Where do we go from here?

One thing that I found really interesting about this book, is that at the end Classen argues that “if such change [in the media] is divorced from connections to larger social movements and concerns, very significant alterations in national and local broadcast policies and practices are unlikely,” (178). At the same time, he states that ‘We can’t let people forget, else we go back,” (174). In the introduction, Classen suggested that racism today may be more subtle and engrained than racism of the past, which would seem to make it more difficult to act against or directly protest or counter. This seems to present a paradox in the methodology that should be used to combat racism today. Do we attempt to fix it by altering the media such that there is greater representation of blacks (and if so, what form does this take, and from where does the change occur?) Or do we work toward change through larger social movements (and what do these movements look like in an era so tied to media?) We have to remember and learn from history, but what are we learning and how are we acting on it?