Monday 21 November 2016

Blog # 1 by: Omari Newton – Representation Trumps Reality: why what we see on screen matters

Like many of us, I have been in somewhat of a daze following the election of billionaire, turned reality TV star Donald J Trump as president of the United States of America. Unlike many, I can’t say I’m entirely surprised by the result. Any minority who has been on the receiving end of systemic or overt racism, which is to say, all minorities, was cautiously optimistic about the possibility of Obama not being replaced by a man whose rhetoric has been at best insensitive to the plight of immigrants, Muslims and African Americans, not to mention women and anyone with progressive political leanings. To be clear, the cause of my dismay isn’t about a political ideology that is admittedly often at odds with my own. I have friends in Canada and the USA who are politically conservative. Though we disagree to be sure, there is common ground to be found and mutual respect, despite our core disagreements. What was so unsettling about these election results to myself and I dare say many members of minority groups has to do with our sense of fairness, justice and morality. Despite being well aware that the world can be a harsh, and unfair place, I was deluded into the clearly false belief that certain things would disqualify any candidate from being considered a viable choice as a leader. No matter who is steering the ship, or what direction they wanted to take the ship in, it was my (false) belief that the overwhelming majority of people agreed that you always need a captain who at the very least is capable of actually piloting the vessel. There are core traits that I assumed one needed to inspire confidence in others and be elected to any leadership position. Some of those key traits include experience, knowledge, honesty, morality and discipline. I assume anyone reading this is well aware of the laundry list of outlandish things Trump said and did on the campaign trail. If you aren’t here’s a quick, hilariously depressing refresher courtesy of Seth Meyers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmmBi4V7X1M

In short, on a surface level, it seemed like Trump was uniquely unqualified to be America’s next leader, as he hadn’t exhibited any of the core traits one should look for in one. Or did he? Fans of reality TV are no doubt familiar with Trump’s show The Apprentice. A series that was once so popular it made the then generic term “you’re fired” a trendy catch phrase now forever linked to the incoming president elect. On this wildly popular show, Trump was constantly featured in the most complimentary light. He was depicted as authoritative, all powerful and decisive. His carefully crafted appearances shaped by professional editors always ensured he looked like the picture of power, intelligence and leadership. The show climaxed every night with some of America’s most beloved celebrities grovelling for his mercy and approval in his luxurious Manhattan boardroom, where he sat in a big chair, in an expensive suit and often red tie looking downright, well… presidential. While most of us are intellectually aware that a “reality” show is about as accurate a term as “friendly fire” is to describe being fatally shot by an ally while engaged in combat, on an emotional, subconscious level, one has to wonder how much of an impact these images of Trump the great leader being fed to millions of Americans had on shaping their opinions of him? The reasons people vote are of course complex and nuanced. Millions of impoverished Americans clearly wanted change and voted as a rejection against the Washington elites who they felt had forgotten about them. But is this so obviously flawed man the right person to lead the charge? Did it even matter to his supporters? Just watch any commercial for fast food and observe its’ continued popularity if you need an example of the public’s ability to be swayed by images on TV to act in a way that is blatantly counter to their best interests.

If nothing else, this latest election result has reminded me of the impact and importance of the images on our screens. Minds are shaped on a subconscious level by the pictures they consume. If certain groups or people are constantly depicted in a positive light, our impressions of them will be seen through a more forgiving lens no matter what outrageous thing they say or do. Similarly, if an individual or group is constantly seen on screen in a negative light, you can bet that public perceptions will be swayed in that direction. Worse still, if certain groups are not depicted at all, you can bet they will struggle to be seen/heard at all in everyday settings. Images on our screens and what they say about those featured matter. Which is why a rich Diversity of images and perspectives on our screens matter. To quote late great Canadian professor Marshall Mcluhan.

“The Medium is The Message”

Omari

5 comments:

  1. Love this! Thank you Omari & UBCP for reminding me of storytellings important contribution to the message. I, for one, will use a wide lens to capture the beautifully diverse world we live in so that all people can see themselves represented.

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  2. Since you seem to be so hell bent on how bad trump is have you had the time to check out Hillary Clinton laughing at the fact that she had just got a rapist off of his charge, and even worse addmiting that she tought he was guilty all along? Or how about the Lolita Express that Bill Clinton loves to take so much, you know the one that goes to Jeffery Espteins private sex island, where they have underage kids? Or maybe the fact that SAG/AFTRA still hires Michael Harrah on the SAG Young Peformers Comitee as a Child Talent Manager! AMAZING! All these people getting rapists acquited, ACTUALLY being rapists, and all that people have to go on about is the fact that Donald Trump wants to stop illegal immigrants, you know the ones that live off of your taxes and dont pay any? the reason why you had to wait 5 years to get your visa accepted? Yeah those. Good job though people you seem like you really got your issues at hand. Furthermore your union seems like it works for the producers and not the people it employes, and how in the world is it fair to have people working for minimum wage in the MOVIE INDUSTRY! All interesting topics that I'm sure you'll have alot to say about.

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    1. Hi "unknown," Thanks for your passionate response. The goal of this blog was to feature voices that are often unheard and spark open dialogue. Glad to see we are succeeding. Hilary is clearly a deeply flawed candidate, but, as a person of colour, a candidate who's rhetoric was so prejudiced that neo Nazis cheered his victory is not one I can support under any circumstance. As a feminist, a candidate who brags about being entitled to sexually assaulting women due to his fame and wealth is not one I can get behind under any circumstance. I respect that the above may not be deal breakers for you, even if I vehemently disagree.That's the beauty of democracy. We have the right to disagree passionately, openly and peacefully. I stand by the opinion expressed in this piece and proudly signed my name to it. I'm hoping others realize they are welcome to publicly stand by their opposing views. Wishing you a peacful day. Omari

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    2. Well it seems to me that the voices unheard are of those child actors that got sexually abused, and of those talking about Bill Clintons sexcapades with minors on a remote island. Or maybe of that poor little girl that got raped, and got to see no justice out of it because Hillary Clinton had a career to defend, and had no problem laughing about it while describing it later. I dont agree with many of the people that supported hillary, yet I dont judge them all with a blanket statement and say "oh if BLM is cheering for her she must be bad, I cant stand that so it must be bad!" Also you seem to need to label yourself alot to tell me why hes making you so uncomfortable, Where did he have a prejudice against people of colour? please do tell me. So the candidate that brags about getting off a rapist that assaulted a woman, a little girl(and actually raped her), is a lot better than the guy who said that in this liberal setting they could go and grab these girls by the pussy(and they wouldnt mind). You should get your mind a bit more open by watching some media from different outlets since you clearly watch editorialized footage and not the whole videos nor do you research your topics. Im glad that you as a feminist and a person of colour feel that child rapists are cool as long as they dont oppose illegal immigrants. Maybe the next time you feel so offended that you make a blog post research your facts and don't spew disinformated editorialized propaganda that goes on "feels" and "emotions" rather than logic.

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  3. The beautiful audio recording paired with closed captioning, so you can read for yourself :) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCDzRtZLUkc

    Also if you're wondering whats wrong with Michael Harrah you should check out "An Open Secret" the whole movie is free on youtube on behalf of everyone involved, since they want to spread the message out.

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