Simply put it appears the media in general tends to support and even highlight stereotypes for nearly every ethnic, social, and religious group that exists. In regards to black America the blunt fact that so many non blacks raise an eyebrow whenever they see an educated or well-spoken black person on TV supports the idea that the media portrays most blacks as under educated, trouble seeking, financially poor individuals. However its a blurry line to say if the media itself is fully to blame for this poor representation of blacks in America.
Many blacks seem to uphold these stereotypes and even take pride in these stereotypes. Many black rappers glamorize ghetto living, and brag about being violent on the streets. Younger blacks latch on to this image and look up to these individuals as role models. The media I believe focuses on the negative and fear inducing news. Generally bad news sells and keep viewers more entertained.
In 2010 the Q score company released a report to CNBC listing the top ten most hated athletes in sports. The Q score company acquired their data by taking a poll of the general population. The top six consists of a golfer, two NBA players, and three NFL players who all have one thing in common the color of their skin. I am completely shocked that guys like Lebron James and Terrell Owens are more hated than Ben Roethlisberger and Roger Clemens. Roethlisberger has been "accused" of raping two different women in the last two years and he is seen in a more favorable light than Tiger Woods, unbelievable. So it appears that cheating on your wife is more blemishing then rape? In conclusion the media will always portray stereotypes and portray the dismal, sad, and horrific news because it means ratings. Black America can only escape the media portrayal of themselves by avoiding participating in negative stereotypes themselves.
I feel you, all black and latino actors have to begin they're movie career playing the drug dealing gang banger, it's only after that can they take on more meaningful roles, thats just what I've noticed, infact alot of minority actors have to back step into these roles even after they've established themselves.
ReplyDeleteYou right Cheeple. The thing is this all happens because the lack of monorities writing these scenarios. We need more minorities writing these stories to depict our cultures in a more positive way.
ReplyDeleteThat is an excellent point bro. Blacks and Latinos are very misrepresented in TV and movies alike.
ReplyDeleteFor me this is one of the things that tick me off the most. I can’t stand the way that minorities are exploited in the media for entertainment purposes and to make a mockery out of us. For instance, certain football players who are out spoken are provoked by the media to make certain comments so that their words can later be twisted and used against them to make them look like the bad guy or stupid. Or the news casters who will interview less than educated people, (who have no business being on TV in the first place), to speak on behalf of a community. “Who is Antoine Dodson for $200 Alex”. Come on now! For real? And what’s worse is that we fall for it and we find every way to make a dollar off making a fool out of ourselves. This is embarrassing. We need to get it together as a group and educate and teach our children self respect. The minorities are becoming the majority and we should take advantage of this to further our progression in this country. Let’s stop giving white people an excuse to entertain the world at our expense.
ReplyDeleteSam, that's exactly the point of this blog. The media constantly pushes black athletes to say things that they can later twist into controversy. "And what’s worse is that we fall for it and we find every way to make a dollar off making a fool out of ourselves." I couldnt have said it better myself, we have to stop providing white people with the material that makes us minorities look unintelligent.
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