Stereotypes vs. Morality

As a 2015 blogger, it appears to me that advertisements have drastically changed their morality when it comes to using stereotypes to persuade their products. Recently I analyzed an advertisement as practice for our Paper 1 exam, which exposed a cruise called the 'Big White Fleet' with pictures accentuating white wealthy people. It specifically targeted the elite class as the ad reads 'First Class Only', implying that the upper American community is only worth this trip. The ad was published around mid 1900s, which explains the prejudice appearance and intention of the ad. Discrimination was a huge issue at the time, especially in America. Although we have had thousands of campaigns, awarenesses, speeches, and multiple other attempts to dissolve discrimination socially and mentally, it has regained its superiority amongst society. Who to blame? Mass media. People are able to access forms of media where ever and whenever they want. It has become a whole other world to unceremoniously vent your heart and soul regardless of who you might offend. Media yield wonderful impacts on raising awareness, to show understanding and empathize with world issues, however like anything it has a down side which cannot be controlled nor ignored. In context to this blog post, advertisement are part of media and have a great amount of power to grasp the way people think and feel about certain groups in society. If the advertisement exposes a certain ethnicity to be superior, the opposing ethnicities might be offended or upset. This can influence the viewer to indirectly categorize society in diverse social classes or judge people's cultural beliefs based on what the advertisement is conveying.