Stereotypes Of Black Males

Stereotyping has always been a part of society and unfortunately this leads to the quick judgment of people. Before even meeting a person, someone may have already formed an opinion of another person simply because of the color of their skin or the way that they look. This stereotyping is what leads to racism and discrimination. One stereotype that leads to racism in particular is the stereotype of blacks, and in particular black males. The current stereotype of a black male is a person that is poor and is also a criminal. This stereotype casts a very negative light over the black community and leads to unfair treatment.

According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, 1 in every 3 black males is expected to face some jail time. Black males now make up approximately 36% of the inmates incarcerated. Statistics like these are what have continued to keep the black male stereotype alive. This stereotype also leads to discrimination and unfair treatment from police. Law enforcement may be more suspicious of a black male than of a white male. According to a one study, black males are approximately three times as likely to be searched on a routine
pullover than a white male. Also blacks are more likely to experience force by police than whites (Bureau of Justice Statistics). This shows that police may take more precautions when dealing with black males than they would with white males.

Recently in the news there has been an outcry from the public about unarmed black males being killed by police.
In Ferguson, Missouri people protested after the unarmed killing of Michael Brown by police. These people felt that the police were less hesitant to use deadly force because Brown was a black male. They felt that if Brown was not black police would not have been so quick to react with deadly force. Many blacks feel that they are targeted by police simply for their skin color. This creates more tension between blacks and law enforcement and in turn adds to the stereotype of black males being criminals. The difficulty with breaking these stereotypes is that many people do not like to change their ways or views even if it is for the better. This is a main reason why these stereotypes have continued to stay the
same.

Poverty levels have also contributed to the stereotype of all blacks being poor. Poverty rates for blacks have are now at 28.1% (US Census Bureau 2012 ACS Report). The stereotype that black people are poor has also affected the way that law enforcement sees blacks. If police see a black person in a nice car they may think that they may have stole the vehicle. This may be another reason why black people have a higher rate of their car being searched and pulled over, some people have called this “driving while black”. Police may pullover a car if they feel that the person in the car is suspicious or may be hiding contraband. This judgment call has proven that blacks are about twice as likely to be searched and pulled over than whites (ACLU). These statitics once again prove that police also have the stereotype of a black male that the rest of society has too.

However simply viewing black males differently will not change the current stereotype. Some black males may try to fill the current stereotype because that is what they feel society wants them to do. They feel that they are already judged as a criminal so they might as well fulfill this stereotype. Some black males hold grudges against both police and other races because they feel they have been stereotyped in an extremely negative light. In order to change a stereotype both people must be willing to change.