...The Gray Area of Mike Brown Every day, African American males encounter a law enforcement officer; whether it is for formal contact or just a passing by moment. At the time of contact, each party has a decision to make based on experience, stereotypes and his or her own personal fear. These perceived thoughts are not always intentional, but is a direct reflection of the learned behavior that has become the muscle memory of their actions. At some point, the population must be willing to look beyond those things that limit or hinder the ability to see what is outside of the blinders that are being worn. With the case of Mike Brown, there were several documented opportunities that both parties could have benefited from, by having additional training and decision-making skills to prevent that fatal turn of events. There is a dire need for sensitivity training within law enforcement as it relates to cultural traditions, habits or tendencies. However, there is also a need for a re-identification of social standards and those things deemed acceptable socially within the African American community. As a law enforcement officer, the oath is taken to protect and serve the occupants of the communities that they are assigned. With that being said, there should be an onus on each oath taking officer to know the persons and tendencies of those that occupy those communities. Assumingly, knowing the best method of communication seems beneficial. Also knowing the cause and effect of certain...
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...sample of 340 songs 75 were deemed violent from 1994-1997 compared to a combined total of 90 songs from 1979-1993. The question is why would the violent lyrical content increase when violent crime itself is down. I believe time period is a huge influence on what was being rapped about. The 1980s was the crack cocaine era and these artists would rap about the lifestyle they were surrounded by which involved drug dealers with no remorse and those addicts who did what they needed to get their fix. This period was also during the Reagan Era who was not very popular with African Americans. Groups such as Public Enemy (“Night of the Living Baseheads”) and Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five (“The Message”) were promoters of Black Nationalism when blacks were only seen as junkies and drug dealers. 71% of the political/cultural rap lyrics involved violence, which could be interpreted as violence against the oppressors or violence towards the oppressed (P. 401). That leads to exploration of media promotion of violence. Heard states in her study that the media makes violent crime socially desirable. Through the forms of braggadocio rap and gangsta rap, the lifestyle of being rich is being promoted positively through numerous outlets of media. The East...
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...“Media portrayals have the potential to both shape and reflect societal attitudes and their examination therefore has broader implications.” (Sommers et al. 2006). What we consume on television, internet, and entertainment influences our perception of society. Such imagery develops a cultural lens that can reinforce the perception of an idea or group. Be that as it may, this can cause problems that skew and distort the information presented. The gatekeepers of the media are among the small, but dominant group who control it, and presents a narrative that rakes in profits. Given these points, one should take note of the media portrayals between different races on the news. Mass media has used sensationalism that depicts people of color in a negative light compared to whites, and due to these discrepancies, these harmful portrayals contribute to widespread racism. Such portrayals blur the cultural image of certain groups of people. For instance, in the article, Racial Bias and Media Coverage of Violent Crime, reported a study that found out that 51% of blacks are arrested for violent crime in New York City, however, “75% of...
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...very biased. In specific terms the system is racial bias and unfair. The America uses a formal social control, to deal with crimes. Statistics show a fair difference and connection between race and the percentage of people convicted of crimes. Other components influence these percentages but always seem to come back to race. The racial unfairness has taken a toll on the American people and contrasts the idea that America was originally built on Incredible as it is America is one of the most tolerant nations in the world. America is a country that was built on freedom, pride, happiness, and equality. Though this is common knowledge and an allusion of the American people, the country has some faults. Equality is a major moral in America that was fought for in history and even in today's society. Throughout our history minority groups have fought hard for there rights and we have accepted the fact that its wrong to discriminate. It is agreed that racial discrimination is wrong as well (Banks, 2009, p 79). Racism has been a problem in America seen the country was founded. Slavery was a form of racism in the early centuries of America. Our judicial system has been a pride and joy for some Americans for others criminals off the streets and keeps us protected. But is our judicial system accurate and fair to those who are put behind bars? Does the crime always fit the punishment? Or is e punishment based on the color of ones skin? It is appropriate to say...
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...Rap music Misrepresent African Americans? There are many genera’s in today’s music world. Depending on who a person is, and what their emotions may be, there will always be a song or genera that one can relate to. Some music helps us relax, while others help us to get pumped up. Other music helps us study while some get us ready to party. Music can create closeness with a significant other while sometimes it can relate to our sorrows of a breakup. It can make us happy when we are sad, while in curtain circumstances make us sad when we are happy. Music can take over our thoughts and emotions that create a story we can relate to or a story we are unfamiliar with. It can take us down a street we have never been before. In some aspects this could be a problem. Some listeners might think all country singers are hicks from the south or mid west. Many might assume every punk rocker is a rebellious Goth. So if these presumptions can be made, what is there to stop people from letting a genera of music represent a certain race in our society today? In the past, music was limited by certain branches of music that could air on the radio and one genera in particular, rap, had to fight its way through the music industry to be heard. Its roots came from the hip-hop culture which includes rapping, graffiti, break dancing, DJing (audio mixing or scratching) ect. After rap was recognized, over the years, changes within the music industry and what the media focuses on, I feel that...
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...THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FACEBOOK™ ACTIVITY AND ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE AMONG AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDENTS by Eric V. Brubaker Liberty University A Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Education Liberty University April, 2013 1 The Relationship Between Facebook™ Activity and Academic Performance Among African American Students by Eric V. Brubaker A Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Education Liberty University, Lynchburg, VA April, 2013 APPROVED BY: Amanda Rockinson-Szapkiw, Ed.D., Committee Chair Jennifer Courduff, Ph.D., Committee Member Judy Sandlin, Ph.D., Committee Member Scott Watson, Ph.D., Associate Dean, Advanced Programs 2 ABSTRACT This non-experimental, regression study examined the relationship between Facebook™ activity and academic performance for an African American sample population. The study was conducted at a large, four-year, private university in the Mid-Atlantic. All undergraduate, African American students enrolled in the College of General Studies, School of Health Sciences, and School of Education comprised the sample population. Volunteer participants completed a Facebook™ Activity Survey, which is an instrument used to collect semester grade point averages (GPAs), time-use of Facebook™, multitasking information, type of Facebook™ activities, and demographic information. The results of...
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...Running head: THE EFFECTS OF MEDIA IN SOCIALIZATION The Effects of Media in the Socialization of Children and Young Adults The Effects of Media in the Socialization of Children and Young Adults The media today are a powerful tool in modifying the behavior of children and young adults. This behavior can be seen as negative or positive depending on the situation. Children’s development is influenced by many factors but as Lund (2003) noted the significance of the mass media cannot be overstated: “The accumulated experience of media exposure contributes to the cultivation of a child’s values, beliefs, dreams, and expectations, which shape the adult identity a child will carry and modify through his or her life.” Studies investigating Social Learning Theory, done by Baker (2007, p.26) have consistently reported that children can model roles and behaviors seen on television. Media play a significant role in the socialization process, body image, and moral judgments in children and adolescents. Cartoons on television are some of the first factors of socialization in a child’s life. Although many adults feel that cartoons are obviously fantastical, unrealistic, and therefore harmless to children, the research evidence proves otherwise. “According to developmental literature, children before the age of ten years often have difficulty differentiating between reality and fantasy”(Baker...
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...HIV Prevention in African American Women Introduction From its origin, HIV/AIDS has been defined as a sexually transmitted disease associated primarily with white homosexual men. In fact, African Americans are the racial/ethnic groups that are mostly influenced by HIV/AIDs. According to the Center of Disease Control and Prevention, by the end of 2008, an estimated 240,627 blacks with and AIDs diagnosis has died in the United States (CDC, 2012). Contrary to the evident statistics affecting the African American population as a whole, there remains a small amount of research studies, dedicated towards HIV/AIDs healthcare promotion and prevention strategies specifically designed for the African American women. However, there are a large proportion of African American women affected by HIV/AIDs. In 2009, black women accounts for 30% of the new estimations of HIV infections among blacks. The rate for HIV infections as compared to other populations is 15 times more than white women, and three times as high for Latina women (CDC, 2012). This is confirmed by social media, primarily directed at African American males. In regards to the African American women, personal beliefs, cultural practices, and social norms act as a backdrop in determining the risk behavior of acquiring HIV/AIDs. This study serves to address the need for prevention strategies among single African American women of 18-22 years of age in college from the middle socioeconomic class. The subjects for the study...
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...Ann Arnett Ferguson spent 3 years gathering research on African American youth in the school and how Adults, society, and the educational system views them. The superiors of these kids have a wrongfully prejudice conceptualization of them, more specifically the boys. Observations and stories of individual students help Ferguson make connections and find the underlying source of these kids’ preconceived notions to Adults and more importantly themselves. “In the course of course of my study it became clear that school labeling practices and the exercise of rules operated as part of a hidden curriculum to marginalize and isolate black male youth in disciplinary spaces and brand them as criminally inclined” Ann Arnett Ferguson, Bad Boys: Public Schools in the Making of Black Masculinity (University of Michigan, 2000) p2. Adultification does not have a simple definition. Ferguson theorized this idea while observing different kids during her case study. The term adultification describes the developmental process of youth and how outlying factors such as social and communal values are absorbed by kids. There is a prejudice that these observed teacher hold of these kids. These teachers use how the media portrays African American males to justify their views about all African American kids. This adultification is a distraction from the fact that they are kids, not criminals. “Adultification is visible in the way African American elementary school pupils are talked about by school adults”...
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...Men and Public Space”, is a tremendous example of the systemic wariness that people of African-American descent must possess in their everyday lives. There are a plethora of stereotypes regarding African-American males that are detrimental to their societal image. Typically when one hears the word “stereotype” it is merely in reference to a harmless anecdote that is used as a source of comedic expression. However, for black males, these attributions of humor could be the subconscious beliefs that fuel their demise. A very large question is left to ponder; why do these stereotypes exist? Delving deep into research and statistical analysis there is one prominent factor: the false identity of African-Americans...
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...(Lester, 1996, p.1). When the mass media engage in stereotyping, misleading representations concerning members from diverse cultural groups are confirmed. In this essay, a broad range of texts will be used to examine the ways in which the mass media construct and reinforce social stereotypes around gender, ethnicity and age, as well as how the media shape one's imagination though direct images. It cannot be doubted that the media profoundly influence people's attitudes and outlooks. They convey a whole variety of information which individuals would not otherwise acquire. Newspapers, books, television, radio, films, recorded music and popular magazines (Giddens, 1989, p.79) bring individuals into close contact with experiences of which we 'would otherwise have little awareness' (Giddens, 1989, p. 79). There are very few societies, in current times, even among the more traditional cultures, which remain completely untouched by the mass media. Electronic communication is accessible even to those who are completely illiterate, or in isolated areas of the world. According to Juredini and Poole, gender usually refers to the 'behavioural and attitudinal characteristics' as well as roles that are learned and derived from a 'particular cultural milieu' (2000, p.171). An important source of gender information in a consumer society is television. Despite some notable exceptions, for example 'Sesame Street', most television shows continue to portray males and females in stereotypical gender...
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...Between the World and Me? it a letter Coates wrote to his son describing the violence he went to and still going through in his life. He gave us a tour of his life. From the tough neighborhoods of Baltimore from his youth, to Howard University which Coates describe as “The Mecca” for its diversity of African Americans students and teachers to the broader Mecca's which he calls it of New York and Paris. Every day the epidemic if violence grows either by the statistics of death of young black male, the inner city kids mastering the street, and social influences. A teenage boy pointed a gun in his face on the street, the worst part was his father beat him for letting himself get robbed by a boy. Recently they were a statistic report that shows how young people died. 24,600 people died as the victims of homicides. This converts into a homicide percentage of 8.9 per 200,000 populace. The homicide percentage for male teenagers ages 13-21 is 21.8 per 100,000. The homicide percentage for young African American males in this age group is 84.8 per 100,000. The overall homicide percentage for male teenagers in the US was between 6 and 83 times greater than the homicide percentage for male teenagers in any other nation. Guns were used in four-quarters of the death in the USA. This statistics released proves and demands that violence has become an infection and a huge public health issue. Ta-neishi also mentions many examples of probably unnecessary violence committed by inner-city kids...
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...music videos. This is an important issue because rap is so popularized today that these negative depictions of women, especially African American women, is potentially giving its viewers the idea that it is acceptable to treat women in such demeaning ways. Most of the time, we do not comprehend the message that is being sent through songs we listen to. We as society need to become more conscious of the music we listen to. Over the years, rap and rap music videos have repetitively become more and more sexual and degrading towards women. Rap has been criticized various times for this reason. The excuses used to justify the misogyny in rap are inadequate and lack accurate support. The most effective way for this continuous cycle to end is if the fight and protest comes from the women themselves. Men are the problem in the objectification of women but in order for it to stop, women need to step up and take control of the situation. Misogyny and degradation of women does exist in almost every genre of music, yet the Elmhorst 2 one genre that completely revolves around belittling women is rap. The topic of women being negatively portrayed in rap music is a topic that has been research and examined in several research studies. The first scholarly article is called, “Effects of Black Sexual Stereotypes on Sexual Decision Making Among African American Women” by Sarita Davis and Aisha Tucker-Brown is a study...
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...Introduction From its origin, HIV/AIDS has been defined as a sexually transmitted disease associated primarily with white homosexual men. In fact, African Americans are the racial/ethnic group that are mostly influenced by HIV/AIDs. According to the Center of Disease Control and Prevention, by the end of 2008, an estimated 240,627 blacks with and AIDs diagnosis has died in the United States (CDC, 2012). Contrary to the evident statistics affecting the African American population as a whole, there remains a small amount of research studies, dedicated towards HIV/AIDs healthcare promotion and prevention strategies specifically designed for the African American women. However, there is a large proportion of African American women affected by HIV/AIDs. In 2009, black women accounts for 30% of the new estimations of HIV infections among blacks. The rate for HIV infections as compared to other populations is 15 times more than white women, and three times as high for Latina women (CDC, 2012). This is confirmed by social media, primarily directed at African American males. In regards to the African American women, personal beliefs, cultural practices, and social norms act as a backdrop in determining the risk behavior of acquiring HIV/AIDs. This study serves to address the need for prevention strategies among single African American women of 18-22 years of age in college from the middle socioeconomic class. The subjects for the study are voluntary and motivated to learn with...
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...RACE AND THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM 2 “According to the U.S. Justice Department, in 2003 about 10.4% of all African American men between the ages of 25 to 29 were incarcerated, as compared to 2.4% of Hispanic men and 1.2% of non-Hispanic White men” (DeVry, 2015). This topic is critical to the study of cultural diversity because of the racial disparity among the young African American males in the criminal justice system and the lasting effects of incarceration. This research paper will unveil the truth about why African men in this age group are much more likely to be sent to prison than are people of White or Latino descent. . African American men are often charged and prosecuted more aggressively than White or Hispanic men. This paper will also reveal the adverse mental and physical health endured by black males during incarceration and upon release. Recent studies indicate that inadequate education and low socioeconomic status has a direct correlation between black males and crime. As the United States becomes an increasingly diverse nation, many studies confirm racial inequalities exist amongst judges, lawyers and legislation. This creates the very serious concern of racial profiling. While racial profiling is illegal, studies prove that black males are more likely to be stopped and searched. New York State is only one of two states that automatically processes, prosecutes and incarcerates 16 and 17 year-olds as adults. Legislation...
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