The Misrepresentation of Blacks in the American Media Essay Example
The Misrepresentation of Blacks in the American Media A common question amongst Black people is what defines one’s blackness? UrbanDictionary.com describes blackness as being the measure of how well a person fits into the black stereotype. The black stereotype is typically a person from the ghetto who listens to rap music or using slang instead of Standard English. However, do most blacks really fit into the stereotypes? The American entertainment industry, specifically the television and film industries, has identified being black as being a negative issue which causes some people to view Blacks as subpar American citizens because of the way they speak or dress which sometimes leads to self-hatred or internalized racism. Nonetheless, some people do not feel as if the media defines blackness negatively. Some may say that since America has a Black president, which is the most prestigious position one can obtain in America then there is no way that the media is misrepresenting Blacks. It has been stated that the black community doubted Obama’s blackness more than the media did because he is mixed and was not raised around Black people (Walters 10). One can argue that the black community is defining what blackness is. Some Blacks are showing the world that they speak improperly and dress flashy. Although these are valid points, they are incorrect because television and radio that depict Blacks in a negative aspect. Since coming to Howard University, several of my peers have called me many stereotypical names for young Black females, such as, “hood rat” and “loud” all because I do not speak like other people. Because I am loud, curse a lot and use slang, most of my peers at Howard categorize me as being the stereotypical “hood” girl. To many people using slang is “black,” but there are Black people who do not use informal language and vice versa. Television and radio are not portraying the Black people are properly educated. I do have a different