In one of our first classes we were asked where racism comes from. We learned that it is institutionalized in schools and in American history, but one of the major contributors to this is the media. Movies constantly bring these stereotypes up and force us to recognize them. In scary movies, it is usually the black person who dies first, Asians are always portrayed as bad drivers, and Mexicans are usually doing lawn work. Yesterday I was watching Harold and Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay, and it was hard to go 15 minutes without seeing a racist joke. I realized that while these stereotypes can be hurtful, they are usually true. Here is a Youtube link from the movie.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tsznX8-hL0o
The media is always bringing up race, but it usually is in a comical way. If you can get past the fact that they are putting down an entire race, you learn to laugh it off.
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