...ShaQueelah Pierce Criminal Stereotypes of African American Males Watkins - English IV September 1, 2013 As human beings, we do certain actions without even knowing that we have done them, such as stereotyping other races or people by the way they look, talk, walk, or just carry themselves. African Americans, in particular, are a race of people that are stereotyped, but the typical African American males are usually stereotyped negatively. The typical stereotype for African American male is angry and criminals. The research I have conducted, has revealed to me that the criminal stereotype affects people’s memory, and essentially have a bad impact on people’s lives. I have evidence to show that there are people that believes the three issues and why it is not a valid stereotype toward African American males. African American males have gone through a lot of scrutiny throughout history. "In the past twenty-five years, African American males in the United States have gone through various social challenges." Bing lynched and murdered brutally just for their skin color, even the police pulling them over for no apparent reason and also considering the infamous Rodney King beating. Vast majority African American males have been through a lot of unnecessary adversity. Through these pointless social acts, some African American males have drifted toward criminal activities, such as: robbing people or stores, selling drugs, and doing anything to make money...
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...way white Americans perceive African-Americans. As a result of the overwhelming media focus on crime, drug use, gang violence, and other forms of anti-social behavior among African-Americans, the media have fostered a distorted and pernicious public perception of African-Americans. 1 The history of African-Americans is a centuries old struggle against oppression and discrimination. The media have played a key role in perpetuating the effects of this historical oppression and in contributing to African-Americans' continuing status as second-class citizens. As a result, white America has suffered from a deep uncertainty as to who African-Americans really are. Despite this racial divide, something indisputably American about African-Americans has raised doubts about the white man's value system. Indeed, it has also aroused the troubling suspicion that whatever else the true American is, he is also somehow black. 2 Racism Before attempting to understand racism and mass media, one must understand the history of racism. Race has become an institutional part of American society. From the Founding on, race has played an integral part in shaping the American consciousness. David Goldberg's Racist Culture argues that racial discourse may be interpreted as aversive, academic, scientific, legalistic, bureaucratic, economic, cultural, linguistic, religion, mythical, or ideological. 3 He also stresses that racialized discourse and racist expressions towards African-American have been...
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...stratification for African Americans as well as many other minorities, cannot only effect certain races physically, but mentally. Mental health as a social construct can be influential to an individual’s psychological health, and differential exposure to deleterious race-related experiences along with generic vicissitudes, for African Americans, may create higher rates for poorer mental health. Though race is not a real concept but rather created by society, it does serve as an important aspect concerning the...
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...African-American Social Identity in Sports Chapter 7, Race and Ethnicity, focuses briefly on social identities in sports. In particular, it touches upon racial ideology in sports, and its challenges. Stereotyping is a natural occurrence among society, and is predominant in sports. I am sure there has been many times where one has seen a tall male, African-American, and thought “I wonder if he is a basketball player?” The text gives a good example based on their research stating that “when young black men were in the honors program and played on a school team, other students and teachers identified them as athletes rather than honor students…and white students in the honors program and on school teams were clearly identified as honor students rather than athletes” (Coakley, 226). This illustrates the specific social identities black males have. I thought to myself, why is this so? Why is it that African American males are viewed to exceed in athletic ability, rather than intelligence, and vice versa for white males. The problem is stereotypes in sports, which often lead to other general stereotypes. These stereotypes begin to imply that certain races have certain characteristics. I believe these stereotypes need to stop, and black male’s social identities need to expand beyond being athletic. These athletic stereotypes can play a negative impact in the real world. For instance, when trying to find a job, employers are not interested in their applicant’s athleticism, but...
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...Racial Disparity in Sentencing Racial disparity in sentencing in the criminal justice system is a problematic issue. Individuals often believe that racial disparity in sentencing does not exist; however, substantial proof in the criminal justice system proves otherwise. According to statistics of Marc Mauer, “unprecedented rise in the populations of prisons over the past three decades is a six fold increase, resulting in the incarceration of nearly two million Americans.” The breakdown of statistics is as follows: “One in every eight African-American male groups between 25-34 year old is a result of incarceration and 32% of African-American males born to society can expect to spend a term in a federal or state prison if the current racial disparity continues” (Mauer, 2004, p. 79). Four reasons of Racial Disparity The four reasons for the flourishing continuance of racial disparity in the criminal justice sentencing process are ineffective assistance of procedural bars, and council, jury selection and venue, prosecutorial discretion, and juror racism (Tabak, 1999, p. 6). Research documenting states like New York and California prosecutions have board spectrums concerning discretion seeking capital punishment; however, these four reasons apply to cases, which capital punishment is sought. “Capital punishment can be sought for intentional murders which individual may commit during the course of a felony and the intent to commit murder can be formed instantaneously before the...
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...immensely large issue still being dealt with in the world today. The pursuit of an entirely color blind society is still in the process. Black History Month is a time to celebrate how far African Americans have come, but also a time to realize how much further they need to go. Hindrances, such as racial slurs and acknowledged discrimination, are part of the huge race problem still present in America. The result of this is that black men are more at risk to suffer injustices, specifically regarding police brutality. Black males are physically handled harsher, killed at a much higher rate, and are handcuffed or restrained more than white males. In Staples’ essay, “Just Walk on By: Black Men and Public Space,” he says black men are recognized as threatening public space. Despite race and gender both being present in stereotyping, race is the main variable in establishing whether a man poses a public threat....
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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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...people choose to relate to those; however the majority of Americans can relate most to television shows. Television shows can vary from reality television shows, all the way to cartoon television shows. Our society has found something they can relate to and have become obsessed with it. There are so many different groups of people in our society today helping create more television shows. People all come from different backgrounds, different locations, and different generations; fortunately this creates even more opportunity for television show creators because they are able to make more television shows based on all these differences within our society. Two television shows that specifically show the differences within our society are South Park and the Boondocks. South Park and the Boondocks are similar televisions shows, yet have differences between them as well. To begin with, the big difference between the shows is that the main characters of each are different races, and similarity of the two is that each week one issue is dedicated to an entire episode. Comedy Central’s South Park is an animated show made for an older audience created by Matt Stone and Trey Parker. The show is known for being extremely offensive to most people but the creators say there is a lesson to be learned in every episode. The Boondocks is an animated show that was created by Aaron McGruder. The show is based on race relations and African American culture. Race, ethnicity and class are three topics...
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...October 3, 2011/Fall 2011 African Diaspora & The World (SADW 111-05) Shaping my Diaspora Consciousness vs. Society An old saying about the African American slave trade still circulates amongst us today: "they set us 'free' while keeping us enslaved." After the abolishment of physical slavery, the self-esteem and sense of identity of many African Americans remained in the hands of the dominant race. Their tools of malice and control transitioned from whips and legislation to social stigmas and stereotypes. The social stigmas and stereotypes formed are the concepts of identity, race and gender. As notions of equality grew more popular, the malice diminished but the social stigmas and stereotypes remained. To deny their influence on the shaping of my identity would be equivalent to denying the slave trade's existence. Despite the relevance of both in today's society, both are starting to fade away into the thick cloud of historical amnesia that tends to grasp the minds of every American generation. In order to ensure that the lesson’s learned, and to be learned from both remain, it is imperative that such topics be discussed and evaluated. Identity is a complex shaped by individual characteristics. Gender is however a group defined by masculinity and femininity, the attributes attached to being born male or female. Race is framed by social relations and historical context. All social conceptions formed by social construction. People don’t have an understanding of how society...
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...African American Stereotypes in Movies Media Research Methods CO 455 November 20, 2012 African American Stereotypes in Movies Introduction There once was a time when everyone expected the black man to be the first actor to die in every movie that possessed a black man in its cast. However, over time the assumption of the black man being the first to die has changed. Currently in the year 2012, there are progressively more movies in which black men portray leading roles. This change in black men as leading characters in movies is a welcome change. In the past, supporting or backup roles were considered the best role a black man could achieve. In this paper, the researcher will conduct information by means of content analysis. Content analysis is the most commonly used methodology because of its ability to measure human behavior, assuming that the verbal behavior is a form of behavior. This study will examine specific media products and define these products by determining smaller elements that complement these products. This document will address a wide view of concerns regarding the African American culture, and will provide assumptions on how this issue can be addressed in the future. The stereotype of African Americans in movies today, is the topic of this research paper. Why do African Americans face stereotypes in the media? Why do black actors and actresses have difficulty obtaining roles that are not stereotypical...
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...Stereotypes Paper Growing up I did not have much exposure to African American males and to me they looked mean. My whole life, I have been uncomfortable if I am in the presence of an older African American male. In addition, when I was a teenager my family was friends with an African American couple. The wife was sweet as she could be but the husband would get drunk and tell me that he was going to kidnap me and take where no one could find me because I looked like Wonder Woman. I told my mom about this and he never did make any actions to make us think he was serious. Because of that one experience and lack of exposure with other races when I was young, I now look at older African American males with distrust. I know that not every African American male is going to be like that but that experience will stay with me forever. Another stereotype I have trouble with is with Arab Americans. My family had friends that were Arab Americans when I was teenager and young adult and they were the nicest family. After 9/11, I feel uncomfortable around Arab American males. Once again, I know that not all Arab Americans are the same or are terrorists, but I cannot help the small degree of anxiety I feel around Arab American males. If I am correct, the terrorists responsible for 9/11 were not even Arabs. I think some of this could be because THEY feel targeted as well and I have simply not had a tremendous amount of interaction With Arab Americans until the because a focal point because...
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...Adrianne Council Dr. Harkins-Pierre Introduction to Humanities 115 October 24, 2011 Journal #Contemporary Stereotypes Contemporary Stereotypes: Three Play Summaries Thesis: Engaging in this journal assignment enabled the steadfast dedication of creative efforts to be geared toward creating three play summaries based on contemporary stereotypes that exist. I. Introduction: Stereotypes and comedy A. Historical comedy B. Stereotypes as a tradition C. Stereotypes and the Shakespearean Experience II. Body: Three Play Summaries A. “Marriage, Rings, and Things” B. “Run the World” C. “Dear Curl-ella” III. Conclusion: Stereotypes, roles, and Society A. Humor and the Audience B. Effects of Stereotypes C. Stereotypes Thrive Adrianne Council Dr. Harkins-Pierre Introduction to Humanities 115 October 24, 2011 Journal # Contemporary Stereotypes Contemporary Stereotypes: Three Play Summaries There is a trivial tradition in comedy which dates back to both Shakespearean plays and literature. This tradition involves the usage of a coined blend of comedy and stereotyped...
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...Morrison points out those major themes in American literature that have Caucasians playing the heroic protagonist whereas the African American plays the antagonist. African Americans are seen as the dark, or the wrong within media. Throughout history most African Americans play minor characters that add conflict to stories such as To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee or Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. American history of race has impacted the world and created problematic stereotypes. “I pointed out that cultural identities are formed and informed by a nation's literature. What seemed to be on the "mind" of the literature of the United States was the self-conscious but highly problematic construction of the American as a new white...
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...Origins of Racism When the word racism comes about, many people don’t really stop and think where or even when racism began. They just think that since our history books tell us about the segregation that had occurred that it’s just a natural thing that happened in the past and still goes on today. The invention of racism was socially constructed and as a society, we developed the concept of racial segregation, racial discrimination, racial stereotyping and negative prejudice. Some believe that there is no real original concepts of how racism began, but how would we wrap ourselves around the concept of racism being uniquely developed so that one race was meant to be inferior to all the rest? There are many ideas about how racism came about. Some say that it’s because that’s how nature took its course. It was just made to have one race has to be above all the others, a superior race, and the inferior races, which are looked at as being intolerable. Seeing one race less important than another is dehumanizing but it is within the definition of racism, inferiority and superiority are stated. According to the Oxford dictionary, racism is defined as the belief that all members of each race possess characteristics or abilities specific to that race, esp. so as to distinguish it as inferior or superior to another race or races. This mentality of having superior and inferior races began in the 1600s where slave trade was considered to be normal. Slavery was not based on racial discrimination...
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...Americans are moving toward Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream of racial equality, yet a gap between races remains. This racial segregation is prevalent in the media, particularly in advertisements, magazines, and television. Today’s media have been more inclusive of different ethnic minorities, as the numerical representation of, for example, African Americans has increased. The media, however, have been condemned for exhibiting and perpetuating the racism still existent in our culture. This critique is due mainly in part to the media’s contribution to the social construction of minority stereotypes. Through the media, stereotypes generally distort the images of minority groups, thereby revealing white Americans’ attitudes toward minorities, particularly African Americans. The most dominant attitude promulgated by the media is one that emphasizes low status roles of African Americans. Although more minorities are being represented in contemporary media, the progression of race relations is often diminished by racist overtones that insinuate inferiority of African Americans. Subordination of African Americans through media stereotypes reflects an asymmetrical stance on race relations. An asymmetric race relation is founded in the notions of white domination and black inferiority, with whites on the higher end of the seesaw. While most degrading stereotypical portrayals of African Americans as slaves, porters, coons, and bucks, have faded, depictions of African Americans still remain...
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