Are teens learning about racism from reality TV?
by Carmen Van Kerckhove
That’s what Anastasia Goodstein argued recently on The Huffington Post. But what do you all think?
Here’s an excerpt from her post:
Where are teens learning about race and racism today? On reality TV, of course! Teenagers aren’t listening to Ivory Tower (how funny that the tower is ivory) academics on CNN or TV-friendly talking heads like Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton. The new forum for the unfiltered discussion of race has become reality TV.
It started years ago with “The Real World,” where racial tension seemed to be a prerequisite for casting. And in the past year we saw “Survivor” attempt to divide its teams according to race and Ice Cube attempt to have black and white families swap identities in “Black. White.” There is the unnerving minstrel quality to “Flavor of Love,” and we even see mixed race couples on “Wife Swap.” In many ways it’s the “unscripted” nature of a lot of reality TV and its casting of real diverse Americans from different socioeconomic backgrounds that gives us a sharper sense of race in America than scripted dramas with multicultural ensembles. I also happened to catch a pretty shocking discussion of interracial couples on The Tyra Banks show awhile back, which is very popular with teens…
…We all know that most reality TV is far from complex, at least on the surface. It’s over-simplified, raw ratings-grabbing conflict aired without a discussion guide — and kids and teens love it. At the same time, I think it offers an opportunity for parents and adults working with youth to use these types of programs as a jumping off point to talk about race and racism. I’m a believer in using pop culture as a teaching tool. I think racism for this generation tends to be more unconscious than conscious, but a dose of reality could help bring these issues to the surface.
Carmen Van Kerckhove is co-founder and president of 
Dumi wrote:
Interesting, I’ve been working on a post that is kinda similar. It is one of the new places to “learn” about these issues, particularly if you want to reify stereotypes, misconceptions, and ignorance. Guess I should get that post done… either that or my dissertation.
Posted 17 Jan 2007 at 9:55 am ¶
Kai wrote:
Hi Carmen,
Well I think there’s little question that many teens — and let’s face it, adults — are soaking in their education on race (and sex and music and fashion and politics and life values) from pop culture in general and “reality TV” in particular. So I guess the question for me becomes, what’s the appropriate response to this reality?
Personally I don’t watch “reality TV” (well, except for occasional stuff on Bravo…yes, Top Chef…oh, and Tony Bourdain on Travel channel) but then I don’t have kids and I love reading so it’s easy.
So what’s a more engaged response to the misinformation, misguidance, and sheer fragmented confusion offered up to young adults by “reality TV”? Well for one, websites like this, offering informed yet accessible critiques of pop culture for those who take the step of seeking them out.
Of course I suppose the burden really falls on parents and teachers and mentors, as Ms. Goodstein says in her HuffPo piece, to introduce kids to race and racism and explain the relevant histories and concepts with which to address them in the real world. This is stuff that I think simply flat-out needs to be incorporated more properly into high school curriculums, and I don’t think I’d have a problem with teachers assigning a TV show as homework then using it as a jump-off point into a deeper exploration.
I think many of us would agree that the level of ignorance that so many (white) Americans demonstrate on the subject of race is rather astonishing (from “I only see the human race” to blackface parties by the same set), and I’ve gotta think that a fundamental reason for this is an utter lack of exposure to the mental tools necessary to navigate the perilous terrain of race and racism in America. And if kids are gonna soak in ideas about race from “reality TV”, then there’s little choice but to engage them on that basis and guide them to further question and probe what they’re being fed and how to make sense of it in a way that’s beneficial to themselves and the world.
Peace.
Posted 17 Jan 2007 at 10:47 am ¶
Just Wondering wrote:
Teens today are quick to observe what might best be called “stereotypical” behavior by their peers, and they use those experiences to form their opinions — especially if they see that same behavior reinforced in the mass media.
This holds true for both positive and negative stereotypes — and it’s not a practice unique to white students.
Even in our most diverse schools, students tend to “hang” with people who look like them. I live in one of the most diverse counties in America, yet it’s not unusual to see students from the same high schools gathered at the mall or other locations — all segmented by race or ethnicity.
Is this behavior learned, or is it just a natural extension of human nature?
The point I’m trying to make is this — while it may be convenient to blame reality television for teaching young people about race, it’s probably way too simplistic.
Posted 17 Jan 2007 at 12:33 pm ¶
Kai wrote:
Just Wondering, I don’t think anyone is “blaming” reality-TV for anything (other than being mostly quite lame). Rather, the post argues that reality-TV offers a jumping-off point to pursue teaching opportunities about race and racism, since the TV shows themselves are purporting to deal with race (e.g. Survivor, Real World, Big Brother, etc).
I also don’t think it’s accurate to say that white folks hang out together and learn stereotypes in the same manner that people of color do, because this behavior takes place within a cultural and societal context that clearly favors and normalizes whiteness. It’s not a symmetrical comparison.
Posted 17 Jan 2007 at 2:23 pm ¶
Rob wrote:
The American mass media isn’t the cause of it but it promotes social and racial ignorance. Shows that attempt to address the race issue in their once-a-year “special” episodes are way too simplistic for a one hour program. A perfect example was Paula Zahn’s series “Racism: Out in the Open.” It was a perfect example as to how clueless people are when it comes to racism. The Asian American topic, which was of particular interest to me, just showcased Asians that went through eyelid surgery as if our eyes are the only things that affect Asian American problems. Sheer idiocy.
The problem is that ignorance is merely a seed, when unaddressed, will blossom into a flower known as racism and racial insensitivity.
Posted 17 Jan 2007 at 2:56 pm ¶
Maxjulian wrote:
A post like this is extremely disingenous. What facet of American culture does NOT teach racism/white supremacy? The educational system? The church? The legal system? The military?
Liberals charge conservatives with racism, guzzling all the white privilege they can. Racism/white supremacy IS the operating system, not democracy. Don’t be fooled when folks play ‘good cop/bad cop.’
Posted 19 Jan 2007 at 9:42 pm ¶
Latino Pundit wrote:
Poppy-cock! These shows are edited. ‘Nuff said..where there is wisdom then truth will be free.
Posted 20 Jan 2007 at 1:41 am ¶
Macy wrote:
I find reality TV apalling. To put it plainly, I am annoyed by it. As a teen in a public high school I see the effects of these racially discriminating shows every day. They bring attention to the different races and create fences which divide us youth into different sides. Instead of finding ways to live in harmony with eachother we are encouraged to find ways to hate eachother.
Posted 18 Dec 2007 at 2:59 pm ¶
Sushi wrote:
This is an interesting article. It has greatly been used as a source for my english papaer on Racism in Media.
Posted 22 Apr 2008 at 9:44 am ¶
Sushi wrote:
I meant ‘english paper’.
Posted 22 Apr 2008 at 9:45 am ¶