2. • Race, ethnicity and colour, like sex,
comprise sets of genetically
defined, biological characteristics.
• However, as with gender, there are
also cultural elements in those
defining characteristics.
3. Representation of race in the media can
consist of the same sort of rigid stereotypes
that constitute gender portrayal.
However, stereotyping of race is seen as
more harmful than stereotyping of gender, as
media representation may constitute the only
experience of contact with a particular ethnic
group that an audience (particularly an
audience of children) may have.
4. Racial stereotypes are often based on social
myth, perpetuated down the ages.
Thus, the media depiction of, say, Native
American Indians, might provide a child with
their only experience of Native American
Indian culture and characters, and may
provide that child with a set of narrow
prejudices which will not be challenged
elsewhere within their experience
5. The need for a more accurate portrayal of the
diversity of different races is a priority for political
agendas, but, as ever, it seems as though it will take a
while for political thinking to filter through to TV
programme and film-making. Hollywood movies seem
to be particular offenders when it comes to lazy racial
stereotypes.
6. African-American Representation
A lot of work on Race & Media has focused on the
representation of black men and women.
This has partly been because there is a strong African-
American counter-culture which provides viable
alternative role models and demands that they are
represented, and partly because some of the early
racial stereotypes were so obvious and offensive.
7. Little Black Sambo (1935)
Little Black Sambo demonstrates rigid, reductive
stereotyping. But back in 1935 it was seen as harmless
entertainment. If nothing else, this clip helps show
the tremendous cultural shift that has occurred, as
this kind of representation is no longer acceptable
Little Black Sambo
See also the history of Coon Caricature
8. In recent years, the success of actors as
diverse as Denzel Washington, Will Smith,
Halle Berry, Taraji P. Henson, Naomie Harris,
Laurence Fishburne, Keke Palmer and Morgan
Freeman in roles across the board has meant
that black characters in movies and on TV are
no longer 'stock' types. Some of the time.
9. However, there are many negative representations of
black people, portrayals which seem deliberately
designed to inflame the fear and hatred of other
cultures - how positive a representation is the
archetypal African-American gangsta?
Yet these are representations coming from within
black culture itself...
10. Different viewpoints of African-
American Representation
Stop Whining About the Media - is black
representation now 'proportional'?
The Persistent Issue of Black Representation on
Television and why more roles won't fix a thing
I Know Black People— effective satire from Dave
Chappelle
11. Latinos and Asians
(US TV)
Attention is now being paid to the representation of
other ethnic groups, notably Asian Americans and
Latinos, who represent a much larger proportion of
the US population than their TV coverage would
suggest. Things are changing, but not fast enough.
12. MANAA
Media Action Network for Asian Americans
Asian Stereotypes - A memo demanding some
action from Hollywood producers who keep
resorting to stock Asian characters:
13. Asian Americans as foreigners who
cannot be assimilated. Because they are
racially and culturally distinctive from
the American mainstream, Asian people
have been widely seen as unable to be
absorbed into American society.
According to this view, anything Asian is
thus inherently "alien" to America.
14. Asian cultures as inherently predatory. For decades,
Americans have viewed Asian immigrants as "taking"
from this country without giving anything back. This
perception was reinforced by early laws making it
difficult for Asians to immigrate and impossible for
them to become naturalized citizens. Although these
laws have since been repealed, the image of the Asian
as alien predator still infuses popular media. In the
1993 movie "Falling Down," for example, the white
main character accuses a Korean grocer of draining
American resources without bothering to fit into
American society.
15. Asian Americans restricted to clichéd
occupations. Asians and Asian Americans make their
living in a wide array of professions, but too often,
Asian American professionals are depicted in a limited
and predictable range of jobs: restaurant workers,
Korean grocers, Japanese businessmen, Indian cab
drivers, TV anchorwomen, martial artists, gangsters,
faith healers, laundry workers, and prostitutes. This
misrepresents the diversity of the Asian American
work force
16. Asian racial features, names, accents, or mannerisms
as inherently comic or sinister. Because distinctive
Asian characteristics are less common in the United
States, movies and TV shows often fall back on them
for quick and easy gags or gasps
Fisher Stevens as Ben Jabituya
Ben Jabituva
17. Asians relegated to supporting roles in projects with
Asian or Asian American content. Usually, when a
project features Asian subject matter, the main
character will still be white. "The Killing Fields" and
"Seven Years in Tibet" are only two efforts that follow
this "rule."
18. Asian male sexuality as negative or non-existent.
Although Asian women are frequently portrayed as
positive romantic partners for white men
("Sayonara," "The World of Suzie Wong," ad
infinitum), Asian men are almost never positively
paired with women of any race. Western society still
seems to view Asian male sexuality as a problem.
Consequently, Asian men are usually presented either
as threatening corrupters of white women or as
eunuchs lacking any romantic feelings.
19. Unmotivated white-Asian romance. In "Daughter of
the Dragon," the daughter of Fu Manchu lays her eyes
on a British detective and instantly falls in love with
him. "The Bounty" and "Come See the Paradise" also
contain scenes where an Asian woman falls in love
with a white man at first sight. The repetition of this
conceit sends the signal that Asian women are
romantically attracted to white men because they are
white . It insinuates that whiteness is inherently more
important than any other romantic quality and
inherently more appealing than any other skin color.
20. What, no Asians? The movie "Robin Hood:
Prince of Thieves" commendably found a
place for a prominent black character in the
unlikely setting of Medieval England. By
contrast, contemporary TV shows set in large
cities--"L.A. Law," "Chicago Hope," "Murphy
Brown," etc.--don't include a single regular
Asian American character. What's wrong with
this picture? Asian people live all over the
world and in every region of the U.S.
21. Anti-Asian racial slurs going unchallenged.
Words such as "chink," "Chinaman," "Jap,"
"Nip," "gook," "slope," "slant-eye," and
"wog" are offensive to most Asian Americans.
Unfortunately, not all non-Asians recognize
the offensiveness of these terms. For
example, the 1997 movie "Absolute Power"
has one of its heroes use the word
"Chinaman" in an off-handed manner
22. See Also:
Letter from MANAA to Paramount re: The Last
Airbender
An overview of Asian portrayals from The Media
Portrayal Project
Latino Presence on and in US Media
Latino Portrayals in the Media
Race And Culture on Dexter
23. Race on UK TV
Racism on TV in the UK exploded as a global issue in
2007, as Shilpa Shetty was subjected to vicious racial
slurs by her (white) housemates. As Shetty is a well-
loved Bollywood star, there was an outcry in
India, and there were widespread objections to both
her treatment and Channel 4's decision to broadcast
it.
24. A record 40,000+ complaints were logged by
the broadcasters' watchdog, OFCOM. The row
reached the House of Commons, and became
part of a national debate on the
undercurrents in the UK's supposedly multi-
cultural society. Subsequently, Channel 4
became very sensitive when it came to
allegations of racism, and housemate Emily
Parr was speedily removed from the non-
celebrity house later that year for using a
racial epithet
25. However, race remains a hot button
issue on UK TV, both in fiction and non-
fiction programming, largely because
it's always going to attract headlines —
and sell copies of the Daily Mail.
26. Race is inextricably tangled with the
immigration issue and questions of
national identity.
What does it mean to be British in the
2010s? Given that modern Britain is
populated by a diverse range of people,
do national media outlets represent
different colours and ethnicities
proportionally?
Fairly?
27. Whether it's an "all black" episode of
Eastenders or a hard-hitting edition of
Panorama about teenage racists on a
London housing estate, there will
continue to be heated discussions about
how different races are represented,
and how that representation affects the
way people treat each other in reality
28. Task:
Find a clip of any UK TV Drama where there is a negative,
stereotypical representation of race and explain why you
think this a negative portrayal
Find a clip of a UK TV drama where this negative portrayal
isn't present
Explain the differences and contrast the 2 characters,
focusing on how the key micro elements reinforce this
representation.
Your work should be presented as a word document with
annotated images.
