Series: Media Socialization, Racial Stereotypes and Black Adolescent Identity III

This is the third post in a series based on Professor Valerie Adams-Bass‘ UVA class, “Media Socialization, Racial Stereotypes And Black Adolescent Identity.”

Introduction by Valerie Adams-Bass, Ph.D.
TV talks. The characters we view on television shows and in movies speak to us through the written scripts and through the physical bodies of the characters. Media socialization—the exposure to mass communication (television, radio, internet, newspapers) messages, which teach people socially accepted behaviors that have: (a) a direct influence on cognitive ability and behavioral functioning, and (b) a mediating or facilitative indirect influence on learning (Adams & Stevenson, 2012), has been identified as a notable factor during adolescence. Arnett, 1995; Lloyd, 2002; Strasburger, Wilson & Jordan, 2014). Students in EDHS 3100, , are learning about the scripts that are associated with black media images and discussing the impact on African-American adolescents. Their blog entries reflect an understanding of the scripts viewed in television sitcoms, drama, reality shows, or movies and the potential impact of exposure to theses media images on viewers.


Boyz n the Hood
By Naana Ewool, UVA student

For this reaction paper, I chose to watch Boyz n the Hood. The film takes place in South Central Los Angeles, where a group of young friends navigate life within the gang culture that surrounds them. 10-year-old Tre Styles gets sent to live with his father, and viewers are exposed to the stark contrast in Tre’s life with his present and active father and his friends Ricky and Doughboy, half brothers living with their single mother. Throughout the film, Tre’s father Furious serves as a voice of reason, always lending a listening ear, sternly disciplining, and fiercely loving his only son. Doughboy, who from a young age begins stealing, spends time in and out of jail, and by 17 has joined a gang. Ricky becomes his high school’s number one running back and is easily his mother’s favorite child. Despite having a child out of wedlock with his live-in girlfriend, Ricky is presented as a responsible and noble young man, unlike his excessively violent and angry brother.

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Series: Media Socialization, Racial Stereotypes and Black Adolescent Identity II

This is the second post in a series based on Professor Valerie Adams-Bass‘ UVA class, “Media Socialization, Racial Stereotypes And Black Adolescent Identity.”

Introduction by Valerie Adams-Bass, Ph.D.
TV talks. The characters we view on television shows and in movies speak to us through the written scripts and through the physical bodies of the characters. Media socialization—the exposure to mass communication (television, radio, internet, newspapers) messages, which teach people socially accepted behaviors that have: (a) a direct influence on cognitive ability and behavioral functioning, and (b) a mediating or facilitative indirect influence on learning (Adams & Stevenson, 2012), has been identified as a notable factor during adolescence. Arnett, 1995; Lloyd, 2002; Strasburger, Wilson & Jordan, 2014). Students in EDHS 3100, , are learning about the scripts that are associated with black media images and discussing the impact on African-American adolescents. Their blog entries reflect an understanding of the scripts viewed in television sitcoms, drama, reality shows, or movies and the potential impact of exposure to theses media images on viewers.

 


The Proud Family, “Twins to Tweens”
By Meagan Josephs, UVA student

For this reaction paper, I chose to watch an episode of The Proud Family called “Twins to Tweens” (season 3, ep. 8). The Proud Family is a Disney cartoon that depicts the antics of an African American family. Penny, a teenage girl, struggles through ordinary issues such as friends, boys and of course, family. In this particular episode, Penny’s mom, dad, and grandma, “Suga Mama,” head off for a bowling tournament, leaving Penny to watch her twin siblings, Bebe and Cece. Viewers are constantly reminded how often Penny has to watch the twins and how irritated this chore has made her. On this day, Penny’s wish for her siblings, to grow up is granted by the TV weatherman. With her newfound freedom, Penny is able to attend a pool party at the house of her crush, Dante. At the pool party, Bebe and Cece turn heads and quickly rise to the top of the social pyramid, whereas Penny tumbles to the bottom. At school, the twins ace their exams; in contrast, Penny barely passes. Even at home, their parents give the twins preferential treatment, including money, new clothes, and driving lessons; all of which Penny is denied. “Never be mistreated or ignored,” Suga Mama advises before ignoring Penny like everyone else.

The theme of rejection subsides when Mrs. Proud demands that the twins now take their sister to the mall. Though they initially deny her, Penny “may not have friends but she’ll always have family” they decide to bring her along. When she is then denied by the school nerd, she snaps and demands that things return to the way they were. The weatherman yields to her chants and the twins shrink back to their former selves, and everyone else’s memories are cleared.

I was surprised that an animated show depicted such negative, polarized stereotypes of Black people. For example, every encounter with Mr. Proud showed him as a stingy Mama’s boy. In the first scene, Suga Mama drops a bowling ball on his foot and delivers a punch line indicating that she is the one supporting the family. This idea reappears when Suga Mama chases Mr. Proud around the house with a rolling pin. These interactions show not only the relationship between a strong matriarch and weak father figure but also an extreme version of “tough love.” At the opposite end of the spectrum, Penny allows others to walk all over her; her friends and family abandon her, yet she does not fight.

Preference for white-appearance was also at the forefront of this episode, especially for women. Aside from Penny, all the girls had straight hair, some were even blonde. Suga Mama even referenced Penny’s “ugly hair.” Along with straight hair, light skin was a qualification for popularity. Dante and Cece both have light enough complexions to pass as White.

The twins are portrayed as the ideal people: smart, attractive, popular, and athletic go-getters. Ironically, since they have not grown into their role unlike the other characters; it is as if time causes Black people to become stupid and resentful. This resentment can go two ways: antagonistic like Suga Mama or withdrawn like Penny. Penny’s fight for equal rights is subdued by her White counterparts. When Penny eventually stands up to the weatherman, her demands, so out of character, come across as petulant. I interpreted that this episode was a colorful depiction of the White response to the civil rights movement. Penny was deemed stupid and unpopular by a group led by ignorant babies. In actuality, Penny knew what she wanted and she eventually acquired her desire, and Bebe and Cece were put back in their place.

This episode exemplifies how television can be used for identity formation and socialization. Arnett’s Adolescents’ Uses of Media for Self-Socialization says that one of the most important aspects of identity formation is defining gender roles. Whereas Penny’s identity constantly changes in light of her siblings’ impact, Bebe and Cece clearly take on their respective gender roles. Bebe is the tall, athletic man. He appeals to women with very little effort. In contrast, Cece loves clothes, canopy beds, cheer and boys. These passions depict girls as dainty, beautiful and absorbed by appearances. They also teach viewers “‘scripts’ for how to behave in unfamiliar situations” (Strasburger et al 758). Adolescents, who have not yet encountered many circumstances, would find this advice especially relevant.

Values stabilize society, so distinguishing what matters is a major aspect of Arnett’s socialization, which Bebe and Cece help express. When Mrs. Proud requests that the twins take Penny to the mall, they vehemently reject her. She responds with a crucial lesson, “Penny may not have friends, but she has family.” This statement emphasizes the importance of family in our society, which is easily overlooked among adolescents who are constantly searching for their identities in their friends.

Jackson’s text, Scripting the Black Masculine Body Identity also demonstrated concepts that viewers encounter in this episode, including colorism. As previously stated, Cece and Dante have such light complexions that they could pass as White. This idea, defined by Jackson as “the process by which bi-ethnic people conceal their African heritage and assimilate totally into the European American community,” was prevalent when Blacks’ rights were withheld. Colorism as a broader concept, entails a preference for lighter appearances. Even today, media depicts “light-skinned” Blacks as the beauty ideal. Those with light eyes and thin noses, Anglo-Saxon characteristics, are plastered on magazines and TV screens disproportionately. This episode pays homage to this uncomfortable truth through Cece and Dante.

 

References

Arnett, J. J. (1995). Adolescents’ uses of media for self-socialization. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 24(5), 519-533.

Jackson, R. L. (2006). Scripting the black masculine body identity. Albany, NY: Suny.

Strasburger, V. C., Jordan, A. B., Donnerstein, E. (2010). Health effects of media on children and adolescents, Pediatrics, 125(4), 756-767.

Discussion Questions

  • Why is Mr. Proud presented as a weak man? How would the show change if he was the head of the house?
  • Why would Suga Mama tell Penny to stand up for herself rather than help her?

 

Research and the Real World, Are They a Match?


Above, Joanna Williams speaks to a standing room only crowd of colleagues and students, at the February Youth-Nex Works in Progress Meeting on “Investigating Diversity in Early Adolescence.” (Audio of the talk here.)

Williams is an associate professor at the Curry School of Education and is affiliated with Youth-Nex and Youth and Social Innovation (YSI).

In her recent blog for the William T. Grant Foundation, Joanna Williams asks if research matters in the real world. Published with the foundation’s consent here are her thoughts. Continue reading

Itching For Scratch

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By Valerie N. Adams-Bass, PhD

Valerie N. Adams-Bass is an Assistant Professor of the Youth and Social Innovations (YSI) program in the Curry School of Education and a Youth-Nex Faculty Affiliate, at the University of Virginia.

Educational Technology, Ed-Tech is garnering considerable attention as public school districts increasingly adopt and integrate technology into day-to-day instruction. In 2015, I worked as a research fellow with the University of California Davis School of Education on the Digital Promise Pilot to Purchase Project.

Considered a “short-cycle” research project, we worked at a rapid pace for the first half of the year to learn as much as we could from six districts that ranged in size from 1,200-to-96,000 students about how they pilot and make purchasing decisions about ed-tech products. To collect data, I touched down in 4 time zones and visited 4 states; Alabama, California, Idaho, Pennsylvania and the District of Columbia. After a demanding travel schedule, I wrapped up my data collection and headed home.

Many of our findings were published in Pilot-to-Purchase, Piloting Ed-tech Products in k-12 Public Schools report and we created a “tool kit” of resources that are the result of recommendations included in the report. In steps two, three and four of the toolkit I discuss planning, training and implementation and data collection, all important components of piloting ed-tech tools. You’ll find videos discussing these steps throughout this blog, courtesy of DigitalPromise.org.

Adams-Bass Video One:
From Digital Promise.org
Planning
When planning a pilot, districts must clearly articulate what they are trying to accomplish and how they will collect evidence to make an informed decision. Pilots produce the most useful results when everyone involved can answer the question, “What does success look like?”
adamsbassvid1

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The Inside of Mentoring

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Youth-Nex director Patrick Tolan, talks about “What Works in Mentoring?” at the recent YN Works In Progress meeting.

Reported by Youth-Nex Editors

Patrick H. Tolan is professor at the University of Virginia in the Curry School of Education and in the Department of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences in the School of Medicine. He is director of the cross-University multidisciplinary center, Youth-Nex: The U.Va. Center to Promote Effective Youth Development.

Audio and slides are posted here.

Background, Questions, and Definitions

For 20 years we have known that mentoring can be beneficial, yet we still do not know much about what causes these benefits. Tolan discussed his study, the first meta-analysis to look at the processes inside mentoring.

What difference do mentoring activities like modeling, teaching, emotional support, and advocacy make? Is all mentoring positive?

Knowing how such programs work is important. Some popular social programs thrive and continue to receive funding despite the fact that they fail at producing the desired results. At the same time, we can spend 10 years doing empirical studies which do produce results. Despite this, we don’t fund or create programs based on proven interventions. Mentoring works and it is popular, so it’s important to learn how it works. Continue reading

School Climate: From Authoritative to Negligent

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Josie Boehlert attended Dewey Cornell’s Youth-Nex talk on
Bullying and Positive School Climate in Virginia Middle Schools.
She posted her thoughts for us:
Boehlert is a second year graduate student in the Counselor Education program at the Curry School. Boehlert is currently completing her school counseling internship at a middle school in Albemarle County. Much of Boehlert’s academic work has been focused on school climate and bullying prevention programs in middle schools. 

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Josie Boehlert, a second year student in Curry’s Counselor Education program.

 

Link to presentation audio and slides.

Dewey Cornell presented the findings of his team’s research as a part of the University of Virginia Youth-Nex Works In Progress lecture series. Cornell’s ongoing area of study focuses on bullying and school climate. The lecture reported the results of surveys of thousands of students and teachers across the Commonwealth of Virginia. The surveys were supported by the Virginia Department of Education and were therefore completed by a high percentage of Virginia schools. School principals were given the freedom to choose between a sample of 25 random students per grade or a sample that included the entire 7th and 8th grade. Continue reading