Why Do Misrepresentation Of African Americans
Today we see African Americans depicted in music videos, film, tv shows, news, and many other platforms of entertainment and media, but how many of those representations are correct? Realistically, it is impossible to represent whole racial groups and ethnicities, which is why generalizations and stereotypes are created. But the misrepresentation of African Americans in media and entertainment only further stimulates stigma, racism, mistreatment, and discrimination in and towards the black community.
I believe one of the main reasons as to why the misrepresentation of African Americans causes this is because we learn through reinforcement. When people, especially children see or experience something frequently, it plants a seed in their head
that it is “acceptable”, “normal”, or “just the way things are”. For example, if a child see’s enough movies or t.v shows depicting African American males to be aggressive and disrespectful, they will grow up believing that African American males are, and will be aggressive and disrespectful. The result of which, causes racism and gender discrimination.
Another reason is because the media and entertainment industry feeds off of negative representation. Many people consider the false representation of African Americans to be amusing or entertaining, whether they realize it or not. If depicting African Americans as crime lords or drug dealers gets viewers and money then what does it matter? For example, the show Family Guy has millions of viewers per episode, but who cares if it’s racist and sexist?. It’s funny!
I also believe a large portion of this issue stems from the predominantly White based entertainment and media industry. What I mean by this is that the majority of producers, screenwriters, directors, etcetera, are white men, who see through a white perspective, who focus predominantly on the white consumer. Much of the entertainment industry also targets negative components of the black community such as drug use, crime, and high school dropouts, though each racial group and community struggles within it’s own.
These are just some of the reasons as to how the misrepresentation of African Americans in media and entertainment causes stigma, racism, mistreatment, and discrimination in and towards the black community. And I believe that through awareness, open mindedness, and acceptance, society can eliminate the false depiction of African Americans in the media and entertainment industry.
I believe one of the main reasons as to why the misrepresentation of African Americans causes this is because we learn through reinforcement. When people, especially children see or experience something frequently, it plants a seed in their head
that it is “acceptable”, “normal”, or “just the way things are”. For example, if a child see’s enough movies or t.v shows depicting African American males to be aggressive and disrespectful, they will grow up believing that African American males are, and will be aggressive and disrespectful. The result of which, causes racism and gender discrimination.
Another reason is because the media and entertainment industry feeds off of negative representation. Many people consider the false representation of African Americans to be amusing or entertaining, whether they realize it or not. If depicting African Americans as crime lords or drug dealers gets viewers and money then what does it matter? For example, the show Family Guy has millions of viewers per episode, but who cares if it’s racist and sexist?. It’s funny!
I also believe a large portion of this issue stems from the predominantly White based entertainment and media industry. What I mean by this is that the majority of producers, screenwriters, directors, etcetera, are white men, who see through a white perspective, who focus predominantly on the white consumer. Much of the entertainment industry also targets negative components of the black community such as drug use, crime, and high school dropouts, though each racial group and community struggles within it’s own.
These are just some of the reasons as to how the misrepresentation of African Americans in media and entertainment causes stigma, racism, mistreatment, and discrimination in and towards the black community. And I believe that through awareness, open mindedness, and acceptance, society can eliminate the false depiction of African Americans in the media and entertainment industry.