Media & Money: Crash Course Media Literacy #5

Media isn’t just movies and newspapers and TV shows, it’s also a part of society that involves a lot of money. And all that money has implications for the media that gets created. Media is created by people -- a range of people, making a range of decisions, and earning a range of different paychecks to do it. Those decisions matter and understanding how money affects those decisions is an essential component of media literacy.

Introduction: Your Media on Money 0:00
Let's say you're a movie director 1:04
Media is made 2:01
Purpose, or why media is created 2:30
Focus, or what media is made about 3:44
Thought Bubble: Representation 4:30
Media and Stereotypes 6:24
Money and the perpetuation of stereotypes 6:57
Credits 9:44

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Resources:

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[chillsahoy]

It's incredible how many times I've had to explain myself. "Yes, I'm gay but no, I don't care all that much about fashion or musical theatre and no, I don't wave my hands all over the room. Those are stereotypes, that is one of many ways to be gay. There is no single way to be an engineer, there is also no single way to be gay."

[michaelfloden]

this should be taught in elementary school. no joke this is a huge blind spot on all 8 and 9 year olds. not every parent even *thinks* to explain this reality to their children.

[fearfifofum]

A good reminder of why people lean on using stereotypes, and to always critique the creator. We all have agendas, if you go in with eyes open, you can choose what you want to take or leave from each piece of media. Where/who the money comes from can tell a lot about the agenda. Good to teach our kids how to critically evaluate media too! Doesn’t mean not curiously exploring other viewpoints, but to be aware of how certain messages trigger us, your mind on media, and to be aware of them so not sleepwalking through experience.

[traysexton]

Seriously the talking points and information presented in this series is increasingly important in today’s day and age I think so many others would benefit from exposure to this show.

[GreenT_LoR]

I couldn't name a singular CrashCourse series I love either. I love them all too! I can't even imagine the amount of time and effort that goes into the scripts, but that does not stop me from appreciating them every episode I watch ^^ Have a great day everyone!

[bearowl]

I think another factor behind representation is the experience of writers in their chosen medium. For instance, if someone is a playwright and they want to write a gay character, chances are the people they’ve surrounded themselves with are also into theatre and some may be gay. Because of this, even gay characters based on real people can fulfill stereotypes (such as the gay theatre buff) because of the writer’s limited worldview.

[chaoticlogic]

Got my mind on my media and my media on my mind.

[elektrikhd]

I really appreciate this episode, in particular that the depiction of gays in the media is addressed specifically. As a gay male who was a teen when Will & Grace was at its height, I was really put off by the show because I couldn't identify with the characters, and it's not the only example, just the most vivid one. While I enjoy watching a play or musical from time to time, I've never been one for showtunes; I like rock, jazz, classical, and even a little bit of heavy metal. I may have a good eye for color and be able to help friends pick out clothes, but I don't dress like it--I'm more interested comfort and budget. I'm not skinny, I don't have short carefully trimmed hair, and at the time I wasn't clean-shaven. (I've also never liked light beer, but we'll skip over the underage drinking part.) I've heard people praise the show, but it left me with more feelings of alienation: in the early 2000s there were still plenty of negative things going around about gay people, but I didn't see any gay people like me in the media, even the supposedly "positive" examples, who were often reduced to punchlines anyway.

Even a couple of years later in college near Philadelphia, I found it hard to fit in with the actual gay community, and I can't help thinking that popular media portrayals of gay stereotypes, no matter how "positive" were reinforced so much that they were internalized by the gay community, whether as ways of identifying each other or as ways of being a "good gay." There were no examples of an overweight, long-haired rock & roll type of gay guy in the media, and nobody knew what to do with me. (At least it's a bit better now.)

Things like this have given me more appreciation for characters who are well-rounded, where such a piece of identity is a trait rather than the defining feature of the character. It's also opened me up to looking more critically at how other groups are portrayed in the media, especially in comedy: is someone's identity part of their character, or is it just a punchline?

[allie]

I love this. As a design student, it feels super relevant to everything I am learning and doing right now. I really appreciate your discussion of the need for more empathy driven representations of diverse peoples and cultures. Will the series get more in-depth into visual rhetoric and semiotic theory?

[olivergilpin]

8:46 - super powerful, there’s the main benefit of social media for humanity’s development - more cooperation across borders due to exposure to those from other groups

[benjamcg]

Definitely could of used a “YouTube is not immune” comment for self-awareness’ sake.

[SadFace]

Imho, while it's the responsibility of the consumers to analyze their media properly, I firmly believe it's also the job of content creators to be responsible for the media they create. Stereotypes will always exist regardless of your political leanings or values, but I think it'd be more helpful for the industry's creativity if such ideas were not constantly recycled or other ideas were explored. Ideally, content creators should be more worried about the message of their products rather than making money.

[ryanliberty]

Can't believe this was already #5. Loving this series!

[ixis]

On the one hand, I'm very happy that a CC video that mentions race is a thing that affects society isn't vote-bombed like CC Sociology.

On the other hand, the comments are still full of angry people, and the fact that this show is hosted by a guy instead of a woman might have something to do with the numbers.

Cue angry people responding to this post that points them out, invariably proving the argument I'm making with knee-jerk defensive responses...

[Music-tpwh]

Oh wow. CrashCourse never fails to amaze me. You guys are making a media literacy course! Perfect timing for it. In this day and age we live in.

[pinkpantherofthesouth]

i absolutely love this show, this series is so informative and tackles so many current issues that i really believe it should be compulsory in schools

[nielsen]

reeaallly appreciate the fact this subject was added to this channel. When I first saw this guy i was thinking "WTF? Where's Hank?!" but after watching all 6 episodes released, I like Jay Smooth a lot. Anxiously awaiting the next episode today...

[chrisbill]

I love the 'we're the exception' mug!

[Felenari]

Can't even tell you how much I like this series so far. Good watch and thank you.

[Earbly]

This guy is just really engaging for some reason. The man knows his art. Meta media.