I’m writing my final paper for my Race Theory in Media course on racial and gender representations in contemporary mainstream television, with a focus on Grey’s Anatomy. Since I know it’s a popular show, it’s interesting for me to hear people’s opinions about the representations. So, if you love the interracial relationship between Burke and Cristina or are intrigued by the fact that the show has women in power, I’d love to hear input.

The show is particularly intriguing in how it interconnects all of the elements of race, class, gender, and sexuality and while it is praised for all of these various representations, the program upholds many ideologies that have negative affects on various groups. The show appeals to a large variety of people because it presents an assortment of races and genders in significant roles. Grey’s Anatomy successfully integrates genders and races into a mainstream, popular show. However, it is interesting that despite the vast representations, the cast’s gender and racial differences are not a central focus. This is acceptable because the characters and the relationships attract audiences and their races are incidental. The cast’s race is not directly addressed and it is embraced by many people who can relate to the various cast members.

This week in my US Popular Culture class at Pitzer we have been discussing the advent of the television and its impact on popular culture and American society. Iin class, I found myself virtually unable to imagine the era before television. For so many people today, the television forms such a fundamental aspect of daily life that I think its power often goes unnoticed. I mean, we plan meals around primetime, we arrange our furniture to accommodate for the television (which is more often than not the focal point), and we rely on the television to provide us with our daily source of news and entertainment. Though I have never been much of a TVaholic, I still find it hard to imagine life without its existence. As perhaps the most pervasive form of popular culture, it is fascinating to learn how fast and hard we all fell for the comforting glow of this monumental technological advancement.