Khumalo on equality
The jester summersaults into the palace commons to entertain the young maidens – just before the Kings feast – he croons and jests about a handsome prince who faces danger, a virginal princess-bride who awaits her rescue and a strong-willed queen who stands by and counsels her king. Later, the same jester entertains the king and his court with epic tales of bravery and strength. It seems he neglects to find a balance between the two genres; it is demand that dictates his content and thus dictating the mood and effect his content will bring about. The example of the jester and the court is very similar to the modern case of print media, digital media and us, the audience. The media will produce content that they believe the public demand when in reality media offers us what raises the profit margin; the media provides a form of escapisms that undoubtedly plays a role in consumerism. Media plays many roles, two of the most important being to entertain and inform, it is clear that only one of those roles is being fulfilled, because what is information worth when not all the facts have been divulged. This omission of information and facts belittles and undermines the importance of side-lined issues, namely for the purposes of this essay, gender issues and laws regarding these. This essay will discuss the influence of media coverage on gender issues as identified by Sandra Banjac (2010) with reference to the effects debate.
Just as the medieval tales narrate, the maiden served to masculate the hero and therefore without her role defined and filled the hero could not be the hero. As it was then, is as it is now; the issue of gender stereotyping and the emancipation of women from these stereotypical roles is slowed by the male need to hold on to dominance and all things masculine. Any woman can become whatever it is they desire to be as there is no ‘male-job’, but without any female role models being showcased in any sector by the media, without the correct issues being addressed in relation to this, no progress can be made in this regard. Sandra Banjac uses the examples of South African media coverage of females doing stereotypically male jobs in aviation and lack of knowledge received by the masses of organisations and individuals who can uplift and inspire females as her grounds for her argument; the media is aware of its lack of coverage of issues that are relevant to the South African female population. It is a lack of tact – in terms of the language used – that perpetuates the cycle of misinformation in regards to stereotypes and the consequences of ideals offered by the media. The media is aware of its influence on society and in the moulding of our socially defined culture, but lacks the correct content to break the chain of reactive behaviour that is the consequence of fact less expression. Equality in all respects is mentioned in a social and cultural capacity in the examples of the man wearing the apron, taking his wife’s last name and the female paying lobola and the number of husbands allowed to her. Gender stereotyping can be defined as an attitude towards a gender group that seeks to undermine by categorisation and prescribing conformity.
The next point is sexual abuse and physical violence which can be defined as unlawful and forced sexual relations and the misuse and damage of one’s body by another, how are these being perpetuated by the media? The answer is, they are not consequences of content from media, rather, the rise in both is a result in low coverage by media and lack of support from the government. The government, in prescribing to the laws of the land, is in effect in a contract with its population ; obliging them to serve and protect. Banjac argues that the lack of female related issues that reflect the realities of the female population is in part due to a government that does not play its part. She holds that the Gender Equality Bill does little to tackle the prevailing issues of sexual and physical abuse of women.This lack of urgency in terms of medias annual focus on the plight of the female and governments half-hearted programs and initiatives, illustrate clearly the roles and importance assigned to our nations women.
It is unfortunate that the education of a boy-child should be more important than that of a girl in this day and age, and yet it is. It is not cultural ritual or money that bars them from the classroom; it is teen pregnancy, rape, abuse and other factors that women are vulnerable to. It is unfortunate that because of external factors and not the skill, knowledge or mind of a woman, will determine her immediate future. These contribute to the consequence of a private and public sector with an underrepresentation of women.
The media effects debate consists of five main questions and counter-arguments to be understand the two sides of the conversation. The questions point out that the content provided by media is purely for entertainment, everyone knows it is not real, is only an expression of a reflection of reality, is simply a reinforcement of existing values and realities and that media only has influence on fashion and fads. It can be argued that media has generated content that seeks to be as real as possible in all aspects and provides news coverage on real stories in the world with the promise of honesty and transparency, media cannot then use ‘the artists expression’ as an excuse. If what the masses consume is a true reflection of society, who can this reality be assigned to? The extremes portrayed in shows and movies omit aspects of the chosen reality portrayed to suite the audience or producers, therefore making it an interpretation and not a reflection at all. Media platforms have gained more ‘followers’ than any single religion as urban populations are in tune with the technological revolution that has taken hold of the media-world, thus giving producers a wider audience. It can then be assumed, due to the popularity of the platforms recently being utilised, that media has more than a seasonal influence; it does not just determine who will wear what next winter.
In conclusion, it is the poor representation of females and their issues that has left a knowledge gap in the mentality of men and women alike in South Africa. The stereotypical characteristics are perpetuated by the lack of positive reinforcement. The ‘reflection of society’ comes with an obligation to champion the causes that work to correct the injustices that are portrayed in the media, which the media cannot guarantee is being done. Issues that rural and urban females contend with can and do restrict intellectual development and betterment in that females and children are most vulnerable to rape, teen pregnancy and abuse. On the issue of equality, will men be less male if females are given the same respect? This cannot be answered without first understanding that a woman’s attainment of equality cannot effect the rights of men as in equality what sets individuals apart is their skill and knowledge. In relation to the media effects debate, the media can be held accountable for the content that has without a doubt shaped generations and will continue to do so. As my earlier example of the jester and the kings court shows, the ‘fodder’ of the time dictates the behaviour of the consumer of the fodder. By this I mean, because of the tales of bravery and adventure, more young men and women would take their behavioural cues from these stories.
Thembekile Khumalo
2012
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