Black People As Unrealistic Stereotypes In The Media

A stereotype is a group of attributes given to a group of people, most often hurtful and negative and not true.

Once Jim Morrison said that whoever controls the media controls the mind. This shows that he had recognized the immense power and influence that the media has in our day to day lives. The media plays a very important role in the society as the source of information for every person. Hence, it is very hard for the modern society to live without the media. As a result of the media being the major source of information in our society, it is an undeniable fact the media shapes people’s opinions, attitudes and actions on particular issues (Czopp & Monteith, 2006).

Stereotypes are defined as an oversimplified image or idea about a specific type of person. It is believed that stereotypes about African Americans began in the United States around the 18th century. Anti-Black stereotypes arguably the most developed racist stereotypes in racial framing and have been used as foundations for the capture, enslavement, and later, the subjugation of African American people. Stating that stereotypes are just a joke is an understatement of the consequential after – math racial images and stereotypes have on the African American population. Even stereotypes that are considered positive are often concealed with negative implications and reasons as to why they exist. Most people may think they only hold stereotypes in the back of their head, but studies show that people are more likely to fall back on them in making judgments when they feel challenged, face uncertainty, or experience sensory overload. Using information from class, comparisons from the films we have watched and Ed Guerrero’s Framing Blackness, this paper will analyze the stereotypes in the television show Empire.

Why as white people have we been lulled into thinking its safe to be around other white people. Why have we been taught since birth that it’s the people of that other color we need to fear? They’re the ones that will slit your throat (Moore 57). The mass media has played and will continue to play a crucial role in the way white Americans perceive African-Americans. As a result of the overwhelming media focus on crime, drug use, gang violence, and other forms of anti-social behavior among African-Americans, the media is fostering a distorted public perception of African-Americans. Looking at past examples of African Americans treatment

A "stereotype" is a social perception of an individual in terms of group membership or physical attributes. Stereotypes are generalizations made about a group and then attributed to all members of that group.

The researcher began by asking the question what factors contribute to the stereotyping of black men as “dangerous and criminal”. And the researcher found out that although media influence stereotyping of this sort, it's only smaller part of the larger problem. There is a general tendency in the media to over-represent African-American as criminal; portray black men as particularly dangerous, and present information about black suspect that assume their guilt. However, even when crime featuring black and white criminal suspects is presented in equitable ways in the media, viewers’ existing stereotypes can result in biased interpretations that may serve to maintain racial stereotypes nevertheless. The researcher conclude that, viewers’ selective perception and interpretation of media content suggest that equitable media portrayals of race in crime-related programming may not be sufficient to address the concerns presented here.

The way entertainment in the media portrays us has greatly affected how others identify us. Movies and shows like; Madea’s family Reunion, Bringing down the House, Love and Hip Hop, and Basketball Wives all portray us in a degrading way. People sometimes find it comical of course, but the fact that it is comical does not justify it being debasing. This image of us has evolved from things in the media, and its’ power to shape people’s idea of us. We as a race must stop living up to our stereotypes. As soon as we take action in not succumbing to our own stereotype, people will not think we are “Ghetto” or any other undignified term they think of us; therefore in the media we won’t be perceived in that way. As Colin Powell once said, “Fit no stereotypes. Don't chase the latest management fads. The situation dictates which approach best accomplishes the team's mission.” Although African American stereotyping is prevalent in the media now because of its’ entertaining quality; it perpetuates a cycle of harmful stereotypes. As long as this cycle continues, our culture will always be illustrated negatively.

Media can be defined as an entity in which an individual, topic, or group can be seen or heard either through television, radio or the internet. Similarly, an individual does not have to be seen or heard to make their presence known, an individual can be viewed through their work as a producer or writer for a radio or television show. Society uses the media and its various platforms to gain access to events happening in their communities and all around the world. This type of vast communication helps to shape society's view on certain subjects, whether negative or positive depending on the picture that the media is portraying it in. An issue that has been and is still present within the media is the misrepresentation of a non-white demographic

Popular culture is defined as “a composite of all the values, ideas, symbols, material goods, processes, and understandings that arise from mass media” (Atkins 131). It is well-known to the public and reinforces the way people see they world, including aspects such as race, ethnicity, and gender. According to Omi, popular culture “deals with the symbolic realm of social life, the images which it creates, represents, and disseminates contribute to the overall racial climate” (540). The individuals or groups belong to a specific race can be perceived based on their behavior portrayed by the mass media, instead of being recognized for who they truly are. Such effect created by the popular culture contributes to what is known as “racial stereotype”, which is “beliefs about differences in behavior associated with racial differences” (Jones 982).

Racism isn’t as violent as it was today some people will blindly say that it doesn’t exist anymore but the truth of the matter is that it does. A lot of people believe in racial stereotypes in an article written by Joe Fagin he talks about how Americans and the media have downgraded the Mexican race by mocking their language and calling them aliens it’s the same thing with African Americans popular Stereotypes of African Americans are that we are criminals and people who are only destined to end up in jail if they don’t make it in sports or entertainment. One of the most recent problems occurring today is racism in the media. Stereotyping in television and movies has reached a peak. The media gives children negative views of African American lifestyle. There are T.V. shows that depict African Americans in a way that is not true. There's even a video game about with an African American as the main character and the only thing that he does is kill, rob and have sex with people. The people who stereotype are mainly people who haven't been around African Americans and go by the only thing that they see about African Americans. So therefore, the media is a large part of the part of stereotyping of African Americans. Back When Troy Maxon and August Wilson were growing up Black men were characterized as brutes who were unintelligent and prone to committing crimes such as rape and murder. The representation of others as inferior serves as a purpose in justifying the negative

The media sets the tone for the morals, values, and images of our culture. Many people in this country, some of whom have never encountered black people, believe that the degrading stereotypes of blacks are based on reality and not fiction. Everything they believe about blacks is determined by what they see on television. After over a century of movie making, these horrible stereotypes continue to plague us today, and until negative images of blacks are extinguished from the media, blacks will be regarded as second-class

All most everyone in there lifetime has stereotyped others are have been a victim of stereotypes. A stereotype is the belief about another culture, race or a person that has no logic or evidence to support there negative thoughts. Many people believe that when a person stereotypes another it is the lack of information or ignorance

Stereotypes are deeply embedded in every society in numerous ways. The dictionary definition of a stereotype is “one that is regarded as embodying or conforming to a set image or type.” Stereotyping or Labeling is a technique that “attempts to arouse prejudices in an audience by labeling the object of the propaganda campaign

The portrayal of Black people in the media combined with colorism creates stereotypes that allow for inequality to continue. “It is common saying nowadays that racism is a plague of humanity. But we must not content ourselves with such a phrase. We must tirelessly look for the repercussions of racism at all levels of sociability” (Fanon 36). The quote explains that racism continues to be a poison to our society. However we must not live with the thought that racism will stay there forever. For example, racism occurs in classrooms where lectures only portray white men as heroes ignoring the many Black heroes in U.S history. The media shaped how blacks are seen from a white perspective, showing that they are criminals. It is fueled by colorism

Stereotyping is personal judgements against a group of individuals or false beliefs about something or someone. Stereotyping can be both positive and negative. Most stereotypes are irrational such as people believing that men deserve higher pay than women because men are thought to be superior workers compared to women or the facts that hundreds of black lives have ended in 2016 alone because of police brutality. The gist of stereotyping is how everyone is affected by it. There are stereotyping about every religion, ethnicity, animals and so much more. Everybody is affected by