While reading this book, I am struck by how pervasive racism still is in the media, but also by how far we have come just to arrive at the (still) prejudiced place that we are today. Apparently racism in film and television have just become more subversive so that people no longer notice anymore, and sexism is much the same way.

I recently had a conversation on Facebook with a (white) man that I have known well my entire life, who grew up in a loving, middle class home and seems to be a well rounded, kind person. He told me that he doesn't know anyone who believes that minorities and women are inferior, and that everyone in then United States  has an equal opportunity to be successful if they just work hard enough. I'm sure that he truly believes this is reality for most people, he doesn't realize that racism and sexism are so normalized that he no longer notices them, and neither do most people. While I tried to make a convincing case within the limited confines of a Facebook comment thread, I doubt he was convinced. After reading this book (and the other readings from this class) I can easily see why. I feel like I am a fairly intelligent person with critical thinking skills that might be above average, if for no other reason than my educational background. Yet, I didn't notice many of the racist stereotypes presented in the opening chapters of "Media & Minorities."

I grew up with shows like "Fresh Prince of Bel Air" and "The Cosby Show." I watched western movies and TV shows with my parents all the time. I grew up thinking ""La Bamba" was a great movie and the men in "Mississippi Burning" represented the civil rights movement. I've seen the first two "Karate Kid" movies more times than I am willing to admit publicly. And now I realize that whether I like it or not, despite my belief that I was raised to believe in equality and stand up to prejudice, I was still indoctrinated into a culture of racism. We all were. Does this make us all prejudiced by default? Can we, and the rest of society for that matter, be reprogrammed to not accept racism and sexism?

We can at least become more aware of and stand up to prejudice, an idea that Larson reiterates in each chapter with sections that discuss ways that people are already fighting against prejudice and can continue to in the future. I like that she includes these ideas rather than simply stating problems that she has observed. The only thing I find objectionable is that she uses language that is exclusionary when she makes statements like "By protesting at the studios or movie theaters, leading boycotts of films, and releasing critical reports, racial-minority groups draw attention to offensive content." (19) While I agree 100% with this sentiment, why is this call to action only extended to "racial-minority groups" rather than "people who want to end prejudice" in general? Does one have to be part of a minority group in order to stand up to racism? Of course not, and I think it is important for white people to stand up to racism, just like it is important for men to stand up to sexism. Despite this minor criticism, I really like this book and find it refreshing after reading the sexist, judgmental rhetoric of "she who shall not be named"in the last book. I appreciate Larson's objective viewpoint.