Final Reflection

Blog 10

Before taking this class I did not know much about the stereotypes, oppression, and racism found in the media today. I guess you could say I never thought about it or open my eyes to realize it. I am so happy that I took this course because there were so many things that I was able to learn through out my semester. Ideology and hegemony is something everyone should learn, because it helps decode the environment we are living in and absorbing. It helps when one questions what they see in order to get a better understanding of truths. For instance, if girls and women knew that the images they see everyday of skinny, sexy females is a fictional reality, then less disorders, such as, anorexia, bulimia, and depression will decrease among the population.

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            Looking into video games and what people go through when experiencing the game was an eye opener also. I never knew that the Marines used the video game Doom as a training and disentwining mechanism for war, and a lot of people in the world play it for fun. It was also crazy to see racism and oppression towards females and other ethnic groups. Usually main characters are white, and, if one is playing a combat game, one will be shooting at another race with a white hand. Also, females are portrayed as big boobed, tiny waste, and have a very sexual appeal to them to arouse their gamers. There is not one female character, besides Princess Peach, who is not very sexually explicit.

            Needless to say, there are many things about gender, race, and class in the media that can be learned if one stops to recognize and open their eyes to it. Most of the population (mainly white people) believe that what they see in the media is true or the way life is, but in actuality the media world is very different than the real world. To get to know the real world, people need to turn off electronics and look outside.