The Racist Media

Racism in the Media today is so common that it is constantly being looked past by their viewers. We see racism that occurs on a daily basis, but we have become so attuned to it that we no longer give it a second look or try to do anything to stop it. Anyone who is of color is constantly being looked down upon and being talked down. So much that there are rarely, if any, positive things being said. Even though we know that there are in fact many positive things that do happen daily, it is not seen as news if it’s not negative.

When we see race in the media, it’s not something that we totally accept, but it is something that we have become so used to that half the time we don’t notice. Many people make jokes about whenever there is a robbery or some illegal activity that it “must be a black guy”. Many of my friends make similar jokes just to get a laugh out of our group, but the reason for that is because it’s what the media has put in our heads to believe these stereotypes. According to Gallagher, “Today’s criminal – black man is not much different from the historical stereotype of bucks who are ‘always big, badddd niggers, oversexed and savage violent and frenzied as they lust for white flesh’” (293) because that is constantly being shown, it becomes a norm, and something that we believe to be true even though it’s not. On TV we see comedians and numerous television shows that express some type of racism, but it is always made out to be a joke, which creates an opening for us to do the same thing. Instead of fixing the problem the media has created, we allow it to consume us and we go along with it like their little puppets.

The media portrays many African American women a less than a white American woman. According the Gallagher, “Slavery defined African American women as society’s other, which placed then in a category different from that of White women and suggested that that were not true women.” (297) it is so sad to see that this is what the media believes we should treat someone of a different race. Even though we have come so far, it seems that we are still stuck in our racist ways. It’s like we take one step forward and five steps back. Women of color should be seen the same way as white women. Looking back into the times of slavery bring us back and prevents us from moving forward.

Race in the media has become a big issue in today’s culture. We see all types of racism being portrayed on a daily basis, but there is nothing that we can do about it. Relating drugs, rape and robbery to those of different races has become a norm, and it’s something that should be stopped. It is constantly setting us back and not allowing us to move forward.

http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/race/news/2013/03/05/55599/the-medias-stereotypical-portrayals-of-race/

http://www.forbes.com/sites/sportsmoney/2011/06/26/race-as-a-factor-in-the-media-portrayal-of-lebron-james/