Text Review Assignment

The medium I will be analyzing is the TV series Grey’s Anatomy. Through the 17 seasons of this show, the characters are very diverse in gender, race, sexual preferences and religion. The show is not shy went it comes to expressing the issues of inequality in our world today, writer Shanda Rhimes fills the series with racism and inequalities we see in our societies today in a way to create awareness. Interactions between patients and doctors, interracial relationships, women’s roles in power and relation to big movements like the back lives matter. An example of a specific scene (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibJyZeTzLIY) where a gentleman comes into the ER and Bailey is attempting to treat him. The patient makes it clear that he does not want her treating him and asks for a different doctor. Dr.Weber then shows up to treat this patient, but the gentleman looks at Weber and stills is refusing treatment stating he wants a different doctor. Weber then realizes it was not just about the gender, the patient did not want an African American doctor treating him. This is not the only example of racism through the show, but it is one of the more extreme scenes. Another example of inequality is when the show flashes back to Meredith’s mother and Weber’s experience through residency. In these scenes we see the struggle Meredith’s mom faces as becoming a female doctor in those times and the determination she had to succeed. In contrast, we see Meredith in present time with that same determination and as a very high ranked and powerful women in the hospital. The show defiantly presents these everyday issues of racisms in an informative way through this very popular show to create awareness.

In relation to our course content, this show connects very well to the theories we have learned about and the texts we have reviewed. Many of the readings, like Story of My Body or My Reluctant Fundamentalist, contain stories or experience of racism. Grey’s Anatomy is a show that contains a lot of diversity and many different scenarios of racism, so I feel it can relate to many people and/or topics.

 

 

Week 14 Context presentation

When you think of a super hero who comes to mind? Superman, Captain America, Spiderman, etc. We have seen Marvel create movies with all these different super heroes. What we see lacking is cultural diversity across these super heroes. The movie Black Panther is different than any Marvel super hero movie created previously. What aspects of this movie create such a strong cultural depiction?

As I watch this movie for the first time the African culture is immediately prominent, the overall main theme in this movie is African American culture. Ryan Coogler, the director of this movie, held true to African culture throughout the movie. The ability to present so much of this culture within a super hero movie is nothing like we have seen before. The entire cast within this movie are African Americans, that alone holds such strong message. Through the movie we see the certain clothing used, jewelry, body painting and the language. These aspects give viewers details and insight to the African culture.

Not only does this movie present African American culture in a strong way, but the way Coogler depicts African American women takes the cultural and gender diversity to a whole new level. In society we know the struggles of women, African Americans and even more African American women. The strength and power the women hold next to the men in the movie creates a point of view toward such a large controversial subject, gender equality. Overall for lack of a better term this movie is a game changer. Coogler has created something different from any super hero movie we have seen and it changes the way we see super heroes, adds so much cultural diversity to the Marvel and superhero community.

 

 

https://www.thewilkesbeacon.com/opinion/2018/02/19/the-cultural-impact-of-black-panther/