Cowboys & Indians: Perception of Western Films among American Indians and Anglos by Shively
The American Indians admired the Cowboys and envied their lifestyle (Shively, 1992). The respondents considered the Cowboy’s lifestyle as a decent due to the variety of the existing freedoms (Shively, 1992). Many respondents underlined the ability of Cowboys to construct a relevant social circle of friends. The film helped the respondents develop a positive perception of the Cowboys, as they were portrayed from an encouraging point of view (Shively, 1992). On the contrary, the Indians were presented as the opponents of the Cowboys. Consequently, the negative attitude of Indians as a cultural group were a cultivated after watching the film (Shively, 1992). The primary reason for this phenomenon is the fact Indian were portrayed as savages.
In conclusion, the film had a vehement influence on the development of dissimilar perceptions about Indians and Cowboys. It is apparent that the wrongful portrayal of particular cultures contributes to the development of stereotypical thinking. In the end, Shively underlines that this type of movies has a tendency to evoke unpleasant emotions and lack the entertainment and fun (Shively, 1992).
Color by Fox: The Fox Network and the Revolution in Black Television by Zook
The TV programs were characterized by factors such as autobiography, improvisation, cultural aesthetics, and drama. Autobiography is a tendency towards a collective group authorship of the black experience. Many black creative elements were marked by the autobiography component (Zook, 1999).
Improvisation can be noticed in the minor discourses that the blacks use to communicate through group referencing. It was emphasized as the audiences related to presentational associations were linked to the actors (Zook, 1999). Cultural aesthetics can be characterized by the references to their historical figures such as Malcolm X. These implications were used to evoke the romanticized spaces of collective experiences and common nationalistic goals (Zook, 1999). Furthermore, the struggle for drama was emphasized by the fact that the most productions diverted from norms by creating dramatic episodes with unresolved stories and complex characters and focusing on in-group experiences (Zook, 1999).
The involvement of the Fox networks was for business purposes and was focused on the underrepresented market that involved black viewership. This aspect was also marked by content, which was targeted at the young urban viewers, and counter-programming, which had a tendency to override other shows (Zook, 1999). The eventual withdrawal was a result of declined ratings. A fundamental reason was the desire to seek and regain the white viewership. In my opinion, the persuasion is not relevant, as it does not embrace the racial integration.
Moving up: Class Perspectives by Kidd
Lastly, an understanding of the racial politics is core in explaining the dynamics of presentation of social class and economic inequality in films (Kidd, 2014). In my opinion, in this instance, the invisibility in this sense involves the consideration of the differences between the social classes. As it is apparent, that various cultural misconception exists.
Additionally, among other themes of Hollywood films as discussed by Linda Holtzman are education and employment. Additionally, she vehemently explains the importance of the theme ‘American dream’ since it is actively portrayed in the movies. In these films, the particular races are presented differently. Furthermore, the whites were shown as having superior jobs compared to ‘colored’ people in the most of the cases (Kidd, 2014).
As for the examples, one of them is Save the Last Dance, as it portrays the cultural and class differences and ability of the protagonists overcome the existing barriers and become successful with the assistance of hard work (Save the last dance 2001). In this context, both education, employment, and cultural differences are displayed. Additionally, it portrays the class differences, as both of the main characters belong to the dissimilar social groups. Nonetheless, it is apparent that a majority of the American movies cover the cultural differences and portray the class.
References
Carter, T. (Executive Producer). (2001). Save the last dance [DVD]. Hollywood, CA: Paramount Pictures.
Kidd, D. (2014). Moving up: Class perspectives. In D. Kidd (Eds.), Pop culture freaks: Identity, mass media, and society (pp. 63-95). Boulder, CO: Westview Press.
Shively, J. (1992). Cowboys & Indians: Perception of Western films among American Indians and Anglos. American Sociological Review, 57(6), 725-734.
Zook, K. (1999). Color by Fox: The Fox network and the revolution in black television. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.