The Portrayal Of African Americans

The 1987 film documentary Ethnic Notions directed by Marlon Riggs, identifies the evolution of African American cultural depictions through ethnic stereotypes and caricatures in American culture. I feel Ethnic Notions exposes the roots of false generalization from the beginning and presents a series of classifications for racial depictions that still are noticeable in today's society. These racial depictions identified with in this film begin in the mid 1800's and continue thought to the 1960's. I now after viewing Ethnic notions agree that there are generalizations and depictions that are exaggerated in American popular culture and entertainment.

These stereotypes depicted “drug dealers, prostitutes, single mothers, and complacent drag queens” (Harris, 51). In the 1980s, African American filmmakers began to make a name for themselves. These films are “social commentaries, indictments of racism and depictions of ‘everyday’ American lives” (Harris, 51). Compared to the traditional representations of blacks and blackness, New Black cinema takes on this cultural intervention and the recoding of blackness. Harris describes this as “revising the visual codes surrounding black skin on the screen and in the public

Firstly, a brief background of Early Black cinema is important to note. In 1915 The Plantation Genre (form of genre) came about with the release of Birth of a Nation an overtly anti-black film, which included three main mythic stereotypes. These included the “unlawful slave” who represented black slaves as unpredictable, cunning and violent; this representation was used as reasoning for whites sustaining control. The “subordinate slave” stereotype, which represented blacks as dependable, loving and accepting of their position; this allowed white audiences to displace any guilt about slavery. Additionally, there’s also what is known as the “clown entertainer” which included characteristics of innate humor and the

Often in many films that undermine African Americans, they are depicted as thief's, murders, or unintelligent. These images are used to show that African Americans are unlike their white counterparts. According to Friedman, "This formulation undermines the racially and sexually based violence toward African Americans, wiping out the memory of rape, castration, and lynching of slaves that occurred in the past" (Friedman). The development of African American films, or films that truly put African Americans in any type of positive light did not really start to occur until the 1970's or 1980's. Before then films were often negative in spirit. Paula Massood describes the Hollywood depictions of African Americans in the previous era as, "failing to recognize the sociopolitical changes in the American landscape. African American characters most often appeared within a southern setting, largely ignoring the black city space and culture that figured in the lives and the imaginations of a vast majority of African Americans" (Massood). However, in the following years the development and progression of African American films was able to be seen.

American actor Anthony Mackie once said “There are a lot of limitations and stigmas that are placed on young actors, specifically young black actors.” You have probably seen black male actors play the leading role of a drug addict, drug dealer, abusive husband or a even a thief. Although they do get a chance to be displayed on the media, they more often than ever are represented or viewed as the antagonist. Why? Because they are set up according to certain limitations in which they must obey. The lack of accurate representation on black actors in the media today is the result of prejudice and racism occurring in society. Racism and prejudice which are demonstrated in the films directed by Spike Lee, Do the Right Thing and Jungle Fever.

If a movie of this sort had such an emotional impact on me, it is no wonder people embraced these ideas back then. The use of new and popular media methods in those days was more than adequate in transferring the black inferiority ideas to the general public. Beginning at the early 19th century with the happy, dancing, toothless, drunken Negro with big, bold and white lips to the image of the mid 21st century African-American, the media has always used these images to convey inferiority. These images implied inherent traits in the black community. This whole community was represented in the new media as one who can not be collateralized and integrated in to society without being happily enslaved. Most of these images had great commercial values that made it all the more impossible for the rest of the nation not to embrace the African American stereotypes.

The four stages of the model include: non-recognition, ridicule, regulation, and respect (Harris and Sanborn 2014). Clark's four stages can be seen in one of the most portrayed ethic groups in U.S. society, African Americans. The presence of African Americans in media ads began in 1949, where 0.57% of ads produced during that year contained an African American individual. In 1986 the number of African Americans in Tv advertisements increased to 16% (Harris and Sanborn 2014). However, at the beginning of the African American presence on television many African American characters were portrayed in a demoralizing manner. One of the first movies in the United States to feature stereotyped African American characters was Uncle Tom's Cabin which was released in 1903 (Harris and Sanborn 2014). The stereotypical representation of African Americans in the media was first combated in 1942 when the NAACP asked Hollywood producers to create roles in which African American characters were portrayed in a positive and a self-respecting manner (Harris and Sanborn 2014). The stereotypical viewpoint of African Americans in the media was aided by the Civil Rights movement 1960s, which helped African Americans to be portrayed in a more positive manner in the production of I Spy with actor and comedian Bill Cosby (Harris and Sanbron 2014). While media portrayal of African American

According to Tukachinsky, Mastro, and Yarchi, prior to 1930, the role of Blacks on screen were seen involving mostly in criminality and idleness (540). That role still persists until the present, with Blacks usually have to withstand to “longstanding and unfavorable media stereotypes including sexually provocative females and aggressive male thugs” (Tukachinsky 540). 1970’s movies such as The Mack, Black Caesar and Coffy have reinforced this stereotypic image of the black community. The

African American have been represented in American society for generation in discussion of white realism. The discussion over the representation of African Americans in media have been argumentative for era. One of the most struggles occurring is racism in the media. African Americans are one of the most common racial groups stereotyped against. The stereotypes of African Americans have been around since slavery. The following stereotypes was used to vindicated the enslavement of Africans. The African American stereotyped that been around since slavery are Jim crow, Mammy, uncle tom, jezebel, mulatto and pickaninnies.

Short Assignment #2 When discussing characters in film and television, portrayals almost always contain some sort of stereotype. This is especially true of male characters whose qualities are often shaped around anger and aggression. We can see individuals across genres shown with repeated motivations, actions, and appearances. These depictions delve even further into stereotyping when we begin to examine characters who are also people of color.

Over the course of approximately one-hundred years there has been a discernible metamorphosis within the realm of African-American cinema. African-Americans have overcome the heavy weight of oppression in forms such as of politics, citizenship and most importantly equal human rights. One of the most evident forms that were withheld from African-Americans came in the structure of the performing arts; specifically film. The common population did not allow blacks to drink from the same water fountain let alone share the same television waves or stage. But over time the strength of the expectant black actors and actresses overwhelmed the majority force to stop blacks from appearing on film. For the longest time the performing arts were

Uneducated, lazy, submissive, irresponsible, fearful, violent, and animal-like are how black actors are stereotyped throughout countless years in Hollywood films. As a result of this stereotyping, many people who have never encountered a black person would believe the demeaning behavior that is shown in movies. To illustrate, black women in most films routinely portrayed as sassy, neck-rolling owls with huge attitude problems. An academic journal stated that, “A lot of shows with one black person [that character] come off as violent or mean, especially black women. They [are] normally loud and rowdy” (Adams-Bass et al.).

Hollywood and the media continues to promote social stereotypes as the white male is portrayed as upper-middle-class professional who is family-oriented while African Americans are depicted as thugs, funny, maids, best friends, and servants. The media sacrifices objective depiction of races to gain better ratings and earnings. Further, in most movies, blacks are depicted as foolish, lazy, submissive, violent, animal-like, and irresponsible. The 1915 film The Birth of a Nation was one of the first films to feature a strong stereotype by portraying blacks as subhuman.

My interest in film and episodic television lies within in the desire to join the league of artists who are steadily changing the media portrayal of African American’s. Historically speaking, African American’s have fallen victim to disparaging roles since the birth of film. D.W. Griffith’s 1915 film Birth of a Nation is known for its use of portraying black men, or white men in black face, as uneducated sexual predators while the Ku Klux Klan are praised in the Post-civil wat reconstruction era. Even though industry strays from being intentionally racist, there’s still an overwhelming amount stereotypes and whitewashing which harms minority representation. In Exodus: Gods and Kings, Ridley Scott casted several white actors to play Egyptians

From the very beginning of the early stages in American cinema, African Americans had a presence on the silver screen. The twentieth century created a new era of cinema that consisted of films produced for and targeted to an all-Black audience. “Race films” which existed in the United States for over thirty years (1913-1948), were films produced by African Americans that focused on Black themes and highlighted the talents of African American directors, producers, scriptwriters, and actors.