The current generation has become accustomed to getting all of its information from the various sources of media as opposed to living and learning for themselves. The term media can be applied to newspapers, radio, movies, the internet, and most prevalent television. The media has the power to persuade and create images and stereotypes. With this incredible power comes an even greater responsibility to monitor it and to use it wisely. Unfortunately, the responsibility aspect of it has taken a backseat to the limitless profits that can be made. Ethnic groups are the most stereotyped and negatively portrayed group of individuals in the media.

Thanks to the wondrous world of cinema, there is not an Arab man in America not looked upon as a possible terrorist suspect. That can also be said for individuals with an Oriental heritage, which are portrayed in various forms of the media as penny pinching and mathematical geniuses. Even with these misconceptions, African Americans have suffered through the most severe, offensive, and down right degrading stereotypes ever thought up by the media. Women (even black ones) clutch their purses when a young black male approaches or walks past them, because of the violent nature of black men portrayed on television and in movies.

According to what is seen on television and in movies, the majority of black America is either in a gang, in a prison, or committing a violent crime against an unsuspecting kind hearted and gentle white citizen. I am a thirty two year old black man and sometimes after a movie I have to check my jacket and briefcase to make sure I am not carrying a weapon as well. The images are so vivid and so lifelike that it would be impossible to not at least think they are somewhat true. If the act of stereotyping was confined just to movies or things meant for entertainment then it would not be such a hard pill to swallow. However, the news programs that are aimed at giving society its daily dose of current events does it as well. The eleven o’clock news is always jump started by a story of violence. In many circumstances, the good deeds and uplifting stories are pushed back to be jammed in the last five minutes of the program. It no longer is news as much as it is a speed round of a quiz show with the anchorman trying to read off as many stories as possible in the time allotted. Viewers are only as informed as the information that they are receiving, and when they are only receiving ugly facts how else can they look at us?

The media does take the majority of blame for good reason, but to be truly honest we as a people do provide plenty of material. Every time a rapper is keeping it “real” and gets caught with a gun or drugs it is just like wearing bright colors to a comedy show and sitting in the front. Black people are quick to point fingers at the misconceptions but we move at a snails pace to not give material to the country full of people laughing at us. For every Martin Luther King Jr. that helps to advance our people there are two O. J. Simpson’s that spit in the face of that progress. All of the self inflicted wounds and scars in the world do not serve as an open invitation to stereotype us in an unflattering light.

America was founded on the belief that everyone had something beneficial to give and the country is made up of all nationalities. It is a slap in the face of the founding fathers whenever anyone of a different race or from another country is discriminated against because none of the original Americans were born here. I am not ashamed to be from the culture that I am from, but I am also not proud to be a part of a society that does not understand the individuality of other cultures. Stereotypes are a product of man’s nature to compare things and classify them. This country can begin to live up to everything it was intended to be when perceptions are no longer influenced by misconceptions.