Diversity & the Media: SOC-FP2000, Cultural Diversity Analysis

This essay examines the portrayal of diversity in media, specifically focusing on a media piece that highlights social conflict and discrimination in America. The analysis delves into the dynamics between dominant and minority groups, exploring how these groups are represented and the impact of such portrayals. The essay applies sociological theories, such as the Scapegoat theory, to interpret the events and behaviors described in the media piece. It considers historical and contemporary influences of discrimination, particularly within the context of the United States. Furthermore, the essay discusses how power structures and policies might influence or be influenced by media representations. The author provides examples of discrimination and prejudice in the media, including the role of media houses and the influence of power, as well as the influence of authority perceptions on obedience and disobedience. The essay aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the complexities surrounding diversity, social conflict, and the role of media in shaping perceptions and attitudes, and suggests potential solutions to address the social diversity consequences.

Running head: DIVERSITY & THE MEDIA
DIVERSITY & THE MEDIA
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author note

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Introduction
According to the sociological theories, different dynamics has been elucidated that
lead to different type of conflicts (Schuldt & Pearson, 2016).In the year of 1945, a sociologist
named Louis Wirth explained a ‘minority group’ as a specific group of the people who share
cultural & social roots but receive unequal & treatment from the ‘dominant’ group of society.
They recognize themselves as individuals for ‘collective discrimination’ who are being
oppressed by the dominant groups of society. Minority in a sociocultural framework refers to
discrimination & other term for ‘minority group’ is ‘subordinate group’. The article named
‘Five Years Later, Do Black Lives Matter?’ By Keenaga Yamatha Taylo, is a powerful
depiction of social conflict between the ‘whites’ of America (dominant group) & the African
Americans (minority group). In the media piece, about 4000 African Americans being were
reported to be killed by the white cops in the streets of America. The concepts of race &
ethnicity have been changed through the passage of eras. In the modern era, due to
technology & migration issues, people feels less connected & bonded to their ancestral values
& the present familial framework. The geographic regions, ethnicities, skin colors & the
ecological divisions between human beings have led to increase in ecological diversity. In
this essay, a media piece regarding a social conflict issue in America has been discussed &
the socio-cultural conflict between the dominant & minority group, has been explored. Social
diversity, in any country refers to the socio-cultural diversity of the nation that encompasses
different types of races, diversity & the ethnic groups (Cobb Perry & Dougherty, 2015).
Large number of social groups co-exists within the same country which contributes to the
rich cultural & social diversity but there can also be various forms of conflict that can arise
between these groups, given the social dynamics at a given point of time. Their lives are
worth living or not & to what extent & how much their lives are dominated & oppressed by
the dominant white groups of America – are actually explored in this media piece. In the

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news piece, a forty four year old woman who was pregnant is reported to be shot five times
by a white complexioned cop of America. The medical examiner ruled it as a homicide. The
article focuses on a person named Mike Brown whose death begun a ‘protest led movement’
amongst the poor working-class African American communities living in America against the
white complexioned police driven terror. This article is a classical example of conflict &
social diversity due to class inequity, social disparity & power disparity which in turn causes
more social disruption & terror (Petras, 2018).
Social diversity & social conflict
While ruthless murders & insane social oppression of the black people have been
elucidated with marked brilliance – the article also considers the concept of ‘pure hatred’ that
a dominant social group can exert on a minority group. Dominant group has maximum power
in a society while the ‘minority group’ has the least level of power. A report by Charles
Wagley & Marvin Harris (1958) recognizes these five aspects related to minority class. The
major aspects are involuntary group membership, disparity in power & inequity treatment,
discrimination on cultural or physical traits such as skin color & local language they are
aware that they are subordinate, marriages occur inside the group. In the article, the two
social groups are contrasted against each other in terms of violence, aggression & terror. The
dominant white complexional Americans have been shown to exert ruthless force & life
threatening dominance on the minority of African Americans. The media piece questions the
values of ‘black’ African – Americans; explores the understanding class inequity, social
differentiation & social conflict’. The media piece also elucidates the fact that not everyone is
same, not every individual is same in a social group – but a specific subgroup (as for example
the American police officers in the article) can conflict the most against the minority group
(as they have power & authority), to the level of inhumanity (a pregnant woman pleads for
her life & for the life of her child but she is killed, mercilessly by a white complexioned cop

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of America). According to the sociologist Louis Wirth – ‘dominant group’ refers to the
group which has a majority in the society. The dominant group has a very strong kinship
both sociologically & culturally. A large number of social groups co-existing within the same
country can lead to rich cultural & social diversity which is the case with America & in this
media presented case, all the information about the white native Americans (subgroup – the
cops) driven violence & insane outrage on the innocent African Americans (the dark
complexioned people who are seen as an out group by the native Americans) has been
provided. The media piece has presented the case in a justified, rational, logical & coherent
manner (Bolin & Kurtz, 2018). The article depicts the class conflict & social disruption due
to social diversity & cultural diversity with complete veracity, neutrally. The news article
portrays the deathly horrors lurking in the corners & paths of society which are to be
safeguarded by the police officers. The media piece explains & reveals further - the hypocrisy
& deep, dark, embedded conflict & hared hidden within the hearts of the Native American
subgroups. This outrage by the white cops could have occurred as a response to the campaign
which was led by the poor communities of American African people living in America. As
revenge, the cops went on to kill around four thousand African American people. The
African- American minority group fulfills the aforementioned criteria such as - (1)
involuntary group membership (2) distinguished cultural or physical traits such as skin color
& local language (3) higher number of marriage inside the in-group (4) subordination
awareness (5) disparity in power & inequity treatment.
Theories & Conceptual Interpretations
United States has also exhibited the same illustration for the new recent immigrants
who has become the immediate ‘scapegoat’ for the dominant groups in United States. It has
been seen that even the United State laws allow the dominant groups to scapegoat or
dominate a minority group. In order to analyze the article further – an important sociological

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theory called Scapegoat theory (was developed from Frustration-Aggression theory of
Donald) is applied. This suggested that a dominant group would, even unintentionally, direct
it force to the subordinate group. History has shown us many examples about the
scapegoating of a minority group (Polite et al. 2017). The police officers who are unable to
perform the required duties by solving or ending the ‘true crimes’ (what happens regularly &
continuously in America), instead, kills innocent African American men & women in the
open streets of America due to personal hatred, conflict & oppression making the statement
of scapegoat theory come true that says the dominant groups – consciously or subconsciously
- would use their powers to dominate a minority group (Tinker 2018). It has been reported
that even the media house of United States play an important role in discrimination (Cason
2016). The medical doctor that is the examiner also works in collaboration with the powerful
authority of the native dominant subgroup of white complexioned cops & rules the decision
in favor of them that the ‘murder’ done by a cop of America is a homicide. This is where the
minority group of America – the African Americans becomes a ‘scapegoat’ to the dominant
groups of America. It is to be understood with respect to the media piece that authority
perception greatly influences the overall ideas about obedience & disobedience.
Moreover, Marx's & Weber's theories of inequality which deals with class inequality,
class conflict & social disruption due to social hierarchy – can also be applied to this media
case study. The socioeconomic facets of the socio-cultural framework play a very important
role in the class conflict & social conflict ideations (Swedberg, 2018). In this media piece, the
social diversity along with the social differentiation between the ‘dominant group’ white
Native Americans & the minority group of African Americans has been portrayed. The
minority has been portrayed as defenseless, dominated & oppressed while the dominant
group has been portrayed as ruthless, dominating, biased & to be justifying their insane acts
of killing by influencing the social authorities & the legal system in America. In a study

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performed on racism, nativism & exclusion - it was identified the border legislation, official
language regulatory policies, welfare reform & educational programs has mixed types of
effect on elimination of racism from America (Kilty & Haymes, 2000).
Historical & contemporary influences of discrimination in U.S. culture
The content of the media piece reveals that is not influenced or affected by power as it
clearly writes about the medical examiner (without any fear or bias) who was corrupted &
disrupted by power & the power actually influenced his decision making & he presented
falsified data. The police officers who are trained for ethical practice & above all – to
safeguard the citizens from any harm – are shown to be massively influenced (corrupted) by
power in this media piece. Soto, Dawson- &ow & BeLue (2011) aims on exploring the
history of racial discrimination with the African Americans & draws on the relationship
between the perceived effect of ‘discrimination’ amongst the minority groups & the actual
presentation of generalized anxiety disorder. The study found out discrimination was linked
to GAD, in a very deep way.
Supporting or refuting the central tenets of a media piece
Pluralism, in fact exists in the social scenario of United States of America. There exist
a huge social or rather a massive conflict between the native white complexioned people of
America (dominant group) & the African American (minority group). In the media piece
about 4000 African Americans were reported to have been killed by the white cops in the
streets of America due to pluralism of ideas, motives, ideology, & values, racial & ethnic.
Brown et al. (2000) aims to understand mental health consequences of racial discrimination
in America & finds out, relating the panel 3 & 2 of National Survey of Black Americans
(NSBA), that there was distress in the America relating to racial discrimination.

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Conclusion
So it can be concluded saying that to resolve these social diversity consequences such
as human killings, murders, behavioral & legal conflicts, socioeconomic & safety disruption -
a viable policy & strategy could be implemented at the local, state or federal level. This
policy should focus on ensuring the life & social safety of the minority groups living in
United States along with empowerment of their rights & legislative powers.

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Brown, T. N., Williams, D. R., Jackson, J. S., Neighbors, H. W., Torres, M., Sellers, S. L., &
Brown, K. T. (2000). “Being black & feeling blue”: The mental health consequences
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Cason, T. S. 2016. Victims & Not Violators: Scapegoat Theory & 3 Maccabees 7.10–
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Cobb, R. J., Perry, S. L., & Dougherty, K. D. (2015). United by faith? Race/ethnicity,
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Petras, J. (2018). The Left Strikes Back: Class Conflict in Latin America in the Age of
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