This assignment aims to highlight the role of media and television in determining gender or sex roles for the consumers to follow, among others. Queer representation, as portrayed in “San Junipero”, an episode from Black Mirror, incorporates several aspects of society. Religion is expected to take the higher road and actively criticize the LGBTQ agenda which is unnatural and ungodly as per the regulations stipulated in religious scriptures.
Gender and sexual non-conformity have been around long before the nineteenth century, although it has encountered much discrimination. Society used to mark, categorize, and stigmatize those individuals who are viewed as being odd and violating social norms and values. The 1960s and 1970s saw the onset of proud proclamations such as “gay is okay”. This was followed by fading of categorical labels such as homosexual or queer.
The television and media play a crucial role in dictating the gender or sex roles we, as the consumers, embrace. It is, therefore, advisable that the content aired in the media considers censoring sexual or gender non-conforming agendas. Queer representation came along when anti-homosexual agendas began being promoted and equally fought for by the media and society at large. Gay characters were often quickly and tragically written out or killed off.
“San Junipero” engages the faith of its audience in a tussle between believing in the afterlife and shunning the whole concept of life after death. Having gotten rid of this religious ideology of the after-life, many people who practice religion tend to contemplate heaven on earth granted by passing over into San Junipero. Queer representation in this case is brought into the picture. This community, the LGBTQ, is perceived as able to live happily ever after.
Another approach of the after-life is depicted by the “bury your gays” concept, where gay characters in television shows are written off despite attaining fulfilling relationships. This community was already not being acknowledged as worthy members of society, thus not earning places in careers such as media and journalism. Actions of the media brutally ending these characters tried to put across a point that individuals subscribing to this gender non-conformity norm do not live a happy life (Shakeri, 2017). They were and are still termed as not achieving lives full of love, in that they end up alone and dejected by the ‘straight’ society around them.
Television and media try to discourage this nature of the relationship by factoring in love. Love in this case is not a result of same-sex relationships. It was also visible in the media’s representation of gay people, especially in pop culture before the nineteenth century. Here, television and media did little to promote sexual identity awareness and development. The onset of the modern contemporary world welcomed a bold and vast representation of the LGBTQ community through media outlets. The idea of the homosexual agenda which is harmful to society is slowly being buried, with the LGBTQ community vocalizing their views and demanding equal rights.
The youth of the modern world heavily rely on shows containing sexual scripts and television characters for behavioral modeling. Television and media acts as the first educator for most children and youths. This age group’s interest is attracted towards the type of content their preferable media plays. Whatever is displayed in these media outlets determines the resultant behavior of the subject group. They depend on these shows to obtain an understanding about their sexuality and all the elements that it constitutes. After gaining such information, they become interested in forming sex-oriented relationships. They share ideas and attempt to practice the scenes they witnessed on television and other media outlets.
It is therefore important for the society to watch and monitor the representation of LGBTQ shows. Showing concern is the best form of caring in this case. The television programs supporting queer representation do not seem to care about how the behaviors of adolescents and children with access to electronic devices are modeled. I chose to apply the Social Cognitive Theory in support of this argument. Observational learning as a component of this theory implies observing and watching the results of other people practicing and modeling the behavior of their choice (LaMorte, 2019). If one, therefore, decides to behave in a gender non-conforming way, this theory creates the link between television media and resultant behavior in consumers.
The damage will only be realized once the individual turns into the victim of queer representation. Creating awareness on the possible consequences of such unnatural acts, organizing anti-queer campaigns, sensitization on the importance of religion in the upbringing of children to avoid such gender non-conformities are ways of showing care and protection of societal values, and norms against queer representation.
The other obvious reason for showing care towards queer representation is the preservation of moral standards among the children of society. The inquisitiveness that children possess couples with the aforementioned Social Cognitive Theory. Children will immediately practice whatever they watched on television, without the knowledge of whether it is upholding moral standards. Regulating obscene content specific to queer representation ensures an almost immorality-free future within which our children will grow.
Television should not be a representation of reality as it has significant effects on the lives of those who watch and try to live by the standards they see on television. I will use reality television to discourage the relation and signifying of television content to real life. Firstly, television exerts pressure on the social and financial well-being of an individual. For instance, there are people who are underpaid, but still manage to subscribe to a channel playing a reality show. With time, the subject will loathe themselves for not living the kind of life they see on television. This already acts as a distraction to their main goal of life which is improving their welfare. Many reality television shows today depict acts of rejection and scolding against underperforming contestants. Relational aggression is also a result of these uncensored acts by the television cast (Campbell, 2018). Such scenes lead to different negative behavioral conduct undetectable to parents, as they develop into habits over time.
As stated in the introduction part of this assignment, queer representation by the television and media is clearly a misleading factor for society’s future. Not only does it destroy the values of a society, but it also violates religious regulations, thus prompting severe consequences as understood by religious believers. It is therefore very important to monitor and regulate the type of content both adults and children are exposed to. This will help maintain upright moral standards and eliminate the incidences of queer representation among members of the community.
References
Campbell, L. (2018). Reality TV: Viewers, participants health effects. Healthline. Web.
LaMorte, W. (2019). The social cognitive theory. Boston University School of Public Health. Web.
Shakeri, S. (2017). HuffPost is now a part of Verizon Media. Huffington Post. Web.