"Framing Class: Media Representations of Wealth and Poverty in America," "Loot or Find: Fact or Frame?," and " The Protean N-Word" (Rosenblum and Travis, p. 448-474).

"...the media either play class differences for laughs or sweep the issue of class under the rug so important distinctions are rendered invisible" (Rosenblum and Travis, p. 448).

"The most relevant and dominant frame is color blindness, or the belief that race is not a factor in how we make sense of the world" (Rosenblum and Travis, p. 455).

"Over the years, nigger has become the best known of the American language's many racial insults, evolving into the paradigmatic slur....That is why Arabs are called "sand niggers," Irish "the niggers of Europe"..." (Rosenblum and Travis, p. 466).

In the United States, people can be influenced by the media to a fault. People allow media to teach them social norms without engaging in critical thinking to determine if the media is correct or not. Many people of the U.S. watch the morning and/or nightly news for the day's events. It is easy for these newscasts to alter public opinion.

Television shows sometimes juxtapose different classes of people but instead of focusing on the evident problem of class inequality, the show it turned into an opportunity to laugh at others' misfortunes while wishing to be more like the wealthy portrayed (Rosenblum and Travis, 2012).

Along the same idea, media can also promote color blindness. Again, this can be seen in television shows, where everyone is the same and the topic of diversity is not discussed. Understandably, not ever tv show is trying to create positive social change but even so, they indirectly may show the public's view of diversity in how they decide to create their characters.

In the U.S. to reference someone as a nigger can be considered to be the worst insult. Originating from the Latin, it wasn't always an insult. It is unknown when the transition was made from noun to insult. Of course, the media does not portray this word in a good light and it is not widely used. As you may have noticed, I even have a challenging time typing it (I have only really typed it out once), because it is so engrained in me that we don't use that word; however, is the the right way to think? I am NOT SAYING we should begin to call each other by that term as a way to insult, not at all but are there other ways to go about this issue instead of just avoiding it (Rosenblum and Travis, 2012)?

The media has a power over people in the way that it can provide information very quickly and widely without missing beat. It has the responsibility to have accurate information while not reinforcing discrimination. Just like the media, we also have a responsibility. That is to not believe everything you hear, read, watch, etc. Critical thinking and following up about information is essential, if you want the real picture of an event or information provided. Without critical thinking, individuals are susceptible to blindly following someone who could be completely incorrect.

Rosenblum, K. E., & Travis, T. C. (2012). The Meaning of Difference: American Constructions of Race, Sex and Gender, Social Class, Sexual Orientation, and Disability (ed.). New York, NY: McGraw Hill.