Media Stereotyping

In today’s society, stereotypes play a major role in how people perceive things. Stereotypes are labels that are put upon a certain group of people. These labels are usually put in a derogatory matter and discriminate against the group in attack. In the media stereotypes of different ethnic groups still persist to this day. Even though the media has worked on making ethnic stereotypes more subtle, the white portrayal of certain groups still implies an unconstructive image. These stereotypes have a negative affect because it is hard to gain race unity if ethnic groups are being discriminated upon.
In the media, African Americans, Asians, Latinos, Native Americans, and many other groups, are portrayed based on America’s dominant view of their actions and abilities. Although the media often gets the wrong idea about ethnic stereotypes, they are still widely accepted across the nation. These stereotypes are harmful and have a pessimistic affect on the ethnic groups that are being targeted.

For example, when we look at the TV or movie roles that Asian people play, most of their roles are side roles, and they rarely get the main part. Many Asian actors like Jackie Chan and Jet Li play the role of being very talented martial artists. Most, if not all of Jackie Chan and Jet Li’s movies are all about action and martial arts. In society, many people see Asians as being very successful and smart. Because of this, many Asians we see on television or in movies are given the roles as geeks, nerds, and being very good at math and academics.
Latinos are also portrayed in a very derogatory way. When we watch movies, or TV shows, many Latinos play gang members and gardeners. In the very popular show called Desperate Housewives, Jesse Metcalfe plays a Latino gardener who has an affair with the lady who hired him. In many movies, Latina women play the roles of maids to very rich families or the roles of promiscuous women.

A major controversy that we face today is how African Americans are portrayed in the media. There are many stereotypes that African Americans face. Even though black Americans have adequate visibility in the media, they are negatively portrayed as being very violent and criminal minded. In TV shows, they are depicted as saying a lot of bad words and as being the bad guy. They are seen as robbing banks, murdering people, selling drugs, and being uneducated. Many people portray black Americans as being talented athletes and good entertainers. Because of this, many major roles that African Americans play are about sports and music. TV shows and movies are not the only type of media that portrays ethnic groups in an insulting way.
Local TV news reports also show discrimination towards black Americans. If we observe the types of reports that news casters give, they focus a lot on violence and criminal activity. In the book “The Black Image and the White Mind,” written by Robert Entman and Andrew Rojecki, they talk about how television news focuses a lot on black poverty and crime. They say that the news depictions of black activity are out of proportion, in comparison to the real black lifestyle. Entman and Rojecki found that in local news, a mug shot of a black person is 4 times more likely to be aired, than a mug shot of a white person. An accused black man is 2 times more likely to be shown being arrested, than a white man who is accused. These findings show that there is an evident form of discrimination against black people in the media. Although this discrimination may not be on purpose, the fact that black criminal activity has more air time than white criminal activity makes society believe that the stereotypes that are put upon black people are true.
Negative media stereotyping affects all races—from black to whites. We can imply that white society learns about other ethnic groups based on portrayals in the media. If society can accept reality, and the real lifestyles of minority groups, we can conclude that media stereotypes have no correlation to reality. Not all Asians are smart or good at math. Many black Americans are educated and actually try to fight criminal activity within the community. Latinos are not always gangsters or the gardener next door. If white society accepts the world for what it really is, and ignores media stereotyping, then the unity of all races can be achieved.

BY: CuBby "KUMA" GOLDEN