Racial Aesthetics Influence On American Culture

Racial stereotypes more or less affect our perceptions toward race, and judge people in a certain frame unconsciously, as Omi set forth in In Living Color: Race and American Culture. It greatly impact the images of minorities on the visual media, which the most direct medium to reflect the popular beliefs. Even though the “racist beliefs” have “just recently being reversed”, the portrayal of minorities on visual media is still not exemplary (Horton, et al “PORTRAYAL OF MINORITIES IN THE FILM, MEDIA AND ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRIES”).

Film and television, for example, have been notorious in disseminating images of racial minorities which establish for audiences what people from these groups look like, how they behave, and “who they are.” The power of the

Throughout the history of motion pictures, prejudice directors have used film to control how the general public views certain demographics of people. In particular, the black community has historically been viewed in a negative light. Stereotypes were created through literature and film that still affect African Americans. Directors and writers would create relatable stories and attach demeaning traits to black people that have qualities in common with Black Americans. This would force readers and viewers to subconsciously attach these stereotypes black people. Examples of these stereotypes can be found in Uncle Tom’s Cabin and The Birth of a Nation. Derogatory terms such as “Bucks,” “Toms,” “Coons,” and “Mulattos”, have put African

Spike Lee’s satirical film, Bamboozled, serves as a critical overview of the heinous way in which African Americans have been portrayed in cinema and television since its conception. In many ways, black identity has been created on stages and reflected accordingly in the audience’s reality. I argue that the film’s title, Bamboozled, is a nod to the effect mainstream media has over its audience. Television, cinema, and advertising “bamboozle” the public into accepting the ideas that these platforms put forth.

Ethnic Notions, a film documentary directed by Marlon Riggs made in 1987, sheds light on the evolution of African American stereotypes in American culture. Ethnic Notions portrays the roots of false and exaggerated generalizations during a time where blacks were not treated equally. It exposes very basic classifications for racial depictions that are still seen in today's society. The racial profiling in this film begin in the mid 1800's and continue to the 1960's. During these times, the use of media was the most adequate way to transfer information and ideas. This is why it was used to propose black inferiority. Black children and adults were present and drawn toothless, with big, white lips. They were also show as happy servants, dancing and enjoying a segregated life. These images

Throughout the last century, the role that African Americans have played in films has changed drastically, and for the better. When black people first started acting in movies they were strictly relegated to playing the roles of pre-determined stereotypes of the black man. Not only were they forced to play the roles of insulting stereotypes, but also the only aspect that determined what role they would play was essentially their skin color. In a world today where we are taught that we are all equal and that color of skin is simply the product of where your people came from, your culture, and who your parents are. Throughout this research paper I will put forward the numerous stereotypes that are shown in the films that first used black

Caucasians tend to watch programs with primarily Caucasian casts, and African Americans tend to watch programs with primarily African American casts. Television has the power to influence American culture in many ways. For example, the images, which are presented on television, become what individuals expect in the real world. As negative images, or images misrepresenting African Americans are projected; the mass culture has a greater tendency to accept the false images as the truth. It is important for Americans to examine the basis of the expectations they have from television sitcoms and be careful in accepting its relation to the real world. The conclusions Americans of all races draw from this are important in lowering

With the advent of the digital age, the media plays an important role in influencing the perception of its audience. In the book, Don’t Play In the Sun: One Woman’s Journey through the Color Complex, author, Marita Golden writes, “Television has been and still is culture’s most powerful tool in spreading the supremacy of whiteness” (84). Although the images shown by the media has changed over time, it still reflects color prejudice. It tends to not only mirror the unspoken notion of colorism within society but also fosters it.

The view of POCs (People of Color) within mainstream media has always been strewed. From the roles of Flora Robson as a Haitian maid in Saratoga Trunk to Mickey Rooney as I. Y. Yunioshi, the view of POCs in American popular culture has always been warped to portray an often negative or demeaning stereotype that appeases the white audience of American pop culture. Although many races are negatively impacted by the conceptions of the white American public, the portrayal of Asian American stereotypes in television has especially given an illusion to the American public on what to assume when facing an Asian American. Even with the growth of the Asian American voice in television and the increase in representation through new shows such as “Fresh Off the Boat” and “Marco

Why is it that individuals who do not epitomize the standards of what is perceived as normal characterized in a particular way? The biases that individuals harbor toward each other are not based on a specific people, but instead the false ideals that those people have come to be associated with. These false representations did not come from popular culture alone, but popular culture continues to reinforce stereotypes that cause individuals to judge others based on their appearance, and how they believe that individual should behave based on their race or socioeconomic status . Michael Omi’s article,”In Living Color: Race and American Culture”, he argues that “film and television have been notorious in disseminating images of racial minorities which establish for audiences what these groups look like, how they behave, and, in essence ‘who they are”(629). The popular culture is what creates a false image of a person through the form of stereotypes, that are created to hide as a mask behind pop culture. While in Melissa Algranati’s article,”Being an Other”,she shows the struggle of being from a mixed ethnic background. Due to her belonging to so many things she felt unapart from any group of people. Popular culture groups people by qualities perceived important to them to make a generalization about them. In Nell Bernstein’s article, “Goin’ Gangsta,Choosin’ Cholita”, he discusses his views on cultural appropriation. This is all based off popular culture in which creates the

In Living Color: Race and American Culture, Michael Omi discusses that, “In contemporary television and film, there is a tendency to present and equate racial minority groups individuals with specific social problems. Blacks are associated with drugs and urban crime, Latinos with ‘illegal’ immigration, while Native Americans cope with alcoholism and tribal conflicts” (632).

It is known that one of the industries that reflect a multitude of human stereotypes is in the cinema. Although this may be true, to some people it is not completely obvious; especially if the stereotyped individual in the film is different from the person watching. The 2009 remake of the movie Fame has numerous moments that represent mediated stereotypes between different races. Using examples from Ramirez-Berg in his piece, “Stereotypes in Film”, the stereotypes I recognized were much more clear. Additionally, cinematic devices such as scripting, costuming, and sound effects played a role when discussing oppressed populations (Ramirez Berg).

Matthew Hughey wrote “Cinethetic Racism: White Redemption and Black Stereotypes in ‘Magical Negro’ Films” in 2009 to dicuss the trend of progressive African-American representation called the magical negro. Hughey examined 26 films to understand race relations and how mainstream audiences interpret the films. He found that the magical negro are placed in subservient positions and can reaffirm the status quo by changing contemporary racism rather than showing evidence of racial progress. This literature piece is used to help describe the relationship between the majority and minority groups within the film, and

This paper takes a look at five popular American television shows and breaks down how race and issues involving racism are portrayed in American media, specifically television, in today’s society. We will analyze the characters, symbols, messages, and interactions in each of the five programs and how they shape the public attitude on racial and ethnic groups. The shows used in this paper are Veronica Mars, Community, Whose Line is it Anyway, Psych, and Castle. Each of these programs offer similar portrayals of race; few characters fall into stereotypes while the majority of others are unique and well balanced.

Television is a persuasive intermediate of mass communication. Today it has been argued that television does an unsubstantial job of portraying race and ethnicity. The current programming and advertising shown on television today, advances one’s ethnocentric view of American culture, and validates many existing racial stereotypes.