Take a closer look at the cast for all these Disney channel programs. Lizzie Mcguire, That's so Raven, Wizards of Waverly Place. Ill stop before I look TOO nerdy.
The cast is ALWAYS multicultural. Kids from a variety of races, ethnicities, and backgrounds frolic and play together as if these qualities are a non-issue. Is this really the relationship we see among people in the real world?
I have a roommate from Jamaica. She is a smart, successful, friendly girl. She should easily fit in around here and feel equal to those around her right?
Not exactly. My roommate has indicated to me on several occasions that she often feels out of place. She says there is a cultural divide that Americans cant understand or relate to like someone else from her country would be able to. She says that her race is also a huge barrier to dating for her. Which I found surprising.
My questions to you are: Are the Disney channel relationships indicative of the real world?
Do you think my roommate is imagining her non-cohesiveness with those around her?
I think that Americans most definitely possess a sort of inherent pride. We are proud to be American and we think that everyone else would probably enjoy it too if they gave our culture a try. I don't think there is anything wrong with this, I just think that we should try to be cognizant of the cultural differences around us and encourage those differences.
20 comments:
I would say that for the most part, the multiculturalism on every Disney Channel show is inaccurate. I think that it is possible and even common for kids to be friends with kids from other cultures, but the way that the Disney Channel makes sure to have one black kid, one white kid, and the occasional hispanic kid is forced. However, in real life, kids usually hang out with more than one or two friends all the time, so I think Disney Channel is trying to shrink down reality.
Also, I think the case with your roommate is different since she was born in Jamaica. On these shows, the kids are usually born in America, they just happen to be another race. I believe that there are cultural differences and barriers that would inhibit her social life that come from growing up in another country and cultural background. That is not to say that an African American born in the USA does not feel a degree of those social barriers, but coming from a different country has escalated these differences.
The Disney channel, or any other channel for that matter, does not accurately portray the relationships between race and different cultures in our society. What I found interesting, though, was your friend who said, “American’s can’t understand or relate” to her. I entirely agree. This is true for anyone visiting any different country or entering into a different culture. There is something to be said about the comfort we feel around our own “kind” of people. This doesn’t mean we don’t get along or don’t like each other, but there is a certain level of comfort we feel around people who are just like us. Television shows have to portray mixed races associating together otherwise there will be a big uproar about someone thinking the program is “racist.”
I would also say that Disney's shows are a false representation of how the majority of kids in America grow up. I think that kids of the same race tend to gravitate towards each other because it is a familiar setting not necessarily because they are racist. I grew up in San Diego where Hispanics actually out populate white people. So why do I not have any Hispanic friends? First growing up I nor my family did not know spanish so that presented a barrier. Our parents could not talk to each other and get to know one another to trust enough to allow me to go and have a sleep over at their house.
As far as race is concerned, I do agree that the Disney Channel does not portray multiculturalism as realistically as they could. I do recognize their attempts to include all race relationships, however, the "true to life realities" they claim are not a factual or real portrayal of multiculturalism. I do however, believe that even though their portrayal is off, there are some people who do appreciate and truly try to understand and interact with people of different races and backgrounds.
I feel Disney Channel relationships aren't indicative of the real world. A classic example of this is High School Musical. Kids of different races don't seem to have any problems being best friends in Disney Channel shows and movies. But in my experience, this isn't the case in real life. In high school the Hispanics hung out with Hispanics, the blacks (in my case only five of them) all hung out together, the Asians were with Asians, and all the popular kids were white. Of course there can always be exceptions, but I think what I saw in high school is more of the reality.
I don't think you roommate is imagining her non-cohesiveness with those around her at BYU. It's rare to see someone with dark skin on campus. They stand out. But I know it shouldn't be a huge barrier for dating for her. In my ward a cute little black girl just got engaged to a white guy, and they are adorable together!
I think Disney tries to be very politically correct in their casting and purposely finds actors who fit into the multicultural image. Although I think it is good to show children that multiculturalism is important, I don't think the images they see on the Disney channel are indicative of real life. Should the shows be more realistic? I think it would be a good idea to foster multiculturalism while not making it as obvious as the Disney Channel does. It almost feels like they are doing it just to make sure no one gets offended instead of actually creating a learning experience for kids.
Disney is trying to be politically correct when having multicultural kids. However there are other shows on such as the proud family and older shows such as Sister Sister that were dominantly african americans in the cast. I think it is important for them to show different races as friends because even if it is not how it really is...its probably what it should be.
I don't think Disney Channel is accurate at all in how it portrays childhood relationships. Usually kids have a group of friends, or several groups of friends who they switch between, not just one or two. And though I think American children are getting much better at this, I still think there is a cultural divide. When I was in high school, I only remember hanging out with a one or two kids who had a different cultural background than me. It wasn't because I had any racial prejudices, it was just because those kids weren't into the same stuff as I was interested in.
At any age its natural to bond with those people who you are like. I have seen this become a huge cultural barrier to those BYU students from other parts of the world. And though I have seen some get past it, it seems like those are the ones who are more embracing of the American way of life.
Disney's effort to build multi-cultural characters began with the culture sensitivity awakening in the 90s and has only gotten more pretentious as time has gone by.
I think it's fair to suggest that some of the portrayals of character relationships in these shows are depicting relationships that the producers prefer to exist, and are not actually representative of reality.
If Disney were to make characters simply on proportional representative way to America's demographics, I think it would be safe to say that there would be fewer multicultural relationships on television programs than currently exist.
As far as your room-mate, I can't really say what the truth is with how she feels as I don't know her or her situation, or the people she interacts with, so if she feels that way, I'd just have to take her word at face value.
well, first of all,nothing Disney does is characteristic of the real world. I'm not sure how many teen pop sensations have double lives or how many wizards there truly are living in waverly place. I think its entertainment and you really cannot expect it to truly represent American culture. If it did, parents probably wouldn't want their kids to watch.
The situation with your roommate I feel is a matter of perspective. When I go into something thinking it is going to be awkward, it is. Also, I met a girl from Africa a couple months ago and I honestly thought her background made her interesting. My advice to her is to just not think of it as awkward, and if that barrier cannot be overcome then she should definitely get out of Utah.
I think Disney perhaps portrays more of an optimistic view concerning race relations among children in order to portray that in an ideal world there should not be any problems between people because of their race, even if that is not necessarily always the case in reality.
Your roommate is definitely living in a different culture than is portrayed in Disney channel and other TV shows. Here in Happy Valley Utah there is little diversity.
I think that Disney Channel and other shows do not accurately portray how life is for the average person. Sure, it'd be great if life were like that, but it's not. I don't think it is even possible in most situations to have those sort of friendships. For example, I went to high school in Texas, but even with all of the "diversity" we have in the state, my school was about 80-90% white. It just depends on where you live.
As for your roommate, I would feel out of place as well. There is very little diversity here at BYU.I know a lot of people, whether jokingly or not, assume that if a non-white person is attending BYU, they must play some sort of sport, right? So when someone goes here for their education, just like the rest of us, but does not necessarily look like the rest of us, it must feel awkward and uncomfortable.
The idea that Disney is getting at with multicultural harmony is admirable, yet not accurate of the world we live in. I grew up with a couple friends who came from different ethnicities. (African American, Native American, Latino) Although we were friends and got along quite well, there were many people who they did not get along with because of severe bigotry on the behalf of others.
Cultural competency is where people are aware of differences they have and acknowledge them. These qualities are not scrutinized or held over the heads of others. I think cultural competency is a goal for us as "Americans" that would be great to aim for. Unfortunately, we have a long ways to go.
i think that there definitely are relationships similar to those on the disney channel in real life and that people of different races can be best friends and get along just fine. you see that all the time these days, however, i feel that the media takes it a little far in their efforts to portray that. i don't think it is as vital to show that as they seem to be making it.
About your roommate, i think that maybe she is just having a hard time adjusting to life here because whenever anyone goes to a foreign country there is going to be a cultural barrier for some reason or another.
I went on a study abroad to Italy and i felt the same way. But i came to the conclusion that it wasn't that they were treating me differently because i was foreign but more just because we came from such different backgrounds that it was sometimes hard to relate on certain things. I know that it would be hard to date someone from a different country, not because i am racist but because it would be very difficult to deal with the cultural differences between us.
while I do not think that Disney is correctly portraying the current race relations, I commend their values and goals. I hope that young people who watch these shows will see people of all races being close friends and then try to go out and do the same for themselves. I believe these Disney shows are being a good example of how we should all treat eachother.
I don't think she is imagining it. For most people at BYU multicultural relationships do not exist. When we live in a place like Utah where there are few minorities, and even fewer at the university we attend, our friendships reflect that. We simply do not know other cultures. Of course we could go out of our way to do that, but who has time. I come from an extremely small farming community and I hadn't ever known an Asian or African American until I came to BYU. In some cases it is not possible to have those relationships and I think the Disney Channel creates a false notion of people having those friendships when they never really exist.
I think Disney channels has to be culturally diverse because it wants to attract all races. Bottom line: they want increased viewership across the board, to make money. I don't necessarily think it's an accurate portrayal of America because I think at times we all find ourselves in our own racial bubbles. (For example at BYU, especially.) I also am not surprised by your roommate feeling out of place. I think we all would like to think we are "color blind" but in the end, like we heard in class, some of us would just prefer our children to play with "white" babies.
I think the Disney channel tries to portray the real world, but doesn't come that close. The little that I have seen recently seems not that easy to relate to. The Disney channel has evolved over the years,
I think that the Disney Chanel does a good job of portraying that the color of your skin doesn't hold you back. I think that is an important lesson to learn at a young age. It also creates an environment where people are not judged on skin color.
I completely agree. I think it is a good idea to show different cultures interacting with each other but Disney goes a bit overboard. They should have more of a mix between reality and being politically correct.
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