-television-shows/article_aa53bcec-b64d-11e4-8fff-2ba1e8dcb029.html&gt;.

2 Comments on Television and Diversity

  1. Rabiyatu Jalloh
    March 19, 2015 at 2:48 pm (9 years ago)

    I completely disagree with your stance. TV producers are obligated to show other cultures in TV because there are so many different cultures in this country. And sometimes people of color cannot identify with white people and culture. So we need to make sure that everyone is represented if we are going to talk about America being a melting pot of different cultures.

  2. Rabiyatu Jalloh
    March 19, 2015 at 2:48 pm (9 years ago)

    I completely disagree with your stance. TV producers are obligated to show other cultures in TV because there are so many different cultures in this country. And sometimes people of color cannot identify with white people and culture. So we need to make sure that everyone is represented if we are going to talk about America being a melting pot of different cultures.

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