African American Stereotypes In The Media

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They say the government mislead the youth? Tell them that there, is the truth. Society telling us the meaning of beauty and the feeling of beauty but where is the ending of confused? Throughout the 20th century and continuing through the 21st century, the United States of America is more diverse than it has ever been. While being more diverse than previously, minorities are continuously being portrayed as less than they are worth. Minorities have made significant strides towards equality in American society. Three examples the media uses to persuade individual's perception of other ethnic groups is through creating a perception that being Caucasian is the standard beauty, misrepresentation of other races, and favoritism towards certain races …show more content…

Television often portrays African-American in unfavorable positions in comparison to Caucasians. African Americans are portrayed as lazy, unintelligent, and loud. The most common African American stereotypes shown in films follow as such; the thug male, the brash woman and the maid or butler. The thug male is usually an African American male who lives in the inner city or in a worn down ghetto. They dress in baggy clothing with a lot of jewelry and are shown hanging out on street corners carrying guns and doing drug deals. The next two roles are less racist, but remain demeaning nonetheless. The brash woman is typically loud and obnoxious, with often proclamations of how independent she is and very vibrant body language. This stereotype is one that is very common on how individuals view African American women. The maid/butler role is demeaning because of the role the character plays in the family. Usually they cater to a white family. This is even more belittling. It creates the sense that African Americans are beneath the family and must work for …show more content…

Rather than racism leaving a flagrant stain upon cinema, it is a shadow that lurks in the background. Instead of blackface, there is whitewashing. “Whitewashing” is generally defined as choosing a “white male or female to portray a character who is originally of an ethnic background.” Whitewashing can be seen in the 2015 film, ‘Aloha’ and ‘The Martian’. In ‘Aloha’, Emma Stone portrays a Native Hawaiian woman named Allison Ng. In ‘The Martian’, Mackenzie Davis plays a character who was Koren in the original novel. The entertainment industry continues to shamelessly whitewash. If film roles continue to be whitewashed, children will continue to develop unhealthy conceptions of racial equality. If children see more positive and empowering depictions of POC (people of color) especially in film and television, it will undoubtedly begin to have a powerful

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