Television, music, social media, film, etc. are all informational tools used by people around the globe daily. They are sources that keep people up to date about things that are going on in the world. Music and television are two vital elements in society, in dealing with pop culture. Today, we see in the media that the issue of race always seems to surface. Racism has been an issue for decades, and it probably will never go away. Music today, expressed by various artists, express how African Americans and other minorities are discriminated against. Every day on television, we see that someone of a minority group has been beaten or killed, or have been verbally bashed by someone of a higher social status. Both television and music are used as a cry out for help, begging for a change in our nation. Included in her album Lemonade, Beyoncé has a song entitled, “Freedom”, which explains how African American women have overcome so many obstacles in the past, only to still face discrepancies in society today. Going all the way back to slavery, Beyoncé still compares that time frame to the times we are living in now. Not with physical beatings, but with mental and emotional trauma that women experience today have held us in a place of bondage. She also alludes to the “Black Lives Matter” movement in her song to bring awareness to the issue of police brutality. Kendrick Lamar is featured in this song, in his verse shedding light on
“institutionalized racism”. This meaning a
The modern protest song I will be discussing is that of R&B artist J Cole the song is called “ Be Free’. The song was written to find a peaceful protest means because of the innocent killing of an unarmed black teen. The three themes noticed in these lyrics was (1) sadness , and pain that want go away because of the innocent people of race are being killed often. (2) also expressed in these lyrics was the opportunity to be free and stop having the feelings that people of color are still in chains and all they want is to feel free.(3) These Be Free lyrics also expressed of how people of color feel as if there fighting a war with no help in sight and we are losing the battle of respect.
Beyoncé Knowles, a well-known singer, songwriter uses two of her songs: “Freedom” and “Formation” to tell the story of herself. “Freedom” is the beginning of her story where she is searching for freedom and equality showing that there is still much inequality and injustice for African Americans in America today. The song slowly transitions to a more positive tone when she seems to have made something beneficial out of her difficult situation. “Formation,” however, has a completely different tone. While she does address negative situations from the past at the beginning of the song, she quickly transitions to a more positive tone full of pride in where she came from, who she has become, and what she has overcome. Together, the two songs
Race in the media is a very sensitive issue now a days. When it comes to minorities we can still see that the media portrays us in a bad light. The image of blacks in the American media has changed over the past two decades with the civil rights movement, changes in attitudes towards minority groups, and increased sensitivity on the part of those who and project these images. An examination of the image of Blacks in the articles and advertisements to show attitudes subtly represented, and these attitudes can be linked to historical and social realities of the time.
The problem of the 21st Century is the problem of the color line: Mass Media and Systemic Racism
Through songs many people express their feelings of the world threw the words they have wrote. Many songs talk about civil rights of the people and how change should be an option. In the world we live in today we have social issues that people have to face such as: police brutality, racial profiling, discrimination etc. Through Kendrick Lamar, Public Enemy, The Game, Bebe Winans, and N.W.A they will use their voice as a weapon for change among all people. Music with a message thrives in a live setting, for obvious reasons, and many politically conscious musicians aim to channel the heightened emotions
"White man kills child.""Black woman caught stealing." Race is often misused in the media and in everyday life. Race in the media is always stated clearly when informing about social and political events, and has a tendency to bias peoples perspectives. I believe this empowerment of race is a huge problem in our society.
There is a significant racial bias in how the media delivers certain stories, based on who the suspect of the crime is. For example, content of the story will vary differently depending on if the suspect is white compared to if they are a person of color. In cases, where the suspect of a crime is white, the media may often try to advocate for the suspect. Emphasizing that they may have had a mental illness, acknowledging any positive characteristics of the suspect, or even reminding the audience of the future potential that the suspect holds. Of course, this doesn’t mean that the media isn’t blatantly lying to the public, but the same treatment does not apply to minority races. In fact, the it is the exact opposite is in effect when talking
During the process of producing a television series, the demand for the producers to introduce their characters with only their highlighted traits make it impossible for viewers to gain a deep understanding of the community that the characters represent. One of the stereotypic traits that is usually seen on movies and television shows is societal difference that each race is placed into. Michael Omi in his article In Living Color: Race and American Culture stated that “in contemporary television and film, there is a tendency to present and equate racial minority groups and individuals with specific social problems” (546). There are many films and television shows found today that ground racial minorities into a specific social problems that are related to the color of their skin. It can be inferred from the current popular culture that this stereotype still persists.
It would be easy to pass judgement on our law enforcement officers and our young people on the streets today. Negative media and racism are on an all-time high. Daily we are confronted with images of what is assumed to be a gang member running from police as the sound of gunfire rings in the background. It’s like a war right here on American soil. Usually, either the officer or the young person gets shot and wounded or killed. Then the media has a field day with the story.
Can you imagine anyone who doesn’t have the word “freedom” in his or her vocabulary? Many years ago, black Americans were segregated from whites and had very little freedom. John Legend and Common wrote a song called Glory that describes what the black Americans dealt with in the past, are dealing with now, with the hope that they will not need to deal with it in the future. The song makes the point that America, as well as the rest of the world, would be a much better place – full of “glory” -- if racism and segregation (which still exists to some extent even if not officially) were to end. In John Legend and Common’s song Glory, the word freedom describes how the black Americans would obtain freedom and take charge of their own lives.
The definition of race is often based on physical characteristics such as skin color, hair texture and eye shape. Race is both a set of genetically defined biological characteristics and culturally defined characteristics. One influence on culture is the media and the media have a huge influence on the way different races are viewed by society. The media consists of communication devices and some media forms include television, newspapers, magazines, film and radio. Misrepresent can be defined as to give a false or misleading representation with an intent to deceive or be unfair.
Music allows an artist to give those whose voice may not be loud enough to be heard. Their music can cover any issue of poverty, discrimination, segregation, people of color, oppression, and etc. The lyrics are the key part to get any point across but also any footage that accompanies gives the viewer more of an insight into these issues. Many artist/bands like Bob Dylan, Fort Minor, Joyner Lucas, Hurray for the Riff Raff, and Michael Jackson address many issues the class talked about and the point of view of those who are viewed as minorities. The music these artists and bands produce gives the listener an idea of what exactly is happening in the world and what has happened. Each song individually covers the importance that we, as humans, must change the way we think and act and listen to the problems others have and even if it does not affect us.
Music and its powerful means to spread messages to the humans have a big effect on society today. It may affect one in a negative manner such as teaching an individual how to use foul words or it may put one into a bad mood. Although one may not know the hidden meanings behind one song influences an individual as well. One message spread through music is the idea of racism.
Kendrick’s song expresses the continued struggle faced by African Americans in modern society. The first couple lines of his song truly display how he feels about the mistreatment of African Americans:
While on her previous albums, Beyoncé was trying to empower all women, on Lemonade, Beyoncé speaks directly to black women. “As Jacqui Germain astutely noted on feministing.com, ‘Beyonce using the specific cultural marker of ‘Becky,’ [a social trope for white womanhood] in Lemonade is less a question of who’s excluding whom and why, and more so just us watching Beyonce be the ... multi-layered Black woman’” (Thompson, C., 2016). It was through this album that Beyoncé changed how the public thought of her. She was no longer afraid to not fully share what she wanted to say about current culture, and finally talked straight to black women to raise them up. It was also through this album that Beyoncé changed her image. Before her sixth album, Beyoncé definitely had feminist songs, but with Lemonade, she used rage to share her message, a message telling women that even after getting married, a man may not always be right for