Mass Media and Continuation of African American Stereotypes

“Mass Media is defined as the channels of communication that produce and distribute songs, novels, newspapers, movies, internet services, and other products distributed to a large group of people (Campbell 11)”. Media was first distributed only through spoken word and by now the year of 2008 technology has created a global transit system which media can be distributed to millions of people within minutes. This fast movement of information has created a smaller and more personal globe than that was unimaginable even from the birth of our parents. With the ever improving technology the world can only feel smaller, but what are the problems associated with this lightning fast communication? With sudden rush of information flooding our systems what has been the consequence or consequences of this onslaught of media? The answer is that mass media has created negative images for African Americans by forcing stereotypes which have been deeply rooted in culture since the age of slavery. By examining popular culture and media beginning with the 1960’s, we can see the influence of these stereotypes in today’s culture.

Stereotypes can be described as portrayals directed towards a certain group or groups of people. A stereotype is created order to make responses not towards the individual but aimed directly towards the type or grouping (Grossberg 235). When one looks back through the years, it is easy to observe the stereotypes that were directed towards African Americans through such forms of media as television and cinema. The population was hand fed media which defined social groups with images that forced many groups to act with the expectations of their stereotypes in accordance to the images transmitted to the population.

African American stereotypes are evidently clear in the examination of certain television and cinema programs beginning with the 1960s. Starting from the 1970’s saw the creation of the television show Good Times, which featured James Evans as the father, who could not read, perpetuating their poverty as he was forced to take low paying jobs in order to keep their house in the “ghetto” (Senghas 2). Another television show portraying African American males as stereotypes was the The Black and White Ministrel, which first aired on BBC in 1958 (Bakken 4). These two examples perpetuate the stereotypes of Sambo and Ministeral towards the African American male.

These stereotypes have deep founded roots dating back to the era of slavery.
Ministerals got their start before the Civil War where African Americans were not allowed to perform but were replaced by rich white men dressed in black face paint. Ministerals became widely unpopular after the Civil Rights movement during the 1960’s but it still influences mass media in today’s society. The
Sambo stereotype incorporates the view of African Americans as subhuman beings where, because of their color, were viewed as being physically incapable of taking care of themselves. African Americans were viewed as being child-like in personality without the ability to function rationally as proper members of society. Both stereotypes combined to create image of male African Americans as lazy, buffoons, or as uneducated. These stereotypes would ingrain the view of African American males as comic relief for white characters, where black characters were viewed as a jester and not seen as important characters (Bakken
8).

Unjust representations of African American males did not only exist in television but was also perpetuated through their portrayal in cinematic movies from the 1960’s. The Civil Rights movement did little to sway the stereotypical picture of the African American male. Blaxploitation films became widely popular during this era and exhibited many stereotypical views of the characters portrayed in these films. The definition of this genre of film is described as to be aimed to a black urban audience which featured African American characters and dealt with the popular fads of the time. These movies would usually feature a setting in the urban ghetto and would deal with much darker subjects such as drug use. Most of these movies were directed by white men which could only contribute to the exploitation of African Americans in society. Such films as Shaft (1971) and The Mack (1975) dealt with subjects such as pimps, drugs, and crime lords (Introduction). These films varied from the goofy and dim-witted portrayal of African Americans on television and began to perpetuate the image of African American men as being a violent group which is still influential in today’s media culture.

African American stereotypes did not only include males figures but also the portrayal of African American females in television and cinema were also affected by deeply rooted racism. The stereotypes of Jezebel and Sapphire also have a long standing tradition in the history of our culture. Stemming from slavery, the Jezebel stereotype was created by slave owners in order to justify their own sexual relations with black females. A Jezebel is described as being a promiscuous, highly sexual, and alluring female which would seduce good white men turning them into sexual deviants. The Sapphire stereotype is driven by the view that African American women are rude, loud, and shrill. It continues the view that African American women are overworked and exhausted due to their uneducated quest to gain a better life (Bakken 4).

African American female stereotypes are best represented in the Blaxploitation era of
filmmaking and the television shows of the 1960s. The stereotype of Jezebel and Sapphire is clearly evident in the television show Amo’s and Andy (1954)
and the film Cleopatra Jones (1973) (Brakken 5). In Amo’s and Andy, Sapphire Williams was an African American woman portrayed as heartless and shrewd. She did not have a major role in this production but would fulfill the stereotypes of that time which influences the media today. Cleopatra Jones main character Cleopatra, uses the image of a beautiful woman to seduce white officers that have connections to her goal of ridding the streets of drug dealers. Cleopatra uses her sexual image as weapon against white men and follows with the genre by attempting to rid the streets of drug dealers. This view of African American woman can also be seen as an influence in the media. The racism may be more prevalent in the past but became engrained in future media projects (Introduction).

Studying past stereotypes allows the reader to understand that racism is not forgotten but hidden within current television and cinematic media. Current media might seem that it has advanced past the stereotypical view of African Americans but this not entirely true. By the year 2000 we have seen many more prominent African Americans advance from their subhuman to important characters. The door began to open with Sidney Poitier when he won and Academy Award for the movie Lilies of the Field (1963) and the door remained open for such prominent figures as Bill Cosby and Morgan Freeman (Grossberg 239). Spike Lee’s first feature film, Do the Right Thing (1980), featured strong views of African Americans in the Bronx, where they were faced with racism from a pizza shop owner. The result is an anger filled riot which ends in the killing of a young black man by the hands of a white police officer. This movie offered a different view from the stereotypes associated with the African American male and female, the movie allowed the audience to experience culture in the eyes of an African American.

It is now 2008, and where is all this racism that still exists for African Americans? The truth is that it is still prevalent in the media but is more hidden as we are now more politically correct in our depiction of different authenticities. Many black actors have kept the door wide open in cinema and have released the stereotype of buffoonish jokesters and have created an industry where African
American’s roles are viewed as crucial. Although, racism is still able to be found. Current media such as films have also carried the misconception that African American males are involved with violence and gangs. In the film Boys in the Hood (1991), there are many strong views of African American males such as Try’s father who consoles and cares for him (Balkaran).

The film portrays African American’s as villains where killings and violence is an every day occurrence in the ghetto. Although this allows a paginate view of African American culture in L.A., it continues on the misconception that blacks are in fact militant. As the main characters attempt to gun down the killers of their friend, they are attacked first as children play in the street and also by the house where the main character, Trey, was eventually killed. This continues the stereotype that African Americans are centered along violence. Entman-Rojecki
Index of Race and Media states that

only 8% of serious offenses such as rape, murder, assault, and theft are committed by inner city African Americans.

The most important media pertinent to African American racism is the institution of television mostly dealing with the nightly local or national news programs. Due to the stereotype of African Americans as drug dealers and violent offenders, many news programs focus on disheveling the black community. News programs tend to focus on the stereotyping of African Americans as dangerous and often report stories geared towards fear of African Americans by white citizens. For instance, an African American’s mug shot if more than four times a likely to appear on a news program than that of a white citizen. An African American is more than two times more likely to be shown being restrained by police officers than that of his white counterpart (Entman). The news media portrays African Americans as criminals and continues this stereotype projecting to the globe.

The stereotypes of African Americans in the media have been rooted in our past. Looking back to the era of slavery we can see how racism has been allowed to trickle into our present day situation with the misrepresentation of images forced upon us. Early television shows with African Americans were portrayed as clownish where as present day media, such as films, have portrayed African Americans with a violent nature. The stereotypes represented here are misconceptions created by media which represent a certain minority of African Americans, such as resident of South Central L.A. could in fact be portrayed in light as violent gang banger, but a rural black family would be as far away as the violent misconception created by violent movies.

In conclusion, mass media has allowed the spread of stereotypes that have been spread around the globe and even though the racism has mellowed, it is still prevalent in our current society. It is up to the audience of these mediums to create their own views on certain individuals in ethnic communities and must remove themselves from connecting ethnic misconceptions on an entire group otherwise the African American stereotype will perpetuate into the future.