SO 206 Park University Unit 5 Social Problems Related to Media and Sexuality Paper Unit 5: Assignment 2: Media Representation of the Problem Directions: A

SO 206 Park University Unit 5 Social Problems Related to Media and Sexuality Paper Unit 5: Assignment 2: Media Representation of the Problem
Directions:

Analyze how this social problem is discussed in the media. This can include news media, social media, documentary film or celebrity culture. Discuss how the media representation of the problem may rely on stereotypes, invisible/erased histories, and/or intersectional systems of power and privilege.

Are there limits to this media image of the social problem?
Is it missing anything from the complexity of the social problem?
If you don’t observe any of these concepts/ideas, explain why you think that is the case.

This paper should be 2-3 pages discussing media and popular culture representations of the social problem. If any sources are used, including the course textbook or required readings, please cite using ASA, APA, or MLA citation formats. Unit 5: Social Problems Related to
the Media and Sexuality
Introduction
This unit addresses two contemporary social issues: problems related to the media and
problems related to sexuality. Our social lives today are heavily mediated. Information and
knowledge is obtained through media sources as well as social interaction, cultural learning,
and identity development. We are connected to media more today than ever before and this
results in some social problems. This unit will focus on the power of corporate media and the
concept of representation through media. The media is an agent of socialization and we learn
about our own identities and the identities of others through media images. The second topic
in this unit examines social problems related to sexuality including heterosexism and teenage
pregnancy. Both serve as strong examples of the importance of the construction of social
problems. While LGBTQ identities and teenage pregnancy have been present for centuries,
only recently have these issues been claimed and recognized as a problem. As you complete
the readings on these topics, think about the importance of historical and cultural context in
defining social problems. You may even be able to connect the importance of media too! In
addition to the textbook, there is a link provided that offers a glossary of terms related to the
LGBTQIA+ community and are more up to date than the assigned chapter from the textbook.
This is a helpful resource for the discussions and activities to promote inclusive and
respectful language.
Unit Learning Outcomes
At the conclusion of the unit, the learner will be able to:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Define the concepts of sexuality, heterosexism, and heterosexual privilege.
Describe the social problems resulting from heterosexism.
Explain the role of various forms of media in constructing social problems.
Describe how the media can be an agent of cultural change.
Readings and Materials
Readings
1. Chapters 5 and 9.2 in Social Problems: Continuity and Change
2. Hatton, E., & Trautner, M. (2011). Equal Opportunity Objectification? The Sexualization
of Men and Women on the Cover of Rolling Stone. Sexuality & Culture, 15(3), 256–
278. (Links to an external site.)(PDF/HTML Full Text)
Additional Resources
1. Human Rights Campaign | Glossary of Terms
https://www.hrc.org/resources/glossary-ofterms?utm_source=GS&utm_medium=AD&utm_campaign=BPI-HRCGrant&utm_content=276004739478&utm_term=gender%20definition&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIn9
LRg-3u4wIVQj0MCh2uBgb4EAAYASAAEgKYSfD_BwE
Social Problems related to
the Media and Sexuality
How does power and privilege impact
inequalities based on sexuality?
How does the media shape culture and identities?
Is corporate media connected to systems of
power?
How do we define Sex?
Sex: A Biological Issue
Sex is the biological distinction between females and males. The
term sex also refers to activity that leads to sexual gratification and
possibly repro- duction.
Sex: A Cultural Issue
There are norms surrounding sexual behaviors including age (some
socie- ties accept sexual activity on the part of children, although
others define such behavior as a serious problem), marital status
(some societies rigidly restrict sexual activity to married partners,
but others are more permis- sive), and sex of partner (societies
differ dramatically in their attitudes to- ward sexuality involving
people of the same sex). We learn about sex through social
interactions and process and based on our social location there is
great diversity in what we learn is “normal” and “acceptable” sexual behaviors and identities.
Teenage Pregnancy
In US one and three women will become pregnant before the age
of 20. This results in one in seven becoming teen mothers. Defining
teenage pregnancy as social problem is a current social issue and
differs based on social loca- tion. There is a cultural shift in
definition as teen parents are now more like- ly to also be unwed
parents. This trend emerges in the 1970s as it became more
culturally acceptable to not marry as a solution to an unplanned
teen- agepregnancy.
Thisissueisdefiningindifferentwaysbasedonregion,race, class, and
religion. Some define teenage pregnancy as immoral while others
define teenage pregnancy as a “stupid mistake”.
Key Terms related to Sexuality
1. Sexual orientation- an inherent or immutable enduring
emo- tional, romantic or sexual attraction to other
people.
2. Homophobia- the fear and hatred of or discomfort with
peo- ple who are attracted to members of the same sex.
3. Heterosexism – negative views about, and
discriminatory practices toward, LGBT individuals and
their sexual behavior
4. Heteronormativity- the idea that heterosexuality is
normal and natural expression of sexual identity
5. Ally- a person who is not LGBTQ but shows support for
LGBTQ people and promotes equality in a variety of
ways.
Media Representation
Media produces and reproduces dominant cultural values and
norms. This means the media also often produces and
reproduces stereotypi- cal representations of social groups. We
“learn” about other groups through media representation and this
reproduces systems of power and inequality. Racial
representation in media is one example of this practice. After
Hurricane Katrina, to
similar images were published by the Associated Press, but the
indi- viduals on the left was described as “finding bread”
whereas the individ- ual on the right was described as “looting a
grocery store”. This ex- emplifies how stereotypes inform media
representations.
Power and Media
Media companies have capitalist goals and the many media
outlets are controlled by a relative small number of large
conglomerates. For exam- ple Disney owns ABC, ESPN,
Touchstone Pictures, Marvel, Lucasfilm, Pixar, Hollywood
Records, Core Publishing, and many other fran- chises. There
have been recent challenges to the conglomeration of media
through alternative industries including community
oriented structures of production and ownership. Two other
important con- cepts related to new media are net neutrality
(principle and practice to keep the internet free and open)
and open access (circumvents the role of publishers in
access to information).
Unit 5 To– Do List:
•
Read Chapter 5 and 9.2 in Social Problems Continuity
and
•
Change
•
•
•
•
•
•
Read the article by Hatton and Trautner
• Read the article on Country Music
• Discussion board post due Wednesday 11:59pm
• Discussion board replies due Sunday 11:59pm
• Core Analysis 2: Tough Guise 2 due Sunday 11:59pm
• Reflection/Activity Paper due Sunday 11:59pm
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Sexual Orientation
• Sexual Behaviors
• Gender Identity
• Heteronormativity
• Heterosexism
• Discrimination- bullying and violence
•
Unit 5 Key Concepts
•
•
•
•
•
Media representation
• Media Misrepresentation
• Media and power
• Net neutrality
• Open Access
•
Unit 5: Social Problems Related to
the Media and Sexuality
Introduction
This unit addresses two contemporary social issues: problems related to the media and
problems related to sexuality. Our social lives today are heavily mediated. Information and
knowledge is obtained through media sources as well as social interaction, cultural learning,
and identity development. We are connected to media more today than ever before and this
results in some social problems. This unit will focus on the power of corporate media and the
concept of representation through media. The media is an agent of socialization and we learn
about our own identities and the identities of others through media images. The second topic
in this unit examines social problems related to sexuality including heterosexism and teenage
pregnancy. Both serve as strong examples of the importance of the construction of social
problems. While LGBTQ identities and teenage pregnancy have been present for centuries,
only recently have these issues been claimed and recognized as a problem. As you complete
the readings on these topics, think about the importance of historical and cultural context in
defining social problems. You may even be able to connect the importance of media too! In
addition to the textbook, there is a link provided that offers a glossary of terms related to the
LGBTQIA+ community and are more up to date than the assigned chapter from the textbook.
This is a helpful resource for the discussions and activities to promote inclusive and
respectful language.
Unit Learning Outcomes
At the conclusion of the unit, the learner will be able to:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Define the concepts of sexuality, heterosexism, and heterosexual privilege.
Describe the social problems resulting from heterosexism.
Explain the role of various forms of media in constructing social problems.
Describe how the media can be an agent of cultural change.
Readings and Materials
Readings
1. Chapters 5 and 9.2 in Social Problems: Continuity and Change
2. Hatton, E., & Trautner, M. (2011). Equal Opportunity Objectification? The Sexualization
of Men and Women on the Cover of Rolling Stone. Sexuality & Culture, 15(3), 256–
278. (Links to an external site.)(PDF/HTML Full Text)
Additional Resources
1. Human Rights Campaign | Glossary of Terms
https://www.hrc.org/resources/glossary-ofterms?utm_source=GS&utm_medium=AD&utm_campaign=BPI-HRCGrant&utm_content=276004739478&utm_term=gender%20definition&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIn9
LRg-3u4wIVQj0MCh2uBgb4EAAYASAAEgKYSfD_BwE
Social Problems related to
the Media and Sexuality
How does power and privilege impact
inequalities based on sexuality?
How does the media shape culture and identities?
Is corporate media connected to systems of
power?
How do we define Sex?
Sex: A Biological Issue
Sex is the biological distinction between females and males. The
term sex also refers to activity that leads to sexual gratification and
possibly repro- duction.
Sex: A Cultural Issue
There are norms surrounding sexual behaviors including age (some
socie- ties accept sexual activity on the part of children, although
others define such behavior as a serious problem), marital status
(some societies rigidly restrict sexual activity to married partners,
but others are more permis- sive), and sex of partner (societies
differ dramatically in their attitudes to- ward sexuality involving
people of the same sex). We learn about sex through social
interactions and process and based on our social location there is
great diversity in what we learn is “normal” and “acceptable” sexual behaviors and identities.
Teenage Pregnancy
In US one and three women will become pregnant before the age
of 20. This results in one in seven becoming teen mothers. Defining
teenage pregnancy as social problem is a current social issue and
differs based on social loca- tion. There is a cultural shift in
definition as teen parents are now more like- ly to also be unwed
parents. This trend emerges in the 1970s as it became more
culturally acceptable to not marry as a solution to an unplanned
teen- agepregnancy.
Thisissueisdefiningindifferentwaysbasedonregion,race, class, and
religion. Some define teenage pregnancy as immoral while others
define teenage pregnancy as a “stupid mistake”.
Key Terms related to Sexuality
1. Sexual orientation- an inherent or immutable enduring
emo- tional, romantic or sexual attraction to other
people.
2. Homophobia- the fear and hatred of or discomfort with
peo- ple who are attracted to members of the same sex.
3. Heterosexism – negative views about, and
discriminatory practices toward, LGBT individuals and
their sexual behavior
4. Heteronormativity- the idea that heterosexuality is
normal and natural expression of sexual identity
5. Ally- a person who is not LGBTQ but shows support for
LGBTQ people and promotes equality in a variety of
ways.
Media Representation
Media produces and reproduces dominant cultural values and
norms. This means the media also often produces and
reproduces stereotypi- cal representations of social groups. We
“learn” about other groups through media representation and this
reproduces systems of power and inequality. Racial
representation in media is one example of this practice. After
Hurricane Katrina, to
similar images were published by the Associated Press, but the
indi- viduals on the left was described as “finding bread”
whereas the individ- ual on the right was described as “looting a
grocery store”. This ex- emplifies how stereotypes inform media
representations.
Power and Media
Media companies have capitalist goals and the many media
outlets are controlled by a relative small number of large
conglomerates. For exam- ple Disney owns ABC, ESPN,
Touchstone Pictures, Marvel, Lucasfilm, Pixar, Hollywood
Records, Core Publishing, and many other fran- chises. There
have been recent challenges to the conglomeration of media
through alternative industries including community
oriented structures of production and ownership. Two other
important con- cepts related to new media are net neutrality
(principle and practice to keep the internet free and open)
and open access (circumvents the role of publishers in
access to information).
Unit 5 To– Do List:
•
Read Chapter 5 and 9.2 in Social Problems Continuity
and
•
Change
•
•
•
•
•
•
Read the article by Hatton and Trautner
• Read the article on Country Music
• Discussion board post due Wednesday 11:59pm
• Discussion board replies due Sunday 11:59pm
• Core Analysis 2: Tough Guise 2 due Sunday 11:59pm
• Reflection/Activity Paper due Sunday 11:59pm
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Sexual Orientation
• Sexual Behaviors
• Gender Identity
• Heteronormativity
• Heterosexism
• Discrimination- bullying and violence
•
Unit 5 Key Concepts
•
•
•
•
•
Media representation
• Media Misrepresentation
• Media and power
• Net neutrality
• Open Access
•
Chapter 5: Sexual Orientation and Inequality
Social Problems in the News
“Miami Beach to Fire Two Officers in Gay Beating at Park,” the headline said. City officials in Miami
Beach, Florida, announced that the city would fire two police officers accused of beating a gay man two
years earlier and kicking and arresting a gay tourist who came to the man’s defense. The tourist said he
called 911 when he saw two officers, who were working undercover, beating the man and kicking his
head. According to his account, the officers then shouted antigay slurs at him, kicked him, and arrested
him on false charges. The president of Miami Beach Gay Pride welcomed the news of the impending
firing. “It sets a precedent that you can’t discriminate against anyone and get away with it,” he said. “[The
two officers] tried to cover it up and arrested the guy. It’s an abuse of power. Kudos to the city. They’ve
taken it seriously.”
Source: Smiley & Rothaus, 2011
From 1933 to 1945, Adolf Hitler’s Nazi regime exterminated 6 million Jews in the Holocaust,
but it also persecuted millions of other people, including gay men. Nazi officials alleged that
these men harbored what they termed a “degeneracy” that threatened Germany’s “disciplined
masculinity.” Calling gay men “antisocial parasites” and “enemies of the state,” the Nazi
government arrested more than 100,000 men for violating a law against homosexuality, although
it did not arrest lesbians because it valued their child-bearing capacity. At least 5,000 gay men
were imprisoned, and many more were put in mental institutions. Several hundred other gay men
were castrated, and up to 15,000 were placed in concentration camps, where most died from
disease, starvation, or murder. As the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (2011)
summarizes these events, “Nazi Germany did not seek to kill all homosexuals. Nevertheless, the
Nazi state, through active persecution, attempted to terrorize German homosexuals into sexual
and social conformity, leaving thousands dead and shattering the lives of many more.”
This terrible history reminds us that sexual orientation has often resulted in inequality of many
kinds, and, in the extreme case of the Nazis, inhumane treatment that included castration,
imprisonment, and death. The news story that began this chapter makes clear that sexual
orientation still results in violence, even if this violence falls short of what the Nazis did.
Although the gay rights movement has achieved much success, sexual orientation continues to
result in other types of inequality as well. This chapter examines the many forms of inequality
linked to sexual orientation today. It begins with a conceptual discussion of sexual orientation
before turning to its history, explanation, types of inequality, and other matters.
5.1 Understanding Sexual Orientation
Learning Objectives
1. Define sexual orientation and gender identity.
2. Describe what percentage of the US population is estimated to be LGBT.
3. Summarize the history of sexual orientation.
4. Evaluate the possible reasons for sexual orientation.
Sexual orientation refers to a person’s preference for sexual relationships with individuals of the
other sex (heterosexuality), one’s own sex (homosexuality), or both sexes (bisexuality). The term
also increasingly refers to transgender (also transgendered) individuals, those whose behavior,
appearance, and/or gender identity (the personal conception of oneself as female, male, both, or
neither) departs from conventional norms. Transgendered individuals include transvestites (those
who dress in the clothing of the opposite sex) and transsexuals (those whose gender identity
differs from their physiological sex and who sometimes undergo a sex change). A transgender
woman is a person who was born biologically as a male and becomes a woman, while
a transgender man is a person who was born biologically as a woman and becomes a man. As
you almost certainly know, gay is the common term now used for any homosexual
individual; gay men or gays is the common term used for homosexual men, while lesbian is the
common term used for homosexual women. All the types of social orientation just outlined are
often collectively referred to by the shorthand LGBT(lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender). As you
almost certainly also know, the term straight is used today as a synonym for heterosexual.
Counting Sexual Orientation
We will probably never know precisely how many people are gay, lesbian, bisexual, or
transgendered. One problem is conceptual. For example, what does it mean to be gay or lesbian?
Does one need to actually have sexual relations with a same-sex partner to be considered gay?
What if someone is attracted to same-sex partners but does not actually engage in sex with such
persons? What if someone identifies as heterosexual but engages in homosexual sex for money
(as in certain forms of prostitution) or for power and influence (as in much prison sex)? These
conceptual problems make it difficult to determine the extent of homosexuality (Gates, 2011).
It is difficult for several reasons to know exactly how many people are LGBT.
thaths – A gay couple watching the parade – CC BY-NC 2.0.
A second problem is empirical. Even if we can settle on a definition of homosexuality, how do
we then determine how many people fit this definition? For better or worse, our best evidence of
the number of gays and lesbians in the United States comes from surveys that ask random
samples of Americans various questions about their sexuality. Although these are anonymous
surveys, some individuals may be reluctant to disclose their sexual activity and thoughts to an
interviewer. Still, scholars think that estimates from these surveys are fairly accurate but also that
they probably underestimate by at least a small amount the number of gays and lesbians.
During the 1940s and 1950s, sex researcher Alfred C. Kinsey carried out the first notable attempt
to estimate the number of gays…
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