Kuloco, 04/22

The thing that stood out the most for me about the discussion of hooks’ article was the idea that multiculturalism is a “seasoning that can liven up the dull dish that is mainstream culture.” America is known as a melting-pot of different cultures. However, the media produces images of only a portion of these different ethnicities. In CMC 100, we discussed the idea of upscale emulation, in which the media presents a certain lifestyle that many people hope to attain. These images are often of successful and attractive individuals, mostly all white. Therefore, following the idea of imitating the characteristics shown in the mainstream media, people are exposed to mainly one image of “perfect” or “desirable” traits.
I started to think more about the shows and movies that I have recently viewed and some advertisements that we discussed. In most of the media that perpetuates this idea of upscale emulation, there are rarely any images of multiculturalism. This supports hooks’ argument that the normalized ideology is a white ideology, even in a hegemonic culture. In most of these types of programs, if there are characters that could represent different ethnicities, it is not generally discussed. In Desperate Housewives, one of the main characters is a Mexican woman. However, she and her husband are equally, or possibly more, successful than the other characters on the show. Their heritage is rarely discussed and they play the part of a “normal” suburb family.
Another show I thought about supported hooks’ idea that ethnicity and the use of different races can liven up the normative, dominant white-bread culture; this show is Lost. On the show, that we have previously discussed in class, the main characters come from various backgrounds—Korean, Iraqi, Mexican, African-American and, of course, white. The mixture and use of multiculturalism in this series gives more depth to the plot and allows for a large number of different situations to be presented and keep the show moving. Through flashbacks and character development, the show uses these ethnic backgrounds to define the people on the show.
In our commodity culture, as hooks’ calls it, images of ethnicity and racism are being presented at such a large rate that they are becoming normative. Just as in Desperate Housewives, many examples of media feel that they no longer have to even distinguish between different races. However, this has also had a negative affect on society; people feel that it is okay to discuss opinions about race that were once considered to be taboo. This supports our discussion about the fact that “we are consuming what others might find offensive.” It could also be related to the idea that mainstream media has redefined the meanings of products and people that has been discussed previously by theorists such as Zizek, Horkheimer & Adorno and Jameson. Also, as Benjamin has stated, our culture is replacing tradition with production, therefore losing the original meaning completely in order to promote consumption.