The second section of this book is a little repetitive. Larson categorizes the different minorities, yet she says pretty much the same about each one: each minority is only seen in the news as stereotypical and that the only good reports are those that have assimilated to the homogenous American norms.
I had a couple of questions in mind when reading the different chapters, like: why do reporters situate or frame minorities in the first place? What audience are they trying to reach, and why are they trying to reach that audience, for what reason? Money?; why were there not any Southeast Asian origins mentioned from 1994-1995? Why did Larson point this out but not discuss the topic any further?; why did Larson group Samoans with the Asian American chapter, why didn't she given them their own chapter like the Indian Americans?
I could go on about Larson and the inconsistencies within her book but then I wouldn't be looking at the heart of the matter which is that minorities in media, news, and life have been neglected stereotyped and left out in the cold so to speak. As a country of minorities why is it that we all have to follow the American Dream? Larson discusses this in many of the chapters and it is because of this misconception that all people group and categorize each other. Who is not living up to the standard of reaching the American dream and why would anyone not want to.
I have had a problem with this dream and choose to go against the rationality behind it. I make my own life and whatever happens happens. I, like others, would like to be considered for who I am not what I am.
With this I would like to go back to Martin Luther King Jr.'s The American Dream speech.
"I would like to start on the world scale, so to speak, by saying if the American Dream is to be a reality we must develop a world perspective. It goes without saying that the world in which we live is geographically one, and now more than ever before we are challenged to make it one in terms of brotherhood. Now it is true that the geographical oneness of this age has come into being to a large extent through man’s scientific ingenuity. Man through his scientific genius has been able to dwarf distance and place time in chains. And our jet planes have compressed into minutes distances that once took weeks and even months. I think Bob Hope has adequately described this new jet age in which we live. He said it is an age in which it is possible to take a nonstop flight from Los Angeles, California to New York City, a distance of some 3,000 miles...and if on taking off in Los Angeles you develop hiccups, you will “hic” in Los Angeles and “cup” in New York City.. . (laughter) ...You know, it is possible because of the time difference to take a jet flight from Tokyo, Japan on Sunday morning and arrive in Seattle, Washington on the preceding Saturday night; and when your friends meet you at the airport and ask you when you left Tokyo, you would have to say I left tomorrow...(laughter)...This is the kind of world in which we live. Now this is a bit humorous, but I’m trying to laugh a basic fact into all of us, and it is simply this: through our scientific genius we have made of this world a neighborhood, and now through our moral and ethical commitment, we must make of it a brotherhood. We must all learn to live together as brothers or we will all perish together as fools. This is the challenge of the hour. No individual can live alone, no nation can live alone. Somehow we are interdependent."
I would like to live in a world where everyone is created equal, but I know that is not possible (at least as the American media portrays it). With the vote up for same-sex marriages, the notion of the American Dream is up for debate and to view this topic critically, I know that equality will continue to be challenged. I can only hope that we (all americans) do not assimilate or make any people assimilate in order to be considered a part of society.
Sorry for the rant, I was just trying to get my thought out.
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