Racial Stereotypes of Blacks in the Media
Racial Stereotypes of Blacks in the Media The media and stereotypes are two separate entities. However, many times these two matters commingle. The lines begin to blend and soon people may not be able to distinguish between these two affairs. The stereotypes are so welded into what is shown in the media. A stereotype is a generalization of a group of people. In and of themselves, stereotypes are not damaging. Stereotypes become damaging when they distort the view placed on a group of individuals. Unfortunately, the media warps their views on people to the general public for their own gain based on the stereotypes they manifest. The Black race is one that has been greatly affected by these stereotypes. Many believe that there are no biases in the media. Nevertheless, those people could not be more wrong. Yes, the media does display biases in the case of stereotypes. The media are motivated to continue to display stereotypes that present Blacks in a negative light. Firstly, the media does not know how to transition out of the stereotypes that were created when television became popular. Black women were being portrayed as Mammies, Sapphires, and Welfare Queens. Sherri Burr, a professor of law, describes these stereotypes in her article dealing with television and its societal effects. A black woman that is portrayed as the "Mammy" stereotype is overweight and very nurturing towards the children that she watches over. A Sapphire is the opposite of a Mammy. While a Mammy is a woman of kindness and love, a Sapphire is a woman of cruelness and spite. A Welfare Queen is just that, a queen of welfare. She, in essence, lives off government money in order to support her children (166-67). Burr also mention that in the 1970s, shows such as "Good Times," Diff’rent Strokes," "That's My Mamma," and "What's Happening" nearly all a featured a black lady conveying the "mammy" stereotype (165-66). We see that when black women were first featured on television they already had
Cited: Anand, Meenu. "Women in Television: Depictions and Distortions." University of Delhi. University of Delhi, n.d. Web. 15 Mar. 2011. Course Material: Human Rights, Gender, and Environment Burr, Sherri. "Television and Societal Effects: An Analysis of Media Images of African- Americans in Historical Context." Journal of Gender, Race & Justice 4.2 (2001): 159- 81. LexisNexis Academic. Web. 25 Oct. 2011. Cleaveland, Carol Cohen-Eliya, Moshe, and Yoav Hammer. "Advertisements, Stereotypes, and Freedom of Expression." Journal of Social Philosophy 35.2 (2004): 165-187. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 25 Oct. 2011 Dates, Jannette L., and Thomas A Fuller, Lorraine. "Are We Seeing Things? The Pinesol Lady and the Ghost of Aunt Jemima." Journal of Black Studies 32.1 (2001): 120-31. JSTOR. Web. 20 Oct. 2011. Giroux, Henry A. Fugitive Cultures: Race, Violence, and Youth. New York: Routledge, 1996. Print. Lyons, N.L. "From Race Movies to Blaxploitation to Homeboy Movies." American Visions 7.1 (1992): 42. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 25 Oct. 2011. Mastro, Dana E Montgomery, Kathryn C. Target: Prime Time: Advocacy Groups and the Struggle over Entertainment Television. New York: Oxford UP, 1989. Print. Schiller, Herbert I. "The Mind Managers." Taking Sides: Clashing Views on Controversial Issues in Mass Media and Society. 8th ed. Ed. Alison Alexander and Jarice Hanson. Dubuque: Dushkin, 2005. Print. Shipler, David K. A Country of Strangers: Blacks and Whites in America. New York: Vintage Books-Random House, 1997. Print.