This document discusses racism and stereotypical portrayals of minorities in media. It notes that when thinking of criminals, many envision male minorities. Stereotypes in media representation create predator/prey situations where minorities are always prey. Historical movies often depicted blacks as foolish or criminals, perpetuating racist stereotypes. While some modern movies combat racism, media on the whole still commonly portrays minorities in subservient or criminal roles compared to whites. The document argues racism in media portrayal still exists today and will be difficult to fully eradicate.

1. Race & Media Portrayal
By
Nicholas Shewprasad

2. Introspection
 When one thinks of a criminal or terrorist, what
race/gender usually comes to mind?
 Although it is a very stereotypical question, many of
us think of a male minority.
 Bell hooks states:
 “Stereotypes, however inaccurate, are one form of
representation” (170).
 What does this representation create?

3. Representation
 This stereotypical image is strongly evident through
history.
 Bell hooks writes, “French officials [were] stopping
black people to make sure they were not
terrorists/illegal immigrants” (174).
 This creates a predator/prey situation in which the
minority are always the prey

4. Bell hooks’ Opinion
 Bell hooks strongly agrees that whiteness was the
dominating force in the early colonial times.
 The Blacks were always subservient to the whites,
therefore allowing the whites more freedom to be
violent.
 Through all of the racism over the course of history,
Blacks stereotypically became more deviant, as
portrayed in movies.

5. Racism & Sports
 Within the Stuart Hall readings, there was a
reference to the “villainy” and “heroism” within the
Olympic community.
 Hall goes on to explain that a black athlete who took
drugs encompassed both “heroism and villainy in
world athletics in one black body” (228).
 Heroism = success for the receiving the gold medal in a
sport dominated by the Black community
 Villainy = the usage of drugs to enhance his
performance.

6. Crime in Movies
 Lots of movies on today’s market have involved
terrorists and other devious people due to the
current events that have arisen.
 In reading an academic article about movies
(“Crime in Movies”), the researchers came to the
conclusion that crime, to some people, is seen as a
way to show of their masculinity.
 The crimes usually involved the domination of
another person through physical harm, thus
“showing off” the assaulter’s physical strength.
Article by Sarah Eschholz & Jana Bufkin

7. Crime in Movies (con’t)
 Eschholz & Bufkin write, “The action adventure genre
offers a vivid example, where the hero in the film
commits many criminal acts” (664).
 The action adventure genre is riddled with crime, and the
main actor/actress usually has the help of a minority.
 The famous T.V. movie series “Roots” shows the
measures a black slave would through to achieve
freedom.
 The adventure within the series (fight to freedom) involved
a large amount of devious behavior and is supported by
bell hooks’ concept of whiteness.

8. Race & Media
 Earl Sheridan, a researcher who studied Blacks in
media, came to the conclusion that Blacks have been
constantly displayed as criminals.
 Some movies include “A Nigger in the Woodpile” and
“Uncle Tom’s Cabin”
 These movies stereotypically portrayed Blacks as
“’dancing fools’” (178).
 These movies were combatted by movies that
contained a subtle message of racism’s wrongness.
 Movies include “To Kill a Mockingbird”, “Guess
Who’s Coming to Dinner”, and “The Learning Tree”
Article “Conservative Implications of the Irrelevance of Racism in
Contemporary African American Cinema” – Earl Sheridan

9. “Birth of a Nation” (1915)
 This movie is one of the most controversial movies
ever to be created.
 D.W. Griffith uses racism throughout the movie
 Blacks were seen as bumbling fools and were highly
obsessed with white women
 Ironically, the actors who acted the Blacks were
white actors using Blackface.
 This allowed the white actors to mercilessly ridicule
Blacks in this racial parody

10. Advertising & Racism
 YouTube Clip
 Within the clip, Oprah and Dr. Spencer review how
racism is evident in advertising.
 The African American population watches more TV than
any other minority group.
 They see the symbols of power which are white males, and
beauty is usually portrayed by a white female.
 Barbie is used to show how beauty is portrayed
 Opposite to a African American girl, Barbie is blonde, blue-
eyed, and has white skin.

11. Q&A – Social Media
 YouTube Clip
 This clip answers many of the questions regarding
racism in social media
 Freedom of Speech – Amendment 1- holds true to
social media
 America is shown as one of the most racist countries
as freedom allowed the creation of racist groups
such as the KKK.

12. The World Today
 Throughout media, the minority are in subservient
roles to the white population.
 It’s interesting that the the white population refers
to people with fair/light skin from around the
world, while the Black population primarily refers
to people from the continent of Africa.
 Devious acts within movies are usually done by a
minority
 Blacks are portrayed as thieves, anyone with brown
skin from Asia/Middle East is seen as a terrorist

13. The World Today (con’t)
 Racism is still present today and probably will never be
eradicated because of media portrayal.
 Although the US is the most culturally diverse, the US has a
dark history regarding racism, literally.
 I am sure many minorities, like myself, can relate to
racism since we have all had at least some encounter
with it at some point.
 “Be the change you want to see in the world” –
Mohandas Gandhi
 Racism must end. Gandhi said this after peacefully
bringing down the British Empire in India.