CTQ 3

Through the years, mass media has had increasing influence over people and has
been the primary source through which we learn about each other and the world
arounds us. It has and is still playing a huge role in shaping collective identities and
attitudes between groups by assigning certain attributes to each of them.
Unfortunately, various minority groups have been presented in a distorted way by
media, thus, making it the biggest contributor to the construction and manifestation
of certain ethnic and racial stereotypes, which very often have detrimental effects on
the marginalized groups. As a consequence, not only do those groups bear the brunt
of public hostility, but also group members suffer from low self-esteem and anxiety.
Very often, ethnic minority communities are either overlooked, or portrayed in a
rather negative light and disproportionately represented as something “less than” in
relation to other dominant groups.

One such group is the Roma community and particularly the one in my own country
- Bulgaria. From as long as I can remember, Roma people have been labelled as
criminals, rapists, being violent and disruptive to name a few. I have vivid memories
even as a little child, hearing on the news about Roma having spurred on yet another
scuffle or attempted a petty theft. Whenever this ethnic group was brought up in the
news, it was instantaneously associated with something bad. Don’t get me wrong, I
do realize that due to the poor living conditions and little to no education, many of
those people have indeed been impelled to commit crimes in order to survive.
However, many does not mean all and just because some Roma have chosen the
wrong path, does not automatically go to show that each member of the community
shares the same approach to life and values.

Now that I have a better understanding of people’s psychology, thereby

acknowledging the importance of childhood on one’s development and their
perception of the world, I can shamefully admit that media played a pivotal role in
how I viewed Roma people negatively for a very long time. It was only recently that
my opinion of them changed. Ironically, the change happened from within my
family, closer to me than I could have ever imagined. Owing it to my mum and her
business, I now have a new, completely different vision of those people and their
abilities. Most of them are actually hard-working and intelligent people, who due to
their context, do not have adequate opportunities to unfold their full potential and
seek life beyond the ghetto. What is more, Romani culture actually highlights the
importance of possessing high values, such as loyalty, honesty, compassion, etc. As
a community, Roma people remain tight and support one another as much during
celebrations as through times of hardship. Despite not having much, they are happy
to share the rest of it with others.

Having said all of the above, I would like to see media portraying Roma people in a
more positive light – one that is closer to reality, and farther from the commonly
shared stereotypes and generalizations. Below is the link of an article, published in a
leading Bulgarian newspaper, presenting the inspiring stories of three young
members of the Roma community who have chosen to take matters into their own
hands and transform not only their lives, but the opinions of other about them.

https://www.capital.bg/k_2014_2015/predi_15_godini/2014/12/28/2444423_romite_
koito_ne_vidiahte_v_novinite/