Media Analysis | EssayIvy.com

The Racism in Orange is the New Black 1

THE RACISM IN ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK

Name

Name of Class

Professor

Name of School

Location

Date

The Racism in Orange is the New Black 2

The Racism in Orange Is The New Black

The media has proved to be a strong driver of agenda in the world. The media as a whole

has been instrumental in imparting the public with knowledge and ideas. It is this role that has

however seen the media being pivotal in perpetrating upheaval among members of society by the

content that is made available in print, visual and audio forms. In this age, movies and series are

being used in the same way as magazines and newspapers, and that is not only to entertain but

also to inform. A real threat to societal cohesion like racism is one of the subjects about which

movies and series inform the public. A person who warms up to racist ideologies will feel more

comfortable watching a movie or a series that shares the same views and ideologies. An analysis

based on a TV series, namely, Orange Is The New Black presents it as one that is edged upon

racist ideology.

In this essay, I will argue that the efforts of creators of “Orange Is The New Black” to

portray minority races to be as equal to each other are ineffective to depict the TV series as not

racist. As Chavez (2015, 1) puts it, the creators of the TV series used characters from different

races as a representation of the society as a whole. The series however introduces to the viewer, a

newer version of stereotyping and victimization. The only positive message from the series

perhaps is the way it enlightens the viewer that the social vices that we are struggling to eradicate

are being bred in perfect cultures in the very institutions that should be at the helm of correcting

them.

This TV series showcases regular life for a regular woman in a correctional facility. The

series is mainly edged upon the survival of women in a society where they have to cope and

coexist with other women who are different in sexual orientation, race and social status. Orange

The Racism in Orange is the New Black 3

Is The New Black becomes a pivotal subject for discussion because by portraying the characters

the way it does, viewers get to associate a certain race to certain behavior or a certain treatment

as borrowed from the show. This essay will be based more on the side of racial characteristics of

the show rather than those that have to do with gender or other representations.

When the series begins, it does begin in a crafty way of playing within the boundaries

that define the white race as invisible (Chavez, 2015, 21). According to Chavez, the white race is

invisible due to the fact that being in a country that has long been accepted to be inhabited

largely by the white, this race becomes less and less victimized and hence is not conspicuous in

many racially charged discussions. Even so, Orange Is The New Black does not let this stand.

The war of races in the series begins with the creators making the white race visible by making

women from non-white races rally against a new white inmate who has received a good welcome

from a white counterpart.

The white inmate is invited to sit with other fellow white inmates and when she is

assigned a bunker among inmates who are of black skin color, everyone is taken by surprise. It

turns out that an already accepted policy in the prison is that people of the same race get to eat,

sleep and spend time together. Considering that this was a show based on fiction, it then goes

without doubt that the idea belonged to the creators of the movie, depicting the general feeling

and acceptable manner of living among the “superior races”.

Stuart Hall as a critical theorist was of the idea that any social construction is made by

language and as such, it is also widely accepted that social constructions are made by what is

portrayed in the media(Sarycheva, 2016, 23). This also explains why Hughey (2014, 3) holds

that when creating movies or TV shows, creators have to first look at what will be pleasing to the

The Racism in Orange is the New Black 4

largest part of the targeted audience. With this fact in place, we actually derive that creators of

Orange Is The New Black had in mind that presenting different races as immiscible would appeal

to many, perhaps creating a suspense among viewers of what would ensue from that construct.

Sarycheva also says that representation and reality are not far from each other. According

to Sarycheva, representing means that whatever is being represented actually does exist. Now the

question begs, whether the characterization of different races in the series and how they interact

and conflict is really the true picture both in society and correctional facilities or it was merely as

fictious as was intended to be shown.

There were scenes where the show overlooked racial divide and seemed to depict some

form of unity between all races represented. This was however overshadowed by the individual

scenes that were largely dominated by specific races (Millette,2011, 80). The show

acknowledges the authority as the machine that drives the division along racial lines. This is by

showing that despite there being a tinge of racism among the inmates from the races represented,

the prison’s authority by setting apart and overseeing the running of sections reserved for

specific races enforces segregation. The show also goes a long way into depicting a rather

disgusted way in which Hispanic people view whites.

So, how wrong are the creators of Orange Is The New Black in incorporating a

stereotyping character in at least two members of each race in the show? I realize that they might

not be wrong at all. It doesn’t begin with them and naturally, the movie would not have had as

many viewers if the creators had played nice and be rational about the whole racism issue.

According to Blum (2004, 255), stereotyping is a process that has its roots deep into culture and

The Racism in Orange is the New Black 5

norms of a society. With this said, the Orange Is The New Black show was perhaps only natural

in showing how indeed the society has been brought up and nurtured over the years.

A consideration of Blum’s ideas brings about a contrasting approach to the intent and

consequence of the actions of the show’s creators. Blum holds that an individual acquires

stereotypes from getting images of other people. This explains that a gesture that might be

pushed by nobility of a movie creator may end up in an unprecedented result. It is therefore

understandable why this series was in a competition basing itself as a series in comedy in the

international fetes yet may considers it a deliberate rattler of the dreaded topic of racism.

In conclusion, I have shown that Orange Is The New Black failed to show all races as

equal to each other. Instead the TV series depicts whites as being superior to all the other races

represented therein. The series functions as an agent of stereotyping as well as it does with social

construction of attitudes towards particular races. Again, it might not have been the intention of

the creators of the series to come out as racist as they did, but in the end, that is just what

happened.

The Racism in Orange is the New Black 6

References

Blum, L. 2004. Stereotypes and stereotyping: A moral analysis. Philosophical Papers 33 (3):251–

89.

Chavez, Michael Robert, 2015. "Representing Us All? Race, Gender, and Sexuality in Orange Is

the New Black". All Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects. Paper 422.

Hughey, M. 2014. The white savior film: content, critics, and consumption. Philadelphia:

Temple University Press.

Millette, Sarah. 2011. The Representation of Latinas in Orange Is the New Black. George Mason

University. Fairfax, VA

Sarycheva, A. (2016). Nationalism and the Media Ethnic Minorities Portrayal in Russian

Television Series. Erasmus University Rotterdam

Place new order. It's free, fast and safe

Paper type

Deadline

Page count

550 words

Total price: $ 15.00

Our customers say

Jeff Curtis

USA, Student

"I'm fully satisfied with the essay I've just received. When I read it, I felt like it was exactly what I wanted to say, but couldn’t find the necessary words. Thank you!"

Ian McGregor

UK, Student

"I don’t know what I would do without your assistance! With your help, I met my deadline just in time and the work was very professional. I will be back in several days with another assignment!"

Shannon Williams

Canada, Student

"It was the perfect experience! I enjoyed working with my writer, he delivered my work on time and followed all the guidelines about the referencing and contents."