Sirait, Yosephine Helena (2023) THE WHITE LOTUS TV SERIES SEASON 2: DECONSTRUCTING ITALIANS STEREOTYPES. Undergraduate thesis, Universitas Diponegoro.

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Abstract

Modern mass media serve as both a "magic window" into the world and a "door" to
new ideas. It is important to look at how the steady growth of media affects the way racial
and cultural stereotypes are pushed forward. Stereotypes themselves can influence how
people view facts and social events and one of many examples of stereotypes is Italian
stereotypes. This study analyzes HBO's popular series, The White Lotus season
two, employing Fairclough's model critical discourse analysis to deconstruct Italian
stereotypes through the characters' portrayals. This study also examines the sociocultural
aspect and physical appearances of the Italian characters portrayed by American
television. The findings of this study show the physical portrayal of Italians mostly they
have the same features and are known for their fashion sense and attention to appearance.
Moreover, Italian characters are portrayed with speak loudly and having the urge to cause
some disturbance. The last stereotype is quite expected but debatable, which is the
portrayal of Italians being middle-class workers and mafia. This stereotype had some
audience feeling disappointed and others pleased enough. Western films' mafia
stereotypes could affect how people learn about the culture, and think all Italians are
dangerous, poor, and do drugs. Mafias exist and should not define Italian identity,
especially in mainstream media.
Keywords: critical discourse analysis, Italian stereotypes, The White Lotus season
two, portrayal

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