I love this class and I realize what the purpose is, but sometimes we are too critical of the media. At some point we need to acknowledge that the media is changing for the better. Yes, the media is still full of stereotypical images, but it is impossible for stereotypes not to exist. The show, Will and Grace, presents two best friends and the male lead happens to be gay. The show isn't always about his sexual presence and he is a lawyer who happens to be gay. This image of gay man was widely accepted. The media industry then places a similar character in many other shows. Is the "Will" character another stereotype of homosexuals? It depends on how one defines stereotypes. It may have become one but, only because it has become another common image in the media. This is why stereotypes will continue to exist. As soon as the media industry latches on to a new type of character it becomes so common that it appears as another stereotype. Will and Jack represent two types of homosexuals. I have met gay guys just like the both of them, so they are not just stereotypes, but perhaps truthful portrayals of what some gay men are like. Someone in the class made a comment that stereotypes are present everyplace. The way a Latino person is portrayed and the way a Caucasian person is portrayed are both stereotypes. It is impossible to present every single type of person in the world, thus we are only able to get a small taste of different kinds of people through the media. Jack is a more common image in the media, but we must give credit to the media for making this image acceptable to the public. Would this image have been accepted 30 years ago?
We have to think about how we draw the line between stereotypes and valid representations of people. When do stereotypes not exist? These are two questions, which we must consider before being so quick to judge TV shows or films for attempting to slowly make a change, while keeping in mind economic interest. Will and Grace has done a good job at presenting more then one type of homosexual in order to demonstrate that a gay man may not always act as flamboyant as previously portrayed across the media.