Friday, September 25, 2009

Post 12: Topic oh topic...

Well the semester is officially 1/4 done already with the close of this Friday. Since this is rapidly approaching we have been discussing our ideas and thoughts about a good final paper topic to write about that discussed themes and topics within the Comm 300 class I am taking. Since it deals a lot with racial topics, minorities, etc on television I thought of two programs right away to possible discuss: Lost or South Park

With Lost its unique (and most likely the topic choice I will go with) where the creators use peoples prejudices and stereotypes against them, making them assume one thing but it is revealed that it’s something totally different. A minor example of this would be a black character named Rose had a husband that was thought to be killed in the plane crash. The over-all assumption was that her husband was black since she was, until you find out that he is not only alive but is white. I remember going on the Lost forums and seeing it EXPLODE with shock over this "revelation" like it was a totally alien idea! Quite interesting. And South Park I think is self explanatory. It deals with so many topics of race, religion, and cultural/sexual minorities that it would be the perfect candidate for writing my paper.

I do think I am leaning more towards the Lost topic however since it’s a very hot show right now, many people watch it (especially this upcoming season since it is the last one), and its influence is felt strongly in the television world. That alone makes me want to discuss it more since its exposure is so vast. But time shall tell what my final decision will be.

3 comments:

  1. That's so true about Rose! And so messed up as well... but, I actually remember jumping to that conclusion myself when we first met Rose. I still wonder why my mind automatically went to that place, where because Rose is black, her husband must be as well. I cannot believe myself... and I have no idea why I assumed this. The revelation itself was shocking and for that reason, but for people to have an outburst, I think, is even more unbelievable. I mean, I guess I just feel that thinking that way is one thing... but starting an argument over it is another thing completely.

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  2. I am coming out of the closet: I have never watched LOST. Terrible, I know. But I feel better saying it. It seems like you need to really devote yourself to that show to be IN..and therein lies the pleasure, I know... But I have left it in my "to do" box for some time now. I will have to dip into Season One if you're going ahead with this topic--just to be in the loop!

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  3. You know, I never realized it but I did the same thing! I assumed Rose's husband was black, how strange. That is crazy to me because I have family members who are married to different races and have cousins with mixed backgrounds and it is not nor has it ever been an issue. Lost is an exceptional show in making you believe one thing and then confusing you within a very short amount of time- I find that every episode leaves me with more questions (Dane Cook has a great bit about this same circumstance!)But to automatically assume that Rose would be married to a white man just goes to show that, though we may think that we are above racism, there are still deeply rooted stereotypes that we may not even realize we have. I would love to hear how this topic is developed into your paper!

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