Episode 6: Miss Elle’s Guide to the Emmys!

The 2012 Emmy nominations were announced last week and if you’re not a huge TV buff like me, you might not be up to date with all of the future winners. Don’t worry, I got you! Here’s a quick guide on what to expect from the Emmys this year (and every year.)

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On POC, Collective Memory & the Media

I’m not sure if anyone following me here follows Dionthesocialist, but last night he witnessed the aftermath of a boy being shot two doors down from his home. I haven’t really been following it on account of my own emotional/mental safety, but anyone who would like details is welcome to read his blog (TW for murder.)

There has already been news stories about the incident and of course, they are less than true. I really think any of person of color is well acquainted with the way media has been able to spin the truths of our deaths in ways that have been unfair and dehumanizing. Trayvon Martin is a recent example, but not even the epitome in which the ways the American media is capable of spinning on our deaths on us. 

But to be honest, I think this is the first time everyone is getting and up & personal taste of how it really works. The contrast is really amazing, I think. It’s cognitive dissonance at its finest—here’s what you know & here’s what they tell you. This is what you believe & this is what they want you to believe. Our first instincts as American citizens and as people well acquainted with American media is to take everything at face value. We know of bias, but we generally believe that the media cannot tell lies. 

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about a person of color’s relationship with media & especially the news. There’s a lack of trust there, along with a lack of representation, a frustration with said representation if it happens, and a general sense of anxiety and fear. You want to be represented but you’re afraid in which you will be or if you will be at all. I can’t speak for the entire community and honestly don’t want to; I can only speak of my experiences and know that for the first time in a long time, I was really fighting a lot of my ingrained instincts as I watched this story unfold. From the incident to the aftermath to the headlines the next morning, I had to keep checking in with myself. This is what happened. This is what happened. They are lying.

Is this how a community feels after a tragedy? It must be hard to grapple with what you all collective know and what the media will tell about your neighborhood. I don’t know, I feel very strange. I’d like to keep following this, but I’m not sure if I really can.

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