Tag Archives: marginalization

The public’s role in reinforcing hegemonic attitudes relating to marginality

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After watching Through a Blue Lens (and with Jiwani and Young’s article about frames and counter frames in mind), I found myself feeling quite critical about the documentary’s approach to the issue of drug addiction in the DTES. In my post on Connect, I talked about how the framing in Blue Lens differentiates the “good” from the “bad”, thus reinforcing common stereotypes and perpetuating the marginalization of the DTES community. Melissa’s response to my post reminded me that it is important to consider the goals and targeted audience when analyzing narratives, so I now turn my attention to the the website of the producers of Blue Lens, oddsquad.com.

Upon entering the site, my attention is immediately drawn to the mission statement, which is formatted in big font and says:

We empower youth to make positive life choices about drug use and criminal behaviour through documentaries and education.

From this mandate, we can gather that Odd Squad’s focus is on prevention and empowerment. Young people are the targeted audience, but this organization also addresses the broader public as exemplified by Blue Lens. As I explored the website a bit further, I came across a testimonial section on the site, which featured responses from viewers of Blue Lens. 

The public can play a major role in reinforcing the legitimacy of dominant narratives relating to marginality. Through short testimonies, audience members repeatedly asserted the credibility and positive impact of Odd Squad’s work, as they believed that it was an eye-opening, educational tool. See here:

“.. My kids and I watched [Blue Lens] about once a year. It really touched my heart…I feel so bad for all the people that fall victim to the drug dealers and these horrible drugs that take over our young peoples minds and body and make it next to impossible to stop and live a healthy normal life. It is so sad. Thanks so much to the Odd Squad for teaching me and my children so much about this scary world of drug use…”

J.B. – Michigan, U.S.A.

While Odd Squad may have good intentions, the narrative style of their film, Blue Lens, inadvertently condemns and further marginalizes the DTES (in my opinion at least). The approval and generally positive responses from the viewers ultimately functions to reinstate the hegemonic ideals relating to marginality, which in this case is that drugs are the sole reason for degeneracy in the DTES. In doing so, both the distributers and consumers of dominant narratives can fail to reflect upon other factors that have led to the state of the DTES. What is important to recognize here is that while producers of minority narratives can perpetuate hegemonic ideals, the public can also play an equally substantial role in marginalizing those on the periphery by supporting and reproducing dominant beliefs through personal perspectives, “testimonials” to the discourse, or everyday interactions. Thus, it is extremely valuable to exercise critical thought when consuming such narratives.

 

The marginalization of minorities in society

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Quite some time has passed since the posting of the video, Asians in the Library, but the racist and insensitive nature of the UCLA student’s rant still resonates with parts of Western history and society today. In short, the video was posted by a white, female student who was using racial slurs to complain about the disruptive phone calls of Asian students in a UCLA library.  Not only were her derogatory statements demoralizing for Asians, I would argue that they were discriminative against minority groups in general. What interests me the most is the clear distinction made between Americans and Asian-Americans, (the “us” and the “other”), and the implicit suggestion for minorities to conform Western culture.

To me, this video further illustrates some of issues presented in Fred Wah’s Diamond Grill, such as the fact that minority cultures and groups have been, and are still being seen by some as foreigners who do not fully belong in Western society. The UCLA rant is paralleled with some of the major ideas in Diamond Grill, such as the pressure from society to dissociate oneself from their racial origins in order to “belong”, or the inferior status that is forced upon/accepted by minority cultures in Western society.

Although Diamond Grill serves as an objection to racism and prejudice, there are people who are cracking under the pressures of conformity. For example, when Julie Chen was told her Asian features were undesirable for the media industry, she underwent plastic surgery in order to make herself look less Asian, and to advance her career.

When one assumes racial superiority, and deems another race to be inferior or less desirable, minorities run into serious problems, such as being forgotten or neglected when it comes to history. Looking back, I realize how silent minorities were in my elementary and high school education. Issues pertaining to minorities, such as major discriminatory acts and policies in Canada, earned just enough page space in textbooks and time in class to cover the main points, but its long-lasting impacts on minorities today were largely downplayed. While Carter presents archival silences as a method of resistance and empowerment, I worry about those at a young age who may not be able to recognize the “gaps” or silences in their education about minority history. An elementary or secondary student may infer that a brief focus on minority issues in school equates to minority issues being of lesser importance. For the kids who are a part of minority groups, silences in education could implicitly reinforce racial hierarchies and conformity, and ultimately contribute to the increasing loss of culture in our Western, “multicultural” society.