Diversity has been a long time aspect of American pride ever since the days when immigration first began. People proclaimed the opportunities available in this great country and the “melting pot” it was becoming with so many different cultures and ethnicities. But as time progressed and technology developed, this “diversity” was seemingly nonexistent – at least by means of media. Rather than showing the truth of the United States, television and other media were painting the picture that only wealthy, white individuals existed. They did not show the full picture, and media nowadays is much the same.
Even in modern times, diversity is an issue that many groups are fighting to obtain. The first article I read, “The Solution to TV’s Diversity Problem? More Diversity”, discusses the lack of diversity in reference to the LGBT community. There is a drastic incongruency with non-straight individuals being portrayed in cable/broadcast television as well as streamed television. For instance, a majority of gay characters are males, rather than lesbian females. Furthermore, there are next to no trans characters being represented (exactly 3 on broadcast and 4 on streamed television).
The article further notes the horribly low percentage of black characters being portrayed, 16%, for the population that makes up this country. And to go further, LGBT people of color is even lower. In whole, the scarcity of seeing a person that is not white is appalling given the fact that it is the 21st century. The article addresses that this issue cannot just be faced as a need for more color in television or different people in relationships. Rather, the whole system must be managed by diverse groups who have had unique experiences. It cannot be expected that a variety of representative characters will just show up if there is no change to who is creating television roles.
The other article I chose, “Why ‘Diverse TV’ Matters: It’s Better TV. Discuss”, addresses the diversity issue on a different level. Rather than advocating for more diversity in TV programmers and cast members, this article looks at why there isn’t an abundance of on screen roles. It takes a business oriented perspective by explaining that money is the key to variation. The reason why modern television shows, such as Scandal, How to Get Away With Murder, and the Mindy Project, have done increasingly well is largely due to the profits they rake in. Younger audiences crave this change in characters from the norm of white individuals with their stories. Diversity grasps their attention and brings in revenue for TV programmers.
This in depth analysis explains the numerous benefits of diversity in television, one in particular being the stereotypes it defeats. Having a multitude of characters of varying races, sexualities, and backgrounds allows for different stories as a result. Rather than a token Asian character, the character can have a more comprehensive story line, other than them just being Asian. For instance, Aziz Ansari’s character, Dev, in Master of None, is a young male living in a city trying to figure out his life by going through ordinary yet amusing obstacles. His race is just another facet of who he is and the show does not solely focus on this one thing. In doing so, the show avoids the problematic nature of viewing a single story. It also portrays to young viewers of color the things they can accomplish outside the stereotypes they are taught. This is a huge deal to those who limit themselves because they simply don’t see anything different as feasible. Shows like this prove how different characters create an enriched television environment as a whole.
As a conclusion, diversity is imperative for creating a better society altogether. The way media affects nearly every person today has been noted and in correlation provides roof that diverse media has a profound impact as well. There are only benefits to diversification in TV programs to both viewers who are exposed to more accurate representation and creators who profit from those who tune in.