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Critical Thinking Quiz


In a world where you are faced with thousands of media images each day, it is important to consider how critical you are of what you are seeing and hearing about groups of people. Here are a few questions to help you to determine exactly how stereotype savvy you are.


1. Think about the last television program or movie that you saw. Make a list of all of the main characters. Now cross reference this list with the following chart:


Character Race Gender Education level  Occupation Economic Class
           
           
           
           
           
           
           
 
 		  
 		  
 		  
 		  
 		  
 


2. Referencing that same program or movie, consider the organizations that the minority characters belonged to and the instances of violence or abuse that were portrayed by minorities.


3. Tune your television in to the major 5:00 and 6:00 news broadcasts. Compare the numbers of male and female news anchors. Now, note the ethnicity of the anchors. Compare these numbers to the “caliber” of the stories being covered.


4. Compare three different magazines: one male-targeted (Maxim, GQ, etc...), one female-targeted (Glamour, Vogue, etc...), and one children’s magazine (Highlights, Disney, etc...). Look for the numbers of minorities represented in each and the manner in which each is pictured.


5. Consider the following statement: “metaphors can be perfectly harmless and enhance a story.” Now consider this statement: “metaphors can also perpetuate racial stereotypes or put a spin on a story.” Apply each of these to a situation you can recall from your own life.


Source: Holtzman, L. (2000). Media messages. Armonk, NY: M. E. Sharpe



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