Article “
Representing Gay Men on American Television” talks about media representation, which reminds me of what I think
about American people before I came to US. American shows became very popular when
I was in my undergraduate. Everybody was watching and talking about “Gossip
Girl”, or “Prison Break”. The shows gave me the first impression of American
people, especially the girls at my age – open, free, fun, endless party,
beautiful dresses, and smoky eyes. Especially, I don’t understand why, in
Gossip Girl, Serena and Blair could date Nate, while still being the best
friends. The representation of American people’s life challenged my thoughts
and my view of the life at my age.
But when I came to
US, I realized it is different. Although the show might represent a certain
group of people in the US, the American life is actually pretty normal, just
like us. The difference does exist, but it reflects the culture and tradition
of this country.
So I am thinking,
the media or television shows might represent some characteristics to audience
within the country, who are able to understand it right, but to audience
outside the country, such shows might mislead the perception of them towards
American people.
I think you provide very relevant insights. It’s easy as educated Americans to differentiate reality from TV shows. But to outsiders who are not familiar with the culture or outsiders who are not educated to differentiate between the reality and TV show’s motives to draw in viewers, this provides a problem in how American life is lived. Shows like Gossip Girl only represent a small fraction of the United States, and “normal” lives are very rarely given TV time.
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