Media has had a significant impact on the culture here in the United States and how society has chosen to depict different groups or individuals. One of the main groups who have suffered very dreadful and harmful portrayals from media have been African- Americans. According to the authors of the book, Ethnic and Racial Images in American film and television,A Historical Essays and Bibliography, “Afro-Americans have been impacted by media more than any other group. In the early 20th century, either black americans or white people dressed in black face would be referred to as darkies and would call shows representing black people “local color stories of the south”which appeal to the Unity of the Anglo-Saxon majority”(Miller and Woll 39). Media has given African-Americans a horrendous view for many years now and even until this very day African Americans have been met with insensitive treatment through media portrayals. This type of unfair representation in media has given African-Americans a type of backlash of stereotypes from the dominant culture that Blacks are ghetto, uneducated, thugs, and law-breakers which has in turn destroyed the overall image of black people in america.
African-Americans have been impacted by media, in many cases for the worst, but there have also been many positive outcomes thanks to media and the fight for equality here in the united states. The author of the book African American women and Sexuality, Manatu, writes about how the media from Rap videos to television shows to Movies have unfairly and unjustly degraded Black women. Media has created an injustice that tells Black women since their younger ages that they are nothing more than sluts and whores and how they should feel ashamed of who they are as a people. Movies such as Boyz in the Hood, Menace to Society, Tyler Perry productions have added to the problems in which televised media has chosen to portray the black community as being uneducated, welfare babies, single mothers and deadbeat fathers. Media has downgraded the black community to a point that black children have the hardest time seeing anything good come out their lives and internalized the media’s view of the black community. There are many literatures works out there that have been written to discuss the large doses of media bias. The Author Maynard speaks on the image of black man in film and had it help produce the many racial biases of the United States. MacDonald’s took a more analytical approach to help engage how the media affects race relations. Woll and Miller took things from a stance that reviewed how all oppressed groups and the impacts media has had on those groups today.
Using historical facts and evidence from modern times within the media, I will examine all of historic backgrounds from the time that african americans were not allowed a single chance on television to how african americans are portrayed now. I will be utilizing information from sources that utilized basic knowledge of the subject matter, reviews in depth history, and analyzing both the positive and negative effects of media within the black community and what that means for the community now and the future impact of how african americans are viewed as a whole. Many examples will include what’s going with the black community now and why that is and how has the media contributed to this atrocity or blessing. I will give specific examples from today’s world from the talks of police brutality, to poverty,social class, education, and the many inequalities around the nation that affects black people around the world.
At one point, african americans were not even allowed on the big screens and a white person dressed in blackface would portray african americans in a stereotypical light. This is because it gave the anglo saxon american majority an overwhelming sense of pride because the mockery of the black race help them to embrace their superiority. “there was once a man by the name of Stepin Fetchit who represented the troubles of african americans as being lazy and stupid”(Maynard 1). This explained when blacks were allowed on the big screened they were only given the parts that unfortunately either gave them jobs as house maids, criminals, ignorant, and low lives who could not do anything. “Stephen was a black man who was consider to be very stupid and help the justification of what was wrong with black people”(Maynard 2). The degrading of the African American population help to keep them oppressed and silent as an entire group of people and if they were to fight injustices that they would be beaten or lynched for challenging their superior. However, the african americans who played these roles were nowhere near to fitting those stereotype many of them were very wealthy and hard working individuals.
On almost every television channel, there is a news station reporting on the issues of the black community and how african-americans are more likely to go to jail than receive a college education. “The movie, radio, newspaper and library are the most important agencies for communication to spread information and ideas in the american society”(Maynard 3). Thanks to these series of communication tactics, the news and other forms of media have called protesters who fight injustices thugs, looters, and criminals. This type of portrayal gives african americans a bad name all around that they are no good for nothing thieves, smoochers of government programs, and murderers. The image of african americans to overwhelming majority is one that is not particularly favorable. This creates a significant challenge for african americans because these images will make them look like hypocrites. People will try and use the terminology “what about black on black crime” which unfortunately creates the illusion that the plant is the problem but what about the roots? The issues that are faced in the black community are a result of systemic oppression.
“Black americans have been seen as lazy and were thought to never make it in their lifetime”(Maynard 3). “In order to obtain the necessary fame black actors adopted distorted racial characteristics”(MacDonald 3) . Many Americans look at these things as sad and unfortunate reality for black people across the country, which tells people that black people have an unpleasant way of life and that are inferior to the majority race. The media bias has given african americans a poor reputation as a group of people that people of color lack in education and that the situations they are in is their own fault for not taking advantage of the opportunities that have been given to them. those opportunities have been taken from african americans and are not equal to the opportunities that their white peer groups would be able to obtain easily and that is such a long stretch from now because african american public schools are underfunded. The chances african americans are given to escape crime and poverty are actually very slim. As a society, this shows us that we have to look for the truth individually or we will be highly misguided with false realities that only seeks to destroy an entire community.
“The actors cultivated stereotypical accents of black americans which had been attending for a white audience”(MacDonald 3). This helped the media with the unfortunate degrading of the entire black populist based on few individuals. The media wants to give people a narrow minded viewpoint to the point that even other african americans follow blindly to what is being said which only in turns hurts the community even more than usual. The media follows what will give them the best ratings and that is the downfall of underrepresented communities and the black community continues to be hit the hardest. this because blacks have been seen as inferior since coming to United States as slaves. In the media, there is a heavy bias to favor light skinned blacks over darker skinned blacks, which has created and ongoing tension between the two different groups of african americans. If you have notice that most famous african americans on today’s Television happen to be mostly lighter skinned.
“The Modern day form of communication seem not to be getting that there reporting skills have created a misguided view for african americans”(Maynard 3). This form of ignorance creates the stigma that Black people in poverty are the cause for their own problems because media tells african americans to stop being lazy and go to school. This ignores the fact that african-americans are still provided with low quality educational options. “Many of the instructors would not teach which causes high stress escalating the unfortunate drop out rate which disportionately affects the black community”( and as a result African Americans resort to a life of crime as a way of survival”( Temple Smith Soc101) thanks to the lack of realistic opportunities that would have given them that extra push they needed for them to be economically stable, educationally equal, and have higher standards of living. The media bias has continued to ignore the side effects of the oppressions that black people are still impacted by until today..
Though the media has been essential to downfall of the black community, the media has actually been essential in the fight to equality for african americans.without the media,this world would not have known of the many great civil rights leaders such as Dr. Martin Luther King, Malcom X, Rosas Parks and Thurgood Marshall. Martin Luther King was a leader of many great movements that took place in the south from the bus boycott to the civil rights movement in 1964. “Things were seemingly improving for african americans and racial barriers were being lowered”(MacDonald 7). “By the 1950’s entertainers were reporting that even in the south -where there were the most black americans and traditionally the most segregated section of the nation-change was proceeding at a crawling pace”( Macdonald 7). This information creates the story of how the media was source of hope to black americans from across the nation and how it lead a more promising door to to equal rights and equality for all americans. African American were starting to gain momentum as they were allowed more on opportunity within the halls of fame in Hollywood which in turn marked a new era for both hope and a continued struggle for justice, peace and harmony among all.
With this information, it could be concluded that media has played an unfortunate role in the way people have been told to view black americans. The media bias has created a world where people are always afraid that a black person may rob them so they would cross the street or hold on tighter to their belonging. We must hold the media accountable for their actions and how they have been a tool to keep the oppression an ongoing struggle for many communities across the nation. We can not depend on the bias media that operates through country and thus we must seek truth for own eyes or we may put ourselves in a trap that would make us part of the problem. When we find the the truth we must present that truth to the world for only then will we be able to win true equality.
The Media could be used for both justice and injustice and it is up to us the viewers, freedom fighters, leaders,and educators to call out the media when they are wrong. The media has harmed many but we too have a voice and we should used that voice to combat the bias reporting of the media because of all the damaging effects the media seems to have on multiple communities throughout the world.but we can also remember the positive sides as well; we have to just remember we do have a voice to change the media and society’s image.
Works Cited
MacDonald, J. Fred. “The Promise.” Blacks and White TV: African Americans in Television since 1948. 2nd ed. Chicago: Nelson-Hall, 1992. 3-10. Print.
Maynard, Richard A. “Anything But A Man-A Historical Survey of the Black Stereotype on Film.” The Black Man on Film: Racial Stereotyping. Rochelle Park, NJ: Hayden Book, 1974. 1-3. Print.
Woll, Allen L., and Randall M. Miller. “Afro-Americans.” Ethnic and Racial Images in American Film and Television: Historical Essays and Bibliography. New York: Garland, 1987. 39-177. Print.
Manatu, Norma. “Introduction and Overview.” Introduction. African American Women and Sexuality in the Cinema. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2003. 1-8. Print.
Tieman, Kathleen A., Ralph B. McNeal, Jr., Morten G. Ender, and Betsy Lucal. Hope College Soc 101 Intro to Sociology. N.p.: Pearson, n.d. Print.
Liberation of African People 