Media Portrayals of Others

How does the media of one culture portray the people of another culture? Exploring this question in war movies and shows like M*A*S*H.

Click on the Participant's name or picture to see their website project. Read below for discussion about this idea.

Discussion

Heading: distortion of culture in movies Date: 2002-04-10 08:51 From: Yoonjung Rhie When I was a young student, I sometimes watched M.A.S.H on AFKN(TVchannel for GI in Korea) I wondered how they constructed our own culture in a wrong way(it was very distorted aspect) just for their entertainment. Even now I cannot accept the real meaning of the novel or movie made from the viewpoint of the third country. Hoolywood have made many movies where we can see various tragedie or emotional movement but I can't find it real or objective. It is sometime very insulting to other minority people.

Heading: RE: distortion of culture in movies Date: 2002-04-10 20:47 From: Katie Maher This is very interesting because many forms of media in this country distort the truth for entertainment purposes. Even in portraying American culture, the representation is often far from reality. It can be very insulting and often the starting point for prejudice or stereotyping. We are taking a class now in which we are learning to ask questions and analyze what we are seeing in order to better understand and make real judgments about what the media is showing us.

Heading: RE: distortion of culture in movies Date: 2002-04-11 18:07 From: Mariel Drumheller Distortion of culture does not just occur in the media, it can also be seen in the book, In Country. Sam is not like all American high school girls withe her actions involving drinking and doing drugs. She is part of one type of subculture, but the author of the novel does not address any other views of American teenage girls.

Heading: RE: distortion of culture in movies Date: 2002-04-14 19:08 From: Bill Dovico I think that you are right, i think it is time that the public starts holding the producers and people who create various media forms, that support injustices, accountable for their actions. I'm not saying we should hide our social problems, we should address them, but question them at the same time. We should question the "facts" and analyze them accordingly.

Heading: American Perspective Ling Date: 2002-04-14 14:48 From: Denny Suh I found a great documentary on Americans written by Canadian reporters. After Sept 11, they went across America to meet different Americans and to find out their perspectives on their own society. It helped me to have a better picture about American culture. It covers many issues from war, crime, guns and more. The site was created through FLASH, It integrates both audio and visual picture. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Cheers! Note: The site requires audio hardware Site: http://www.cbc.ca/one/americans/

Heading: RE: American Perspective Ling Date: 2002-04-16 20:19 From: Mariel Drumheller Thanks for sharing that website. Even though I am an american there was a lot of information on the site that showed me how other americans in other parts of the country are feeling.

Heading: tv shows Date: 2002-04-16 21:53 From: Alicia Brown I was wondering...does the new tv show...That 80's show...portray the teens of that time in a good light or is this a falsified way of showing that time period. I think that the show is enjoyable, but I am not sure if it portrays the 80's just as they were. This depiction is different from the description in In Country.

Heading: Re: Tv shows Date: 2002-04-17 14:14 From: Angela Traver Well, I see your confusion. Although I have never seen That 80s Show, I have seen That 70s Show and I think it might be a perception thing. Maybe Bobbie Ann Mason had her own perception of the 80s and the producers of the show think something else. I think the show portrays more of the popularized, nostalgic way we remember that era, whereas Mason seems to shed new light on how life was lived. If you think about it, we both grew up in the 90s, but your perception of it will be very different than mine. That, however, does not make either perception less valid.