Alvorado's Theory of Ethnicity

Alvorado's theory is to do with the way ethnic minorities are represented in a media product. He believes that these token characters are represented as having one the the four personality traits below:

Humorous

Ethnic minorities are sometimes the comedy relief of certain media products. They may be portrayed in a humorous way because of their differences. Stereotypes are often used for a humorous effect.

Exotic

An exotic character is one who is different to the others. They can sometimes be strange or unusual in an unsettling way, or in a manner which can be appealing. Usually it is assumed that the audience of the product is not of this ethnicity.

Pitied

Sometimes ethnicities are signified as being victims, in order to gain sympathy. This method is usually used by charities, where sad looking children are shown to gain support for the cause.

Dangerous

A negative stereotype of ethnic minorities is that they are dangerous, being a threat towards society. They may be represented as scary, or seen committing some type of crime.

Ethnic minorities are sometimes used as a way of showing slight diversity in media products, but when forms of media use a certain ethnicity for the sake of it they usually feel like hollow characters, or stereotypes. Including several different races in a media product can represent the institution as more diverse, and may appeal to a wider target audience.

An example within music videos would be the connotation that black rappers are dangerous, which is usually connoted purposely by the singer. One rapper who does this is 50 Cent.