Giroux has written a compelling series of essays on the effects of culture on how our society imagines youth. By tracing how our media culture portrays issues of race, Giroux clearly illuminates how entertainment is much more than a diversion for the masses. He argues forcefully and convincingly that our media culture is a powerful teaching technology that affects how society views issues related to race, gender, and youth. Rejecting the notion that media culture can be "read" in an endless variety of ways, Giroux points out how economic and political forces emphasize and promote one "reading" over another and how these limited readings of our media culture have come to influence our perceptions and behavior toward people of color, women, and youth. Focusing on both the "politics of representation" and the "pedagogy of the popular," these essays confront the empty rhetoric of the right (espousing family values while simultaneously cutting social programs) and suggest many helpful strategies and tactics for overcoming the malaise and cynicism that seem to be endemic to our society.
