Racial Stereotypes

Devroe (2004) was concerned with how minorities respond to stereotypical representations of themselves in media. A positive response would likely lead them to feeling included, make the message more personally relevant, and give credence to it. In his research he found that when minorities see negative portrayal of their culture or ethnicity they tend to feel excluded, not taken seriously, and not valuable as audience members (Devroe,

People constantly try to gain direction and insight from their evaluations of other people. One such way they do so is through stereotypes. Stereotypes are cognitive constructs involving an individual’s half-truths and distorted realities knowledge, expectations, and beliefs about human groups. As such, racial stereotypes are constructed beliefs that all members of the same race share certain specific characteristics. In America, the media and Hollywood play an integral role in entrenching and dispelling these stereotypes. However, Hollywood and the media create characters according to stereotypes to attract an audience, from which the viewers can reflect on and laugh at the stereotypes recognizable within American society. This paper seeks to discuss the common stereotypes in American society and how the media and Hollywood promotes those stereotypes and their impacts.

During the process of producing a television series, the demand for the producers to introduce their characters with only their highlighted traits make it impossible for viewers to gain a deep understanding of the community that the characters represent. One of the stereotypic traits that is usually seen on movies and television shows is societal difference that each race is placed into. Michael Omi in his article In Living Color: Race and American Culture stated that “in contemporary television and film, there is a tendency to present and equate racial minority groups and individuals with specific social problems” (546). There are many films and television shows found today that ground racial minorities into a specific social problems that are related to the color of their skin. It can be inferred from the current popular culture that this stereotype still persists.

As many of us try to ignore or deny, media has a substantial influence in the ideology of how we perceive gender roles, power, cultures, and in this case race. The hegemonic power media has over the American population has allowed us to view one another in a stereotypical light, and creates a sense of ignorance in our understanding of one another. Take the example of African-Americans and how they are all perceived with characteristics found to be negative and stereotypical. Dating back to earlier television, the U.S. Commission of Civil Rights found that African-American television portrayals typically depicted the following stereotypic personality characteristics: inferior, stupid, comical, immoral, and dishonest. (Punyanut-Carter, 2008).

Reality television contains fictional aspects that allow producers to manipulate situations that appear to be “real” on screen. In order to keep their characters interesting and easily recognizable throughout the season, a show must clearly establish heroes, villains and supporting characters to keep their audience coming back for more (Tyree, 2011, p. 395). This involves the heavy use of racial stereotypes in their shows because it allows for quick character development as well as cheap entertainment. The way a particular race or culture is represented on reality television can adversely affect the way society views that

Over the years, racial depiction and television have not changed as substantially as one would hope. Although there are several sitcoms on the air currently utilizing race as a large portion of the plot, this is done is a less than desirable way, most often exaggerating stereotypes of a specific race/ culture. Discussion of race and these stereotypes placed on race continue to be a topic of discussion within the media. While researching racial depictions in pop culture, I reviewed an interesting article, The Most Racially Stereotyped Characters on TV Right Now. This article written by Victoria McNally in 2012 identifies several shows currently being aired and the character to which she identifies as being racially profiled. McNally reports that in 2012, there continues to be a large number of television programs that continue to bring forth ongoing racial stereotypes, which therefore accentuates the bias’ of society.

I like that you mentioned the effect of race with European settlers and indigenous people and the myths and stereotypes that come with race. This is such an interesting topic because much of the USA's history with race has strong associations with stereotypes that were used to keep a group of people oppressed.

Harmeen Jones, a former Fox Technician, was fired after filing a complaint to Human Resources of the unfair treatment he was receiving by his colleagues at Fox for being African-American. Jones claims ‘he was subjected to a steady stream of "racist, sexist, and extremely offensive comments,’ against blacks, Muslims, Jews, women and Hispanics” (Shifrel). Unfortunately, not only does the network available to 87 million households make flippant remarks in it’s work environment, but it also promotes racist stereotypes on air. During an episode of The O’Reilly Factor, host Bill O’Reilly made an insulting remark when telling an African-American guest, “Say you 're a cocaine dealer—and you kind of look like one a little bit” (Hall). Stereotyping minority races has existed since the creation of the United States, and continues to be a problem. The privileged social group in society often oppresses minorities, and advertises false statements of the other races. Media, a big contributor to the spread of racial stereotyping that occurs in the United States, often provides viewers with stereotypes that continue to promote racism, and the discouragement of success in a minority group. The media portrays the dominant race in a positive way, while minority groups are depicted in ways that provide people with an invalid reason to feel hatred toward minority groups.

Whether it manifests itself in microaggressive images a la the recent Dove and Pepsi commercials that caused a stir on social media causing the brands to apologize for their lack of sensitivity or in crude portrayals of marginalized groups seen in old Disney animations that elicit feelings ranging from shock and anger to nostalgia racism is undoubtedly visible in the media. Although media has seen drastic changes over the years as a result of changes in culture racist stereotypes are unfortunately still present. People of color in America have become all too familiar with negative imagery that only serves to put them in a subordinate and inferior role or in some cases leave them out completely. As of late both young people of color and white

the officer that declared him as a burglar. As a result, colored people feel the need to take justice into their hands by protecting themselves with weapons.

In the Academic Journal “The Use of Social Media in Teaching Race” by Kathy Nakagawa PhD. Nakagawa says people who speak about race the most are those who don’t have authority or accurate knowledge. When we talk about different races we usually talk about what we have heard, not what we actually know. Kathryn Sorrels, the author of the book, Intercultural Communication: Globalization and Social Justice said, “Often the assumptions, stereotypes, and attitudes we hold about people from different cultures or distant countries come solely or primarily through media and popular forms such as movies, TV programs, and celebrities (Sorrels 125).” Sorrels then gets her audience to think about if it is the producers fault or the actors fault for taking the role. Sorrels later talks about the 3 areas to look at when studying popular culture. Only 2 and 3 are very important, “(2) textual analysis, where the actual product or text – the TV program or film … is analyzed for symbolic meaning and narrative content; and (3) audience analysis, where the means and interpretations that viewers/reader/listeners decode from popular from popular culture text are investigated. The information is something to consider when viewing a sitcom, how does the audience know if the information is accurate. Most viewers just believe most of what they see on

Although Racial Stereotype is something we experience daily, people should not be quick to judge or make conclusions based solely on skin color. Not every stereotype is true. Staples introduces himself by using the words “first Victim” by doing so he sets a picture in the mind of the reader that when he came up behind the lady on the street, something was going to do happen to her. He is faced with different stereotypes that he experiences daily from different races. Throughout the essay Staples makes the argument that racial stereotype is wrong .Staples explains his thesis through narratives of incidents in his life. He gives details of numerous accounts of people mistaking him for a thief or mugger.

I conceal my face with layers of makeup hoping that half a bottle of BB cream will be enough to make me as flawless as Kylie Jenner look on the cover of Seventeen magazine. I use innumerous acne medications, aspiring to be as unblemished as the girls in the Clean and Clear commercials. I reject bags of M&Ms and fudge brownies thinking that my sacrifices will make me “love my body” as much as the emaciated Victoria Secret models love theirs (see appendix A). I routinely shave my legs and armpits and pluck my eyebrows with fear of becoming the hairy woman the media deems horrendous. I do everything, yet feel like I am nothing. Nothing compared to the beautiful women pictured on television, magazines, and

Television is regarded as a significant source of information that plays an influential role in formulating an individuals social reality. As a tool that conveys the simulations of every day life it “may become a part of our social experience and serve as a basis for social judgements such as racial attitudes and ethnic stereotypes” (Fujoka, 52). Stereotypes are explained as widely held beliefs about a particular person or group. Research shows that “television images of minority groups might affect minority members’ self-concept and racial awareness” (Fujoka, 54). The portrayal of minorities on television were deemed by minority groups as a conception of socially existing beliefs toward their racial group. As such, television may have perhaps

Across the United States, the matter of racism and stereotypes has been a sensitive topic for centuries. Although, we are taking baby steps to solve the issue of injusticeness, we still have a great deal of progress to make. This is a relevant topic because in recent news there have been large issues of race, particularly minorities. One major source of entertainment is television, in particular shows and movies, there are major enhancement of stereotypes and degradation. Minorities are still fighting the way they are portrayed to the world. Because of this, people who haven't necessarily had an encounter with a particular race, see them in a negative light,