...Media Influence on African American Males Keana Noyd California State University, Northridge PAS 325- The Black Male in Contemporary Times May 12, 2014 Abstract If a black man is mentioned in the news, newspaper, magazine ads, television shows, or internet blogs, it is usually related to a negative, stereotypical thought of black men as a whole. The media constantly produces images of black men as sexually-instable, violent, and unintelligent. Such portrayals ultimately influence the nation when it comes to what black men are thought to be like. If the media gave honest and positive portrayals of black men, less racism would exist because people would be able to see the black men of this world for who they really are. In this paper, I give examples of how black men are negatively portrayed in the media and suggest how such misrepresentation can be stopped; by positive portrayals of black men in the media. Over the decades, the media has become an extremely influential power tool when it comes to making assertions about certain groups of people. African-Americans are one of the media’s many victims of false generalizations that influence the world beyond the television screens. Black men are constantly depicted as sexually-instable, angry, uneducated criminals throughout the media, in which, has an ultimate effect on how these men are represented throughout this society. Such depictions are one of the reasons why racism and stereotypical beliefs continue to exist throughout...
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...Thesis Statement: Hollywood portrays African Americans in a way that reinforce many misconceptions by the majority, rather than projecting an objective reality. Often times limiting African Americans to star in “stereotypical” roles. After watching numerous films, I found that African Americans in Hollywood were generally depicted in service or blue-collar occupations, such as a house cleaner or a postal worker. Similarly, in an extensive review of Blacks in film, I found that Hollywood often portrayed African Americans in occupational roles, such as a servant, a crook, a cook, an entertainer, a musician, a sad non-White person, an exhibitionist, an athlete, or a corrupt individual. Moreover, in viewing various films they only affirm that most stereotypes about Blacks are...
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...Turning Negative to Positive: African American Portrayal in Media As the day progresses into the late evening hour most of America sits in front of their televisions impatiently waiting to watch their favorite shows. From prime time television to viral videos on YouTube, media has become one of the most influential areas of life. The clothes we wear, slogans we say, and actions we portray are all influenced by media. For example, in 2012 “Ain’t nobody got time for that” became a popular slogan which transcended from a news interview that went viral. Although the slogan was catchy, it became famous more so for the way it was presented. The interviewee was an African American female who was a victim of a house fire. With the female being very passionate and animated while speaking in an urban accent, it provided for great entertainment. Sadly, that news interview lacked the appropriate representation of African Americans. The way media portrays a certain message “can have an inordinate influence on the public’s perception of blacks” (Holt 6). Audiences have been a witness to negative portrayal of African Americans since the days of “blackface”, where Caucasian American actors painted their faces black to depict African Americans. According to blog author Michelle Whalen, “now, more than ever, images of African Americans are transcending racial stereotypes and forging ahead into the fight for equality” (1). In the past two decades, media has been successful in providing positive...
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...Gender, Class, and Race Stereotypes in American Television A Content Analysis Gender, class, and race stereotypes abound in contemporary society, much like they have done throughout human history. With the advent of television, however, stereotypical assumptions have become so pervasive, and so diffused, that some call for a serious and purposeful scrutiny of television's contents. On the following pages, various content analyses of television programs will be addressed, followed by discussions on the greater implications race, class, and gender stereotypes have on society. The research method most often used in studying media images is called content analysis. Content analysis is a descriptive method in which researchers analyze the actual content of documents and/or programs. By systematically counting items pertaining to a specific category, researchers are able to conceptualize a larger theoretical framework based on their observations of media content (Wiseman 1970). Content analyses of television programming show, that during prime time hours, men make up the vast majority of characters shown. Furthermore, women characters found during that same time frame are mainly in comedies, while men predominate in dramas. Thus, the implications are that men are to be taken serious, while women should not. (Tuchman 1978). Similarly, content analyses on soap operas reveal highly stereotypical representations of the genders. In soap operas, strong, willful women are predominantly...
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...The media as a whole has many hidden messages or ideas that the entertainment world wants to get across. The media uses subliminal messages through radio, television, and advertisement. “A subliminal message is a signal in the form of a picture or sound that is designed to pass the normal limits of perception,” which means when people receive images or ideas consciously they also receive it subconsciously in their mind (Subliminal Messages in Movies and Media). There have been many controversial issues concerning the usage of this technique (Subliminal Messages in Movies and Media). There were rumors stating that Bush has used subliminal messages in some of his campaign speeches in order to deliver hidden messages to the world (Subliminal Messages in Movies and Media). One example of this would have been when; “A similar accusation was made against a promotional film of the Liberal party of Canada, where after dissecting their ad, one could clearly see a gun being fired at the viewer” (Subliminal Messages in Movies and Media). The Bush promo is rumored to be filled to the brim with subliminal images of a disturbing nature: fire, explosions, terrified children, mutilation, ghost-like figures and several acts of violence” (Subliminal Messages in Movies and Media). In the manipulation of many viewers, it was first to be just a tested experiment that could determine the facts of subliminal messages (Subliminal Messages in Movies and Media). A movie theatre in New Jersey did an experiment...
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...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, 2007, p.25). Anderson found (as cited by Lund) that students who had regularly watched educational television as children had higher grade point averages than those who did not. Other research has found a more negative influence on children. Lund found that by the time a child is 18 years old he or she will have seen 200,000 acts of violence and 40,000 murders on television....
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...unpleasant representation of racial minorities represented by media. This propaganda has created as well as increased the Americans’ aversion towards such groups. In his essay, DeMott discusses movies like “Pulp Fiction” and “White Men Can’t Jump” that portray African Americans as “ugly,” “enraged,” “terrifying,” and “aggressive” people in television shows (DeMott 31-31). Through the use of such intense words, DeMott creates an outraged tone that expresses to the reader how popular culture intentionally displays a dreadful image of the people of color. DeMott describes the “anguish” within the African Americans and how they feel “humiliated” when...
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...Shamarkia Minor EN 0103-05 Mrs. Forsythe 19 September 2013 Misrepresentation of Black America Many African-American men and women get bad reputations due to today’s media. Whether it is from music, movies, or television shows. These stereotypes affect the African-American society very much, especially when they go search for jobs or even when they just go out in public. When people outside of the Black community see how actors and entertainers act on television shows, movies, and videos, they get the impression that all African-Americans act this or that way. Basically judging a book by its cover. Music play s huge role on African-Americans; especially rap music. When my mom was growing up, rappers like Tupac, Dr. Dre, and Ice Cube, their lyrics were based on topics such as police brutality and other problems in black society. The music wasn’t as vulgar as today’s rappers. Even though they sometimes rapped about money, sex, and drugs, they kept it real and didn’t really exploit women. Music now has ruined the reputation for young black women and men. They make all men to be shooters, killers, drug dealers, etc. and they make the women out to be strippers, gold diggers, whores, drug abusers, etc.; telling young black men and women that this lifestyle is okay because you can make a lot of money. Artists don’t realize the effect they have on our generation. Rappers, for example, Chief Keef and Lil Wayne rap about robbing, shooting, killing people, smoking marijuana, popping...
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...conversations, telephone, viral through video, radio, and television. References Alberts, J.K., Martin, J.N. & Nakayama, T.K. (2013) Human Communication in Society. Mio, J., Barker, L., & Tumambing, J. (2011). Multicultural Psychology. Javaid, S., Barker, N. C., Shahid, A., Jabeen, S., & Bailey, R. K. (2009). Disparities in Health Care among African Americans. Challenge, 15(2), 19-27. Samovar, L., Porter, R., McDaniel, E., & Roy, C. (2014). Intercultural communication: A reader. Cengage Learning. Wallace, S. P. (2003). Equitable Health Systems: Cultural and Structural Issues for Latino Elders. American Journal Of Law & Medicine, 29247 Verbal and Non-verbal communication * Two forms of communication are Verbal and Non-verbal communication * 3 Types of verbal communication: oral, written, & visual. * Oral communication- information is sent verbally or orally by word of mouth * Written communication- communication is written via pencil, pen, markers, and typed words * 6 Forms of Oral communication: face to face, verbal /oral conversations, telephone, viral through video, radio, and television. References Alberts, J.K., Martin, J.N. & Nakayama, T.K. (2013) Human Communication in Society. Mio, J., Barker, L., & Tumambing, J. (2011). Multicultural Psychology. Javaid, S., Barker, N. C., Shahid, A., Jabeen, S., & Bailey, R. K. (2009). Disparities in Health Care among African Americans. Challenge, 15(2),...
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...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 roles (Sigorelli, 1990, citied in Newman, 2000, p. 136). In a recent study of television...
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...blacks in television have been able to abolish many of the pervious stereotypes from past generations. However as media progresses and blacks are becoming a more predominate part of American television, the effect of black sitcoms is being called into question when it comes to their effect on the black community. The early 70’s through the 90’s were the golden age for black sitcoms, both the good and the bad. Blacks were still portrayed as both ignorant, poor, mammy and uncle type characters in shows such as Good Times, Stanford and Son, and more recently, Tyler Perry’s house of Payne. However, many shows promoted the educated, independent, affluent black family such as The Cosby Show, The Jefferson’s, and A Different World. Do these shows truly have an effect on the black community, and even more importantly do they effect how the rest of America views them? For blacks portrayal on television perception is reality, many preconceived notions of how blacks act and carry themselves in everyday life have been eliminated, nevertheless, black sitcoms still reinforce stereotypes that have plagued the black community since the beginning of slavery. Background: * “From Mammy to Miss America and Beyond: Cultural Images and the Shaping of U.S. Social Policy:” A brief summery of the history of blacks on television and how this has effected the community in general. * In “Television Media as a Potential Negative Factor in the Racial Identity Development of African American Youth:”...
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...Race and Media Race and Media Deah Martin SOC/262 Amy Petts Television show can influence the way that viewers understand race and race relation. For instance most of the black shows and movies are directed and produce by White Americans. So the shows and movies are base off white people perspective of African Americans. Kelsey Grammar from the popular show Frasier has produce and directed several black sitcoms and movies. One of the movie that he directed was “Think Like A Man”, a book that was written from Steve Harvey. This film was about how to get a man and how to keep him from a man point of view. This was more towards a women audience. It also show how black men face life’s challenges and triumphs. The movie assistant women on how not to sleep with a guy right away, but to wait like his job, when you first start the job you are on 90 day probations. Another sitcom he did was “Girlfriends”. This show was about 4 mixed batch of African Americans who face life’s tests and triumphs together. From dating to divorce and friends to family to relationships, these ladies support each other despite their different backgrounds. Both the movie and the show came out in the late 2000. “Think Like A Man” was a perspective of a black man, and the show “Girlfriends” was a perspective of black women. The reason why I choose these two was due to stereotypes on how black is look at through media. I mean sometime I want to believe this how all black live. I can say this...
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...part of. According to Richard T. Schaefer, Racial and Ethnic Groups (2006), The African Americans presence in the United States began almost simultaneously with permanent White settlement. Unlike most Europeans, however, the African people were brought involuntarily and in bondage. The end of slavery heralded new political rights during reconstruction, but this was short-lived era of dignity. Despite advocacy of nonviolence by leads such as the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., the civil rights civil rights movement met violent resistance throughout the South. In the mid-1960s, the nation’s attention was diverted to urban violence in the North and the West. Blacks responded to their relative deprivation and rising expectations by advocating Black Power, which in turn met with White resistance. While African Americans have made significant gains, the gap between Blacks and Whites remains remarkably unchanged in the last half century. Religion was and continues to be a major force in the African American community. (Richard T. Schaefer., 2006). The A&E Television Networks (1996-2011) website states, “Slavery in America began when the first African slaves were brought to the North American colony of Jamestown, Virginia, in 1619, to aid in the production of such lucrative crops as tobacco. Slavery was practiced throughout the American colonies in the 17th and 18th centuries, and African-American slaves helped...
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...Group C An Analysis of “Peer Pressures and Accusation of Acting like Others” Table of Contents Introduction………………………………...............………....................4 Media’s Role in Stereotyping……………………………………….…..….4 Origin of “Acting White”……………………………...………………...…6 Accusations of “Acting White” in the Caribbean…………………………..8 Combating Accusations of “Acting White”…….…………………………10 “Acting White” and its affects on Identity”……………………………….11 Peer Pressure and Physical Appearance…………………………………..12 Coping with Peer Pressure……………………..……......................….…13 Summary ………………………………..................................................14 References ………………………………................................................15 Introduction In the article “Peer Pressures and Accusation of Acting like others” Author Dr. Bahaudin Mujtaba investigates the pressures students face to conform to what their peers consider acceptable. Due to media exposure and lack of understanding diversity, stereotyping minorities has become more prevalent and those who step out of the box are accused of acting like others. The article references the accusations of acting white that black students face when striving for good grades and aiming for professional careers. The article also references the spread of these accusations in the Caribbean. Students face peer pressure of acceptance not only in racial and ethnic identity but in appearance as well. These accusations can lead to...
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...Malcolm X is evoked as one of the greatest and influential African American figures, at the same time degraded for the violence he provoked as well as his black supremacy teachings. Martin Luther King, Jr., on the other hand, is recognized as the greatest influential character in the black Civil Rights Movement, with teachings of non-violent resistance and equal rights for blacks and whites. After spending several years in prison, Malcolm converted to the Muslim religion and utilized newspaper columns, radio, and television to convey the Nation of Islam's (NOI) message. King strived to gain credentials from his audiences by everything from his tone to quoting biblical figures. Malcolm X was not able to influence the black community as well as Martin Luther King, Jr. Due to their differences in childhood and religion, their philosophies differed, causing supporters to accord more with the statements of Martin Luther King, Jr. Born Malcolm Little on May 19, 1925 in Omaha, Nebraska, to Earl Little, a Baptist minister; and to Louise Norton Little, a housewife busy with the family's eight children. Earl Little was a supported of Marcus Garvey, the founder of the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA). This prompted the Little family with death threats and by age four, Malcolm's Lansing, Michigan home was burned to the ground. Two years later, Earl Little was murdered by a white mob. Louise trying to keep the family in order, suffered an emotional breakdown and was...
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