Television has been is one of most
effective ways mass media reaches the eyes and ears of the masses. Its uses
range from broadcasting the news, providing entertainment, educating viewers,
and the list goes on. Unfortunately racism still makes its appearance in the
media today in a few different ways. One of the biggest ways media today
exhibits racism is through promotion of stereotypes in shows and movies. There
is a multitude of different situations in TV shows where people of different
races and ethnicities are playing roles that promote certain stereotypes. It is
so common that it generally goes unnoticed by viewers because of how often
these situations make an appearance in every day TV shows.
If you think
about it, how often do you see black people depicted as criminal thugs? Have
you ever noticed how police are always arresting minorities in cop shows? How
about how Hispanics in shows seem to be a part of a drug cartel or gang? Things
like that occur so often in TV shows that it almost seems normal that people of
other races are generally depicted as the “bad guys”. I know when I see situations
like that in shows or movies, “that’s racist!” is not the first thing that pops
into my head. It is unfortunate because
the media has made it so common that the stereotypes shown carry over into real
life. This can lead to people thinking and believe things such as “All black
people are criminals!” or “All Hispanics are a part of a gang!” because that’s all
they see on the TV. The audience receives constant is exposure to these
stereotypes which leads to its enforcement as it being normal. In Gallaghers book:
Rethinking the Color Line, he makes a
comments on stereotypes that black people receive from the media in his book
that I believe is accurate in todays media. “Today’s criminal – black man is
not much different from the historical stereotype of bucks who are always big,
bad niggers, oversexed and savage violent and frenzied as they lust for white
flesh” (pg.293). If someone has very little interaction with people of
other races, they make take the appearance of these stereotypes to be true
about every member of that specific race or ethnicity. Though it is very apparent that there is
racism in the media, there is very little being done about it.
Not only
does the media enforce stereotypes, but it even turns stereotypes into a source
of comedic entertainment. There are many comedians that only focus their material
around racial stereotypes and turn racism into a laughing matter. Not only do
they promote stereotypes by blatantly exposing them as jokes, but it also sheds
a positive light on racism in general. It can potentially cause the audience to
think racism is more of a joke/ than an actual serious matter. As a result, it
may even hinder attempts to reduce the amount of racial stereotypes in todays media.
So the next time you watch a movie,
comedian, or even your favorite TV show, keep an eye out for the appearance of racial
stereotypes. You may be surprised as to how much the media promotes these
stereotypes without you even being aware of it. The more awareness that people
have regarding how racial stereotypes are enforced in the media, the more
likely there is a chance that they will not be influenced into believing them. If
people start catching on to how riddled the media is by racism, something might
actually be done about dismantling these widespread stereotypes once and for
all.
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