Buck Stereotypes

In the essay " Black Teenagers Defy Pop Culture Portrayals", Laura Stepp talks about the stereotypes black boys and girls face. They face being overly sexualized in pop culture, being careless when it comes to sex, accused of want nothing but sex and becoming a teen parent. I was somewhat aware of the stereotypes young black people face but not in depth.

When looking deeper into where stereotypes really began it is evident that the media was the main influencer in not only gender stereotypes, but also a huge proponent in racial stereotypes. “Racism and the media touches directly the problem of ideology, since the media’s main sphere of operations is the production and transformation of ideologies” (Dines/Humez18.) An ideology is basically a system of ideas that is specifically formed around economic and political theories, making racial stereotypes fit into this category flawlessly. This quote is basically saying that people will stereotype anyone based on their skin color, to match an idea of what they have in their head. For example, a common stereotype is that all African American men have stolen something within the span of their life; so if you see an African American male approaching your car window you may feel the need to lock your doors. However, when looking at the bigger picture you may discover that just because the mans skin is a different color, doesn’t mean that he is any different from you or me. So how did these stereotypes become so popular among our nation? Well, once media took over, it alone changed a lot of the world how we knew it, and racial/gender stereotypes were one of the major areas impacted. Around thirty-nine years ago a young scholar of African American

Throughout the years, racial stereotypes have played a major role in society. Even today, one combines racial stereotypes and prejudice thoughts before one even says a word to the person. Just seeing an African- American man while in a parking lot and pulling out ones phone, can be a simple example of modern-day racial stereotypes.

An example of these stereotypes would be saying all muslims are terrorists, when we know that's not the case. Racism has gotten so bad that “black lives matter” has become a huge movement. Pew Research Center had conducted a survey and the results are as followed. 59% of Americans say racism is a “big problem in our society,” while 29% say it is “somewhat of a problem” and 12% say racism in the U.S. is a small problem or not a problem (Neal). This survey included 1,893 adults.

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.

“Just Walk on By” by Brent Staples was about a successful young black male that was stereotyped for the color of his skin. Staples couldn’t even walk down the street without people clinching their purses or walking on the opposite side when they saw him coming. This is a clear example of what racial stereotyping is like in this country. So much that a prosperous writer and editor can be depicted as threatening and dangerous. There is a long history of racial stereotyping and discrimination against African Americans in this country. This originated in the American slavery days where whites created many racial stereotypes that still resonates today. Although better, there are still acts of stereotyping in the 21st century. From media scrutiny to racial profiling which more often than not leads to death, racial stereotyping is still at large. There are also many negative effects to stereotyping physically, mentally and emotionally. There is many researches that indicate stereotyping effects the ability to learn and influence ones self-assessment. It must be a way to eliminate the negative stereotyping against African Americans. In order to end racial stereotyping, we must start from the beginning and understand the effects it has on these certain groups.

The stereotypes of a black American in the 1960 are unintelligent and criminals that could not be trusted, but the reality is that it depends on the person. This is another way people are prejudice. This is how civil rights is similar to one of the big questions shown in the

“The sensitivity around stereotypes and distortions largely arises, then, form the powerlessness of historically marginalized groups to control their own representation.” Since Black people are the minority, they have no control over how they are represented in the media. As Shothat had mentioned in his article, “In the media there is a tendency to represent Black males as potential delinquents.” The misrepresentation of most Black males, affects them significantly; therefore, since they

The stereotypical misrepresentations of African-American women and men in popular culture have influenced societal views of Blacks for centuries. The typical stereotypes about Black women range from the smiling, asexual and often obese Mammy to the promiscuous Jezebel who lures men with her sexual charms. However, the loud, smart mouthed, neck-rolling Black welfare mother is the popular image on reality television. The typical stereotype about Black men is the violent, misogynistic thug, and the ever-enduring pimp. These images portrayed in media and popular culture createpowerful ideology about race and gender, which affects daily experiences of Black women in America. With few healthy relationships portrayed in the media, Black women

“Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek” Barack Obama. The question is always asked does the media reflect the reality of society, or does society try and imitate the reality shown by the media? There are a number of stereotypes associated with African Americans in our society such as African American men are athletes, rappers, criminals, deviant, streetwise, uneducated, and unemployed just to name a few. African Americans in the media have changed through the years. The history of African Americans on TV or minorities in general is hampered by the racial conflicts and segregation that are embedded in American society. Historically, black actors have been grouped stereotypically and assigned to comedy. This has often been traced to the genre of black minstrelsy that was popular in the early 20th century.

As equality has become a prevalent issue and has furthered the significance of how all races are represented in all types of media. It only makes sense for there to be an increase in the effect of the stereotypes because it is what is being shown on television. On everyday television shows, African Americans are commonly: thieves, hookers, robbers, drug dealers or dumb. In the early 60s, African Americans were used as comedic relief in white television shows, creating stereotypes that black people are only used for talent or comedic relief. However, in this world, African Americans are pushed into the similar lives of the weird kids and/or losers that don’t accept their race. This

There are three stereotypes offered today and taught to many: the angry black stereotype: Always pointing his finger at the rest of the world and had appeared so often that it was all that people knew. The noble Negro, who was always victimized by whites and could only be saved by the good will of other whites. And the urban outlaw stereotype, which is the violent or criminal outlaw that is most popular today. What is left out is the middle class, the people supporting a family, volunteering at school, attending church, and seeking the American dream .

“Oh my gosh! you’re so pretty for a black girl.” “You’re black so I know you can twerk.” In society these phrases may be considered as compliments for black women even though they are not. However, people only know what the media portrays black women to be. It emphasizes them as ghetto, loud, angry, and ignorant. Black women are more than the negative stigma that the media portrays. In our society, the media reinforces the plague of African American women by stereotypes and falsities originating from slavery. For young African American women, the majority of media portrayal, especially in music and film, is of a bulumpcious, sexually hyperactive golddigger. This negative image of a black women is damaging to the black community by implying

Stereotypes seem to be very present in our country, especially stereotypes towards African-Americans. For the longest time, like it has been instilled as a fact in my brain, black people have been directly related to the words “ghetto” or “hood”. I don’t remember a time where I actually can remember the words “ghetto” or “hood” without the picture in my mind of an African-American person. I think that this is a big problem in today’s society because it is not true but still seems to be taught. In politics, society, and everyday life, it feels like African-American’s are being slammed for being hoodlums. This is a problem because there are millions of African-American people who do not fit this stereotype, but still get degraded and treated badly because of this age old belief.

Stereotyping is a worldwide illness that has placed judgment on black men and women to the point that they are limited to opportunity and advancement in the working world and the political environment.