Premium Essay

The Betrayal Of African Americans In The Media

Submitted By
Words 250
Pages 1
The United States is supposed to be one of the most culturally diverse nations in the world today although, the media tells a different story. While somethings have improved, the betrayal of African Americans in media continue to have a long way to go, especially for African American females. The audiences are willing to accept such damaging images of black women for the sake of entertainment because the media sets the tone for the morals, values, and images of our culture. Many people in our country continue to believe the degrading stereotypes of African Americans are based off reality. Everything that society thinks about African Americans is determined by what they see in the media. This should not be a surprise because black people have

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Love And Hate War: The Civil Rights Movement

...Love / Hate War “There comes a time when silence is betrayal (King Jr.) “The movement called black lives matter could be said to be a more advanced Civil Rights Movement of 1868. Black lives matter is a more advanced movement from the Civil Rights. Focusing on the racism exhibited towards blacks (or people of color). The black lives matter movement got its uproar in 2013 when young, Trayvon Martin was shot and killed, he was subjected to an unfair trial and received no justice. The controversy of the black lives matter movement does not cause any harm as if it only benefits society. The awareness of what is really going on right now in the country would not be as focused on and addressed if it wasn’t for the black lives matter movement. The...

Words: 862 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

The Melting Pot Illusion

...The Melting Pot Illusion: Understanding Race and Power by Rethinking American History Race in Media Mid-Term Paper April 18, 2014 When it comes to race in the United States, America has always thought of itself as a racial and ethnic melting pot. This “melting pot” message has always been known throughout the world as a key aspect of America’s national identity, built on the promise that all people of various colors, races and ethnic backgrounds are afforded basic civil freedoms and opportunities to pursue their dreams within a democratic society. In fact, in school classrooms throughout the United States, where most of us received our initial understanding of American history, we often witness a romanticized narrative of Americans striving forward towards progress with limited or partial understanding of race, the complex story of Native Americans and their removal from conquered lands, and the enslavement of African-Americans. The purpose of this essay is to rethink prior understandings of American history and what race means, as well as how it has determined and limited citizenship and opportunity for some Americans, by exploring the voices in author Howard Zinn and Anthony Arnove’s book Voices of a People’s History of the United States and other literary sources, and what American citizenship means to those not designated white, rich or male. The definition and concept of race, a human classification system used to group human beings into large and distinct...

Words: 2171 - Pages: 9

Premium Essay

Gorilla My Love

...Gorilla My Love • Themes Betrayal The main theme of "Gorilla, My Love," and the thread that ties the two sections of the story together, is the idea of betrayal. Specifically, Hazel comes to believe that adults, who should have children's best interests at heart, cannot in fact be trusted to tell the truth where children are concerned. In the middle section of the story, which comes first chronologically, Hazel has already learned that "Grownups figure they can treat you just anyhow. Which burns me up?" She demands her money back from the theater because "I get so tired grownups messin over kids just cause they little and can't take em to court." But she does not have in mind the adult members of her own family. They have taught her to be truthful and to hold people to their word. As Granddaddy Vale puts it, "if that's what I said, then that's it." In a world where adults routinely take advantage of children, being able to count on one's family (as gangsters can count on their partners) is important protection. But Hunca Bubba has not only changed his name to Jefferson Winston Vale but decided to marry a woman his own age, and Hazel's family seems to be offering only double-talk in his defense. He is not changing his name, but changing it back, they say. The promise to marry Hazel was "just teasin," not a real promise at all. This strikes Hazel as the ultimate betrayal, because now her beloved uncle and Granddaddy show themselves to be no better than the rest of them. Completely...

Words: 2836 - Pages: 12

Premium Essay

Zadie Smith Speaking In Tongues Summary

...The United States has a disappointing history of treating minorities, or non-whites, with apathetic behavior. The Civil Rights Movement, which has roots in the 19th century and peaked in the 1960s, reversed the trend and granted African Americans with anti-discriminatory legislation. Because of this, almost every minority within the country has followed the Civil Rights Movement as a guide for achieving equal treatment. In her essay, “Speaking in Tongues”, Zadie Smith outlines the differences of those with a single voice, or the native dialect, versus people who utilize a multitude of voices. Furthermore, this relates to the Civil Rights Movement because the leaders who were “lettered” had their own voice in addition to other voices which provided...

Words: 1202 - Pages: 5

Free Essay

Docx

...Joshua Steven Duarte CJS/221 June 20, 11:59 PM Ben Harm (Instructor) Patterns of Discrimination in Police Agencies Paper Introduction: Discrimination is the unjust or prejudicial treatment of different groups of people or things because of their race, gender, ethnicity, or belief. Sense the founding of the United States and even well before it, discrimination has been the source or strife and conflict in society. Whether this is because of one side’s belief of racial superiority or because of cultural diversity, the fact remains that it is a problem that continues to exist even today. One area I think that bares special mention to how discrimination has continued to exist to this extent is the criminal justice system. Sense the day the Emancipation proclamation was first declared in 1863 to the era civil rights movement (1954-1968), we’ve made many strives in accepting numerous cultures, but where does that leave today? There are three areas of discrimination that bare special intention, institutionalized discrimination, contextual discrimination, and individual acts of discrimination, what they mean and how they compare with the concept “pure justice”. Pure justice is the conceptual belief that there is no discrimination at any place or time in the criminal justice system. But does such a principle exist in the world of criminal justice...

Words: 1947 - Pages: 8

Premium Essay

Farno

...AAS2010 Introduction to African American Studies Comment Paper #3 3/14/2011 Dr. King speaks of the struggle as a hope for the poor and oppressed, regardless of race or creed as Ho Chi Minh fought for the liberty of his people over the corrupt Dieu regime. Noting he had several major reasons for commenting on Vietnam, the most apparent and obvious of the irony that we “have been repeatedly faced with the cruel irony of watching Negro and white boys on TV screens as they kill and die together for a nation that has been unable to seat them together in the same schools” (King). King referred to a cruel manipulation of the poor, those youth with education or money were exempt from a war, sending poor youth and minorities into a country and fighting a war they did not understand, fighting for liberty of the people in Vietnam while killing side by side, yet they would not be able to eat in the same room or live on the same block in America. From the Japanese, French and later American involvement, the Vietnamese have been embroiled in 116 constant years of warfare and oppression, betrayed by the Japanese, betrayed by the French and anticipating and inevitable betrayal from the blatant lies of the U.S.A. King mentions this distrust of the Vietnamese against the United States and how “Hanoi remembers how our leaders refused to tell us the truth about the earlier North Vietnamese...

Words: 820 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

African American Stereotypes

...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...

Words: 6681 - Pages: 27

Free Essay

Still to Come

...inclusion in Research Papers by an authorized administrator of OpenSIUC. For more information, please contact opensiuc@lib.siu.edu. NOLLYWOOD: A CASE STUDY OF THE RISING NIGERIAN FILM INDUSTRYCONTENT & PRODUCTION by Toyin Elizabeth Giwa B.S., Southern Illinois University, 2010 A Research Paper Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Master of Science Department of Mass Communication and Media Arts in the Graduate School Southern Illinois University Carbondale August 2014 Copyright by ELIZABETH TOYIN GIWA, 2014 All Rights Reserved REASEARCH PAPER APPROVAL NOLLYWOOD: A CASE STUDY OF THE RISING NIGERIAN FILM INDUSTRY CONTENT & PRODUCTION By Elizabeth Toyin Giwa A Research Paper Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in the field of Professional Media and Media Management Approved by: Dr. Kavita Karan, Chair Graduate School Southern Illinois University Carbondale March 28, 2014 AN ABSTRACT OF THE RESEARCH OF ELIZABETH GIWA, for the Master of Science degree in PROFESSIONAL MEDIA AND MEDIA MANAGEMENT, presented on MARCH 28, 2014, at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. TITLE: NOLLYWOOD: A CASE STUDY OF THE RISING NIGERIAN FILM INDUSTRYCONTENT &...

Words: 11483 - Pages: 46

Premium Essay

Police Brutality Research Paper

...Law enforcement in the nation is a state’s responsibility. Police are on the front line of society’s efforts to resolve conflict. That’s why police brutality is such a betrayal of our peer’s sense of safety from its state law enforcement systems. Police brutality is when the police uses excessive force, usually physical, but also forms of verbal attacks and intimidation, against any person. Police brutality is nothing new to the American people. No matter what state you’re in, what race you are, or your gender, everyone has seen or experienced some type of police brutality. Attitudes towards the police is not the sole function of race or class; they are also affected by the resident’s perceptions of the community’s social capital. Over the...

Words: 3299 - Pages: 14

Premium Essay

Hip Hop: Song Analysis

...a ubiquitous form of music in the nation, influencing the youth with its edgy music and empathetic lyrics. First pioneered in the streets of New York as a response to the oppression of blacks during the civil rights movement, hip hop and its successful influence on its listeners, especially the black youth, was able to thrive due to its uncanny ability to adapt and respond to the problems that that era presents. From the socially and politically conscious hip hop (SPC hip hop) during the civil rights movements to the mainstream music we hear on the radio today, the difference in message projected by today’s modern, hyper-masculine hip hop onto society compared with that of SPC hip hop has become a controversial subject criticized by American media such as Byron Hurt’s movie “Hip Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes” and Tricia Rose’s article “There Are Bitches and Hoes.” With regards to the negatives that hip-hop music could have on society, the songs “Let Nas Down” by J. Cole, “Come Get Me” by Jay-Z and “Bitches Ain’t Shit” by YG each respectively complicate, exemplify and extend Hurt’s claims that hip hop artists solely produce generic, hyper masculine mainstream music for the production of records; glorify violence and negatively portray women as sexual objects in order to prove their man hood. When the song “Let Nas Down” by J. Cole is analyzed through a historical context and compared to Hurt’s claim that hip hop artists solely produce mainstream music for their own benefit to...

Words: 1557 - Pages: 7

Free Essay

Hbr Article

...The Marketplace of Perceptions Like all revolutions in thought, this one began with anomalies, strange facts, odd observations that the prevailing wisdom could not explain. Casino gamblers, for instance, are willing to keep betting even while expecting to lose. People say they want to save for retirement, eat better, start exercising, quit smoking—and they mean it—but they do no such things. Victims who feel they’ve been treated poorly exact their revenge, though doing so hurts their own interests. Such perverse facts are a direct a≠ront to the standard model of the human actor— Economic Man—that classical and neoclassical economics have used as a foundation for decades, if not centuries. Economic Man makes logical, rational, self-interested decisions that weigh costs against benefits and maximize value and profit to himself. Economic Man is an intelligent, analytic, selfish creature who has perfect self-regulation in pursuit of his future goals and is unswayed by bodily states and feelings. And Economic Man is a marvelously convenient pawn for building academic theories. But Economic Man has one fatal flaw: he does not exist. When we turn to actual human beings, we find, instead of robot-like logic, all manner of irrational, self-sabotaging, and even 50 March - Apr il 2006 Behavioral economics explains why we procrastinate, buy, borrow, and grab chocolate on the spur of the moment. by Craig Lambert Portraits by Stu Rosner altruistic behavior. This is such a routine observation...

Words: 8018 - Pages: 33

Premium Essay

Eth Fianl

...Rachel Parson Eth 125 Week 9 Dec. 18, 2012 This is what I had learned about Cultural Diversity in the United Stated to help me better understand and relate to others is people are different and coming from different backgrounds and culture, people are similar even though they are coming from all over the world. When I moved to Portland Maine about a year ago, I was surprised to learn there were many African Refugees that new to the United States; they had moved to moved for better benefits. They are presented in their African clothing, which are brightly colored somewhat sheets that they wrap around their bodies and heads, which is very appealing. When it was hot outside, I could not figure out how they could stand the heat. I then remembered that they are from Africa, and their clothing style is very important to them like it is here in the United States with our catchy styles and brand name products, we are very similar and the same, wanting to look fashionable. Learning that coming from a White Irish racial background, in Ireland there are two groups of Irish people. The Southern Irish people are Protestants and the Northern Ireland (ie Belfast, Donegal, Derry) are Catholics and have been many battles and bloodshed over this religious conflict that still although not in the same intensity as today, however, it is still going on and major issue. Irish people have a tendency to like to drink a large amount and know how to enjoy themselves. They are very kind...

Words: 1507 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Summary Of Howard Zinn's Violence: The Double Standard

...psychological effects of the act. Zinn also points out how we perceive people differently, “The idea, I believe is based on two failures of vision: one is failure to recognize how much overt violence has characterized our behavior toward other nationalities, other races - outgroups of our society; the other is a failure to recognize the place of violence - both overt and hidden - in whatever important change has occurred in American history.” I like how Zinn uses America as his example because this country, throughout history has used violence to enforce nonviolence. Zinn also talks about the double standard of social change and peace. Social change is not possible without violence, but peace cannot coexist in this situation. If peace is valued over violence, then social change is sacrificed. I find it...

Words: 1693 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

I Have a Dream

...Luther King, Jr. delivering "I Have a Dream" at the 1963 Washington D.C. Civil Rights March. | "I Have a Dream"30-second sample from "I Have a Dream" speech by Martin Luther King, Jr. | Problems listening to this file? See media help. | "I Have a Dream" is a public speech by American activist Martin Luther King, Jr.. It was delivered by King on August 28, 1963, in which he called for an end to racism in the United States. Delivered to over 250,000 civil rights supporters from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, the speech was a defining moment of the American Civil Rights Movement.[1] Beginning with a reference to the Emancipation Proclamation, which freed millions of slaves in 1863,[2] King examines that: "one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free".[3] At the end of the speech, King departed from his prepared text for a partly improvised peroration on the theme of "I have a dream", possibly prompted by Mahalia Jackson's cry: "Tell them about the dream, Martin!"[4] In this part of the speech, which most excited the listeners and has now become the most famous, King described his dreams of freedom and equality arising from a land of slavery and hatred.[5] The speech was ranked the top American speech of the 20th century by a 1999 poll of scholars of public address.[6] Contents  [hide]  * 1 Background * 1.1 Speech title and the writing process * 2 The speech * 2.1 Similarities and allusions * 3 Responses...

Words: 2912 - Pages: 12

Premium Essay

Aa Sex

...with clothing and other merchandise. The reason this constant demeaning of women exists is because rap as a genre that rewards the objectification of women. The excuses used to justify the misogyny in rap are incomplete and lack accurate support. The most effective way for this continuous cycle ends, 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. Women need to act sooner rather than later because in recent years the rap industry has become more and more sexual. Ra... ... middle of paper ... ...Society 113 (2000): 255-69. JSTOR. 29 November 2009 . McLune, Jennifer. "Hip-Hop's Betrayal of Black Women." Perspective on Contemporary Issues. 5th ed. Boston: Wadsworth Cengag Learning, 2009. 247-51. Print. Thrash, Rodney. "Women Say Rap Videos Demean, Not Define." St. Petersburg Times 14 June 2005. 29 November 2009 . Williams, Dana. "Beyond Rap: Musical Misogyny." Teaching Tolerance (2003): 213-15. Tolerance in the News. 12 Aug. 2003. 29 November 2009 Rap Music's Influence Upon Teenagers :: 6 Works Cited Length: 1389...

Words: 5327 - Pages: 22