Cashing in on racism ("Racism sells")

The extent to which people "cash in" on racism will be explored through contemporary film, media and television examples.

There is no denying the strength of racism as a modern discourse that is shaped socially through temporally and spatially sensitive environments. A dominant area in which racism is prevalent is in the media, film and television industry, however its use may be "totally harmless" and used for humor or it could be politically driven in an attempt to keep the "status quo".  An article by Ulrike Kirstner, examines racism in the South African media in the late 1990s and early 2000s. There is no argument to the existence of racism in the media in South Africa but this is spread to the rest of the world aswell and also linked to ideas around money and power (Kirstner 195).  An example present in the New Zealand of cashing in on racism would be the spray and walk away advertisements that are on television. The ad distastefully aims to catch peoples attention and lure in customers by using racism and stereotypes in a "humorous" way, exploiting Asian ethnicities. Admittedly this ad in particular is very effective in this and is widely known, talked about and laughed at. This example enables individuals to laugh at minority members of society, justify and re-use stereotypes, make money off racism and is also used as a way of subtly maintaining the social and cultural hierarchies.

Unlike Kirstner's article that highlights the racism in the South African media is aimed towards the majority, classed as black individuals (203). Racism in New Zealand is aimed more towards minority groups. Although in both cases the groups being targeted are both seen as subordinate and there are also political and financial motives. The film Boy is an example of cashing in on racism and reinforcing stereotypes. Just as they say "sex sells", it appears so too does racism. In the film Boy Maori as a group are targeted and stereotypes about them being lazy, overweight and unreliable are majorly being reproduced and supported. Through things like the pot smoking jail escapee to the portrayal that every Maori steals, drinks and does not wear shoes. Here we are exploiting and damaging a group of people through racism for financial gain (selling the movie) and entertainment. 

In conclusion, racism is used through the media industry to sell products, reinforce social hierarchies, financially gain through selling content and as a means of justifying racism. All of these motives are represented well in both of the aforementioned examples of racism being used to "cash in" on it. While both of these examples can be seen as light hearted, it cannot be disputed that they are still excessively damaging to particular groups in a combination of ways. These damages come in the form of subordination of cultures, untrue grouped stereotypes or generalizations and low social and cultural status'.

Works Cited:

Kirstner, Ulrike. "The Elided Performative: The Human Rights Commission’s Inquiry into Racism in the Media." Pretexts: literary and cultural studies, Vol. 10, No. 2, (2001): 195-217. Web. 26 March 2016.