Issue Of The Week XIV: The Changing Face of Racial Discrimination: Hispanics As The Dominant Minority In The USA – A New Application Of Power-Threat Theory

I think that the world (including me) is coming from a skewed point of view, excluding the way God intended us to treat each other. Yes, there are statistics that prove Hispanics have done certain things that society likes to exploit but the media plays a large role in shaping the minds and attitudes of people; the media impacts the severity of peoples attitudes. I agree with the article on that point. Once society and the media get a hold of something its like it becomes fact. Coming from this article's point of view, it presents two points about why Hispanics are discriminated against: the assumption of illegality and they do not speak English. This may make me a "racist" but I can say from experience that most Hispanics in the general public (not in my personal circle) do exhibit at least one of those characteristics. However, i do know some that do not. In conclusion, I would say that I do agree with the points of this article in the way that the media does control people's mind in negative ways but if you look around society and do some experimentation with people, you might realize those characteristics are truer than you may think.

I agree with Blalock when he discusses the fact that the media has a heavy influence on society's perception of minority groups, especially Latinos. In our society today, racial innuendos are used in everyday things such as tv shows, billboards, songs and even movies. The two topics that are negative against Latinos are that they are all illegal, and because they are illegal, non of them can speak english. Even though these things may not be true, it is easy for people to start believing if they see or hear it everyday. Because the media gives so much attention to the minority groups, it makes them seem much more powerful and larger than they really are. This creates hostility toward different ethnic groups that is unnecessary. This article proves that influence plays one of the biggest factors when dealing with issues such as race, cultural diversity, being prejudice, etc.

I believe that the American media has an unfair and unmatched influence in American society and politics. The American media has constitutionally protected rights, however, those rights are restricted in ways of financial funding and popularity. The media is not able to conduct continued campaigns unless: a) somebody is willing to hear the message and contribute or b) somebody is willing to finance such campaigns… or both. In essence, the American media sells what Americans want to buy, it is their job. We can blame the mass media for public smearing of racial relations or we can blame the American public for supporting it, I have more control of the latter. Political and entertainment news journalists have their place but they do not replace my experiences or my respect for those that have earned it. If the media has the power brainwash Americans into discrimination, please hide the Hitler films now. As for the power-threat theory, I believe in it. White Americans have shown flashes of this novel idea since the Mayflower but with the growing acceptance of interracial marriages and relationships, the divided races will soon become one. That day will be glorious for Americans.

I agree with this article that in the near future it is possible that the Hispanic/white relations will become more stressed. I do not see that it will become a violent issue but more of a political struggle. I agree that the media is largely to blame for the current social issue in regards to this subject matter. The media exaggerates the number of illegal Hispanic people in the US and indirectly groups all Hispanics into that illegal category. I don't think that it will become a violent situation because although history does have a tendency to repeat itself I believe that with the knowledge we hold today we know how we can choose to be above that recurring behavior. The biggest problem I think the US has to face is educating the general public about the real issues of the illegal immigrants in the US, and part of that difficulty is that many people don't care about the details of immigration laws and regulations. All they hear from the media is that Hispanics are taking our jobs (even though the jobs they take are the ones we don't want to do anyway), raising our population and unemployment rate, and we argue that they offer nothing to our society for the sheer fact that they are illegal. For now I think Americas views as a whole may be changing for the worst but I have hope that they may change for the better once the majority can reach an understanding of the issue.

I agree with other posts that recognize the media as the most powerful force in the world today. I often joke among my friends that comedians like Connan O’brian could run for president and win, but then they would have less power. The media has always had an investment in violence; let’s face it we the customers don’t want to hear about just the weather and we are running out of squirrels that can water ski. I live in Texas and relationships with Hispanics are not near as hostile as many reports may indicate. That is to say the general Hispanic population, not the Mexican drug cartels. I personally and many people I know love the Hispanic culture and its people. It is true that the Hispanic population is widely underrepresented in the media, politics and the higher level job market. If the media has anything to do with it, these facts may be over looked in order to cause aggression and more news. It seems its up to George Lopez to save us all.

I feel that we as a country should not concern ourselves with such petty issues as this. I believe with the arrival of more Hispanics and immigrants, the less job opportunities that require little or no skill at all are available. As a country we shouldn't allow ourselves to be sucked up in such an issue. While reading this article it is apparent to me that racism is still evident because this whole article is about being the dominant minority. This country has had a real issue with people coming in that is not of Euro-American descent. At first it was the blacks and now its the Hispanics. I am quite perturbed around the fact that the blacks are now against the hispanics coming in. They forgot that they (the blacks) were once in that position. I feel the media plays a big role in how we perceive one another. The media only portrays the negatives of hispanics such as being immigrants and the fact that some refuse to learn English, which is a very big issue. However, I feel we should not make a very big deal of this because it isn't very significant. I also realized that we are a very discriminative country. We should be more willing to be more accepting considering this country's past.

The media defiantly has a large influence in America that has the ability to shape our perceptions on on white/ Latino relations. A lot of what is said on the news focuses on the Mexican drug cartels. People link the crimes of the Mexican drug cartels to all Mexican and Latino immigrants. Racial jokes and perceptions are broadcasted on other forms of media such as TV shows where they make fun of the issue. This has an ability to form the opinions of ignorant people who have a growing hate for the Latino race as they are being put in the spotlight. However CNN does have a show called Latino In America where they talk about the issues affecting American perceptions on Latinos and their growing presence. CNN does a good job in promoting the race rather than speak negatively of it as other News networks do like FOX, the Biased news network. America will have a growing problem as the Latino population overtakes the other minority groups.

I personally have mixed feelings on the situation because from one stand point, you have a majority of Spanish immigrants who come in illegally and then do not know English or know the basic to get a job and cash a check but then you have a majority of Latino's who don't fit that description and who are bilingual and living the American dream within their Latin culture. Media definitely plays a huge role but they target the Mexican descent more than anything. They can't read or speak English, they smell, all they eat is burritos and are know as "Dirty Rats". Puerto Ricans and Dominican descent are categorized in different settings. They are known to be loud, cocky, and/or gang related. The problem the US has with the Latino community becoming the new majority is that most of these Latinos are not coming in with new business or coming in with gaining profit towards the US market as a whole. It's like running a grocery store and you have an excess of product and growing profit to keep things afloat but you have the same customers buying the same amount and not buying the continuing items that are coming in everyday so you're losing money in the end. I think that's the problem the US is having. Majority of them don't vote unless it's someone who they can identify with themselves and it askew rates and polls and then you have the mast not coming in with money or dirty money so it's hindering everyone as a whole if it becomes another Mexico so to speak.

For Blacks that might make things for potential minority vs minority is believable. You have the stereotypes that Latinos will work for cheap and build it fast enough so with that coming in, people like in mates who are trying to do right and do better with a fresh new start can't get a job because the Latino whose not even an citizen has it. It does create tension. It's a form of robbery. Blacks have come a long way from being dirt to the white supremacy and now that Blacks have a little equality between Whites, now Latinos want to come in and take what the Blacks have so long fought for and they are barley getting that. It's like a slap in the face. We understand that all races and backgrounds need that unity but when you have Asians who are now giving the Whites money to stay a float, you still have Blacks at the bottom of the barrel, now you have Latinos coming over illegally to get their start and once again leaving Blacks in the cold because they were raised in the US and no what a decent living consist of and what doesn't.

While reading this article I could not help but feel like a great deal of assumption had been made about the situation for Hispanic Americans nationwide. The first of which is the characterization of hispanics altogether, being that often times different regions of the US attract different hispanic populations. Hispanic Americans in and of themselves are a diverse group with striations based on nationality. Additionally, Hispanic Americans and their families can often times as well be racially either black or white and are more often than not english speakers by their second generation at least. This has allowed for hispanic americans to enter into every level of society so rapidly. Personally I would liken the over all struggle of the hispanic people in America to be more like the Irish in the 19th century northeast, and be considerably less severe relatively quickly. The real issue surrounding hispanics is largely economic and somewhat cultural rather than racial.

I feel the media has a strong control toward the stereotypes that are projected about the races. THey do a great job at focusing on the minimal group of people doing a certain activity, magnifying it and showing it as if it where everywhere. As if all those people where a certain. A great example I have of them doing this is a personal experience in Haiti. First of all the media took one small area or town in Haiti and magnified the horrifying destruction that was done and the massive help that was sent out and showed the world that this is what had occurred. For person that has family there its terrifying and also consoling that there was so much help and money being focused on the country. But when we actually went there the media had completely ignored the massive amount of middle class people who's homes where destroyed and there was not one person in sight to help. A week into the disaster there where still people pulling there own families out. The point I am trying to make is that America needs to not count on the media as there source of education. This is a strong way that stereotypes are conformed.

The article is correct in assuming the relationships toward Latinos by the dominant Caucasian culture and minority African American culture will be worse than that of current white-black relationships. It is correct to assume that the issues of illegal immigration and language barriers will serve to create an even deeper rift between Latino and other cultures. However the problems may be confronted and possibly solved by a dark, American truism. We, as Americans, have seen this type of racism before. We have seen it directed against the Native American cultures, The African American culture, the Chinese culture, the Irish culture, the Italian culture, and the list goes on and on. This type of racism has always existed in an American culture that promotes free speech and the right to think whatever you will about you neighbor of a different race. The media definitely exacerbates the situation but it is fair to ask the question "would we still be racist towards the Mexican and Latino cultures even if they weren't made fun of on Letterman?" The answer is a resounding yes. In truth it seems we as an American society are doomed to make the same mistakes our parents made, and their parents before them, and their parents before them. Instead of blaming our biases on obscure theories and media prowess it is time to face the facts. There may be only one way to solve our social biases and it does not involve leaning heavily on George Lopez. It means facing the problem head on and, much in the same way as addicts do for meetings, admitting the collect truth "we have a problem. It is time to stop analyzing and face the problem head on. Educate our children and ourselves about the evils of this continuing racial problem and hope by the grace of God we can keep our biases from spilling over to the next generation.

As I read the article there were many things that hold true, and many in which are false. I do in fact believe that the media has influenced how society views us as Hispanics, mainly because the way we are acknowledged to be, in many instances this is not true. Yes there is going to be Hispanics that don’t talk English and those who are not legal, but why does society have to point out the flaws instead of the good things that Hispanics do. In the media we are the ones that have the dirty jobs, which the majority won’t take or the minimum wage salaries. Why do they take such jobs? With them being immigrants, they can’t get the $10 dollar job many other middle-class people have; also to make a living they would take any job on the list. Another example Hispanics are viewed on the media is the fact that they know no English; basically the media makes a fool out of us at times. Overall as I read through many others comments, I noticed that many have encountered that one Hispanic that doesn’t know English. But what about all those Hispanics that came from immigrant parents, that excel in the English language, why isn’t there any credit given there. Does society always have to stigmatize an entire race when they have found an individual that is illegal or doesn’t speak English? Then every Hispanic becomes just that stereotype. That’s just a disgrace to know how society works, and when would there be a stop to all types of discriminations.

In the top article it states, "This will change the face of racial discrimination in the country." I disagree with this statement because even though Hispanics are becoming the largest minority, there will still be discrimination towards African Americans and others. However, I do agree that the media plays a huge role in determining others opinions and feelings towards minorities. No matter who the minority is or isn't, many are forgetting the impact that discrimination has on our society and the problems we are steadily facing beacuse of it. People need to stop standing in fear of what is different, and learn to accept change and better themseleves by learning of the different cultures and teachings. Until we stop looking at others like they are monsters and begin looking at ourselves this problem of discrimination will never stop. This issue has been around for some time now, and it scares me to think about where it will go next if it is already this bad! Get to know others around you and where they came from instead of judging them just from appearance. That person whom you may have turned your cheek away from might just be the only person who could help you.

In the article I feel the media is what makes discrimination worst. Every race has minority people. What would people fear of Latinos coming up to better themselves along with other minorities. I thought that’s what this country was about was to rise up and become a great nation. No matter what jobs are out there there are always minorities needed to fill them. I think Latinos may be that much more willing to work since coming from more poor backgrounds. It shouldn’t matter who is the face of minority. Latinos being the changing face I don’t agree with that. I think anyone who wants to seek change and not use media for their judgment will see that culture is all around us. The black will always have their part of history being labeled as a minority. It’s time to move on and change this country. Latino Americans have every right to be here just like any other race that want to come to America to live in the land of the free.

Yes, the media does play an important role, and it sickens me when politicians talk about the want to be treated as equal, and then right after they talk about how important the Black vote is, or the Hispanic vote is. Doesn't anyone see that the idea in itself is a hypocrisy? I understand the point of being recognized, and individuality, but it brings me to very angry place when I see people separating the races, and then talk how we need to treat one another the same. I feel like this very article is suggestive in saying that Hispanics will be the new "blacks". And I would rather stick my hand into an open flame then hear someone talk about how people will become the new excuse for why I have problems. To me the race card is purely based off of fear and power. People blame groups for their own problems to make themselves feel better. Why don't we ever treat people as people, instead of singling out distinctive characteristics? We always try to find differences, therefore we never see the similarities.

I completely agree with sbuamico-17. Racial discrimination will persist as long as people talk about differences. For discrimination to end, people have to realize that the only differences between races are the ones we create. When you see differences, there is going to be judging.

This article says that the media tells us that Latinos are all illegal, and that they can't speak English because of that. What does being legal have to do with speaking English? A person can learn English whether they are coming here legally or not. Most countries have a few different languages as the official language, depending on the people who live there, and many people know more than one language. Only here do we try to keep people out or make them only speak one language instead of having more than one official language. Who cares what language a person speaks anyways? If it bothers you, then don't talk to them.

People blame the media for spreading discriminatory ideas, but the media wouldn't put them out if people didn't want to hear them. Besides, discrimination existed long before the television did. People do not need the media to believe in stereotypes.

Descrimination and racism are not necessarily a product of the media. They are determined by how we as individuals interpret what we see. We see stereotypes every day on television and the internet. What we must understand though is that we cannot categorize a race based on petty differences.

I agree wholeheartedly with some of what has been previously stated, I don't believe that media is to blame for our issues with racial prejudice-sure it may further some of the issues we have, but let’s not forget that prejudice existed way before we had television and radio. I think that we are all capable of, and aware that we should, form our own opinions of people, on an individual basis rather than along racial lines.

As a trilingual American, who has lived in a Spanish speaking country, I fully believe it is time for America to stop hiding behind the “evils of the media” and accept change. It may be too late to change the views of our grandparents, and maybe our parents, but our generation can decide whether we will criticize the stereotypes pushed at us by the media and then continue buying into them, or accept the fact that our country is changing racially and get out there and come up with our own opinions.

I believe that the media is to blame for our view towards certain races. I also believe that we ourselves are responsible for the way we approach racism. The media is largely dictated by what the viewer want to see. So, if we react negatively towards racism then I am sure that the media will follow. Lets face it this is a greedy world.
The media just adds gasoline to the fire that we have created. The media tries to stay neutral but with the various branches of media like hard talk, neutrality is something that is hard to achieve. The media can influence us but we have to keep in mind that it’s us that moves this country and not the media. I am reminded by a quote I read or heard years ago “When I was 20 I wanted to change the world. When I was 30 I wanted to change my country. When I was 40 I wanted to change my town. When I was 50 I wanted to change myself.”

The media does play an important role in the development and influence of stereotypes people form of different races. I believe their influence on us is becoming greater as more and more people rely on texting and social networking as their means of social interaction. We are becoming a society that stays home and watches TV rather than getting out there and interacting with real live people. When you have no real interactions of your own to compare with the information the media is feeding you, it leaves you with that one side of the story. As far as Latinos are concerned, I believe opinions will vary greatly depending where you live. If it is an area heavily populated by Latinos, you will likely have a more rounded view of what they are like. I pray that we as Americans can one day see individuals for who they are as a person, there are good and bad in every race and culture. Everyone should have the right form their own individual identity, and for that identity to be what moves them forward or backward in our society.

I definitely agree with those who pointed out the fact that discrimination was here long before any type of media. We can’t keep blaming the media for the way some people separate others into different groups. After all, the media reflect people in society. What they do most of the time is put it out there in a very tangible, blunt, ignorant way with hardly any real perspective on the topic.

I don’t agree with the way Blalock was talking about Latinos replacing the blacks in the minority group. But like others said before, we will all keep seeing color as long as were looking at the differences between us as a whole group of people. You can’t know a person’s heart and see the differences of who they actually are by just by looking at them. You have to actually sit down and have a conversation with someone and I think we are all perfectly capable of doing that.