Portrayal of Needy People in Media

This assignment examines the portrayal of needy people in both US and UAE mass media. It analyzes how these depictions influence audience emotions and potentially motivate them to help or feel sorry for those in need. Two American advertisements from the Red Cross and a campaign on homeless children are compared with two UAE advertisements, one from the Red Crescent and another highlighting Arab generosity. The essay explores the similarities and differences in how these media campaigns aim to raise awareness and elicit support for those experiencing hardship.

Running head: POTRAYAL OF NEEDY PEOPLE IN US AND UAE MASS MEDIA
POTRAYAL OF NEEDY PEOPLE IN US AND UAE MASS MEDIA
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1POTRAYAL OF NEEDY PEOPLE IN US AND UAE MASS MEDIA
When you see someone is in desperate help, do you feel motivated to help them or
sorry for them? Is there any possibility to feel a combination of emotions? The media and
advertisement have huge influence on how one would feel and treat someone who is in
desperate need. The media’s deception of needy and underprivileged people could create
some combination of emotions or influence to help and stand beside them or feel sorry for
them. The audience’s reaction somewhat depends on the media’s portrayal of the needy and
underprivileged and the sympathetic feeling of the audience created by the media could
initiate the feelings that they desperately need our help. The US media has provided a lot of
awareness about the needy people who might be affected by some natural or fabricated
calamities. The Arab or UAE media also provides the same; however, American media is
vastly portrayed the issues related to provide help to the needy and disastrous people. The
two American advertisements, in which one is from American Red Cross and another is
about homeless children in America try to create sympathy in the mind of the audience and
an image about who they are and what they do. After the introductory text of the
advertisement of the American Red Cross, the main text starts with the information about the
total number of employees and volunteers. This non-profit organization has more than 23,000
employees and 330,000 volunteers who want to change the world (We Are the American
Red Cross, 2017). The advertisement contains the service areas that the organization
provides that include disaster relief, provide support to the America’s military family, provide
blood in emergency basis, providing first aid at the spot, lifeguard training. The
advertisement ends with a massage that they are the humanitarian group and it is requested to
the audience to join with them. The advertisement has clear mission that it wants to promote
about the organization and their related activities. The advertisement creates a humanitarian
impression in the mind of the audience, which is the subtext of the advertisement. The

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audience is not only limited to the United States, however, it spreads across the globe. On the
other hand, the other advertisement creates sympathy in the mind of the audience where
series of homeless children and their pangs are portrayed. The background music and lyrics
are well suited with the advertisement, which is taken from Evanescence’s My Immortal
(Homeless children in America, 2017). The lyrics of the background music are
capable to create sympathy in the mind of the audience for the homeless children. There are
some important massages and data about the homeless children in America. The ad ends with
“no children deserves to be homeless, they need our help’’ motivates the audience to help the
homeless children in America.
The other two advertisements from the United Arab Emirates, on is for the UAE Red
Crescent and another is suggesting that Arabs people lays helping hands to those who need it.
The Red Crescent advertisement provides the massage that whenever the emergency for the
needs arrive, the Red Crescent will provide its helps in any ways. In the advertisement where
one boy is climbing up a tree to get a fruit, the people from the Red Crescent group watches it
and appears immediately at the spot to offer the help (UAE Red Crescent, 2017). They
are the efficient people and this is very clear in this advertisement. The advertisement
changes into stormy situation with the same boy appearing and this change signifies the
various roles of the Red Crescent. The message is same as that of the American Red Cross.
The organization wants to create an impression in the mind of the audience about who they
are and what their role for the service of the society. The other add, which shows the helpful
side of the Arab people and different ways to help the needy people. There are different ways
of help in the advertisement. The first few images show help to the poor children (Arabic
help poor people nice, 2017). The second type of help is help towards the fellow
citizen where one car is giving space to the other car to move on. The third includes help to

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the old people. The subtext of the advertisement wants to create an awareness and identity
towards the audiences from the Arabs.
The similarities among these four advertisements are the Red Cross, Red Crescent
Advertisements could present who they are, and what kinds of works they deliver, and
remaining two advertisements identify the areas of the need and the awareness among the
audience.

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References
Arabic help poor people nice. (2017). YouTube. Retrieved 28 November 2017, from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TimEIRm02U
Homeless children in America. (2017). YouTube. Retrieved 28 November 2017, from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBmiRgOiW1A&t=23s
UAE Red Crescent - Magnificent Media - Ramadan 2009. (2017). YouTube. Retrieved 28
November 2017, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPo2HqBbjN8
We Are The American Red Cross. (2017). YouTube. Retrieved 28 November 2017, from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2G5T_rdeSQ