Critical Analysis

Response to “Pop culture changes with each new fad and phase and frames the way we see the world” by Rebecca Ostrem. (Traditions DB 2)
It is ironic Mr. Samuel L. Jackson, in his essay “In Character,” (Remix 455-457) neglected to mention the work of people like Harry Belafonte (Island in the Sun), Sidney Poitier and even Bill Cosby (I Spy) from the 1960s. Sidney Poitier won the Oscar for best actor in 1964. The characters Homer Smith (Lilies of the Field), Mark Thackeray (To Sir, With Love) or Virgil Tibbs (In the Heat of the Night) cannot accurately be called subservient roles. It appears, sometimes history is forgotten to make a point.
You make a very good point in your comment;
TV and cable networks present the news with a bias. FOX news is a well-known poster child for presenting the news with a right wing conservative slant (I'm not taking a stand here, just presenting the facts). It's becoming more of a challenge to sort out what are embellishment, opinion and bias from the facts. Sound bites can be edited to twist the words of the speaker. All of this manipulates our process of forming opinions (Ostrem)
When news stopped being the report of what happened and became entertainment we started downhill. But then there is the question of blame. It is difficult to determine who is really at fault, the news shows or the people that watch them and give them ratings so sponsors flock to them. In 1964 Edward R Murrow said "If we were to do the Second Coming of Christ in color for a full hour, there would be a considerable number of stations which would decline to carry it on the grounds that a Western or a quiz show would be more profitable." It was true then and it's true now.
Ostrem, Rebecca “Pop culture changes with each new fad and phase and frames the way we see the world.” Traditions Discussion Board 2 – Checking Assumptions About Popular Culture. 2 Feb 2010. Web.
Jackson, Samuel L. “In Character.” Latterell. 459-467. Remix: Second Edition. Comp. Catherine G. Latterell. Boston/New York: Bedford/St. Martin. 2010. Print.