Pop culture is so much more than the way movies and TV shows are made. There is no “that’s just how Hollywood works” when talking about the way films portray minorities or filmmakers who lack diversity. There’s no “that’s just how science fiction works when talking about the lack of diversity in the genre. These are not just run-of-the-mill observations, they tell us things about our culture and the assumptions we make.
So here are 5 pop culture things that should not be seen as “just how it is.”
1) Women Are Not People.
We can’t really talk about the inescapability of pop culture and not talk about women. Pop culture is presented as the opposite of what women really are, and the results are often horrifyingly misogynistic.
Women are treated as second class citizens, and even more poorly than that. Women are bullied in high school, assaulted in prison, and oppressed in deadly wars. Women are seen as props in films and viewed as “fat girls” on TV sitcoms.
We must stop seeing women as props in films and comic books and TV shows. We must stop treating the assault and oppression of women as a plot device.
2) Racial Minorities Are Not People.
It’s not just women who are treated like this in pop culture. It’s minorities too. Minority characters are also often treated as “props,” used as an example of a different culture to be understood and patted on the head for being “different. “
Since the turn of the 20th century, non-white characters in films have been nothing more than stereotypes. From the “slanty eyed” Chinese in 1920s films to black characters played by white actors, minority culture has been portrayed as something to understand or even laugh at.
3) People Over a Certain Age Are Not People.
“Let’s bring in the older folks to clean up this mess.”
No, I’m not talking about when characters over the age of 50 appear on screen. I’m talking about the way old people are portrayed in pop culture. They are the butt of jokes, scary, or fake.
The misrepresentation of old people in pop culture hurts us as well. It teaches us that older people are a joke, they are worthless, and they are irrelevant. It makes us ashamed of our grandparents and our parents, and it gives older people the feeling that they have to pretend to be something they’re not just to get into the club.
4) Minorities Are Not Always Black.
Minorities are not always human either. There are plenty of examples of animal people in pop culture who are treated a lot like black or Asian characters: they’re used as a prop to further the plot and help the white character win.
5) Men Are Not Always Blue-Collar Workers.
Men are also not always blue collar workers either. There’s a common idea that the men are either scientists or construction workers. This stereotype has been around for so long that there are even some examples of movies and TV shows built around the premise of this stereotype.
