Thursday, March 26, 2009
Black Stereotypes!!!!
this is a report i did for my English IV class a few months ago...
Black stereotypes are accepted as truth by many people. A stereotype is “an unwavering truth form or pattern; specifically, a fixed or conventional notion or conception as a person, group of people, idea, ect., held by a number of people, allowing no room for individuality; critical judgment (harmful stereotypes).” For example, on television, the media depicts Black Americans as ‘poor’ twice as much as they really are. African Americans actually account for twenty – four point one percent of America’s poor, although many might assume it to be above fifty percent. It was the late hip-hop icon, Notorious B.I.G., who said “Livin’ life without fear, putting five karats on my baby girls’ ear. Lunches, Brunches, interviews by the pool,
considered a fool, ‘cause I dropped out of high school. Stereotypes of a black man misunderstood, and it’s all good” (Teixiea). In today’s society, the media is negligent in its portrayal of African American culture as an inferior stereotype in comparison to other cultures.
The history behind stereotypes have set the pace the critical judgment that Black Americans receive today. There in an ear that is called the ‘Civil Rights Movement.’ Although this movement was considered to have occurred in the 1950’s and 1960’s with a few of history’s most influential people such as Rosa parks, Malcolm X , and the late great Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., it should not be thought of as the only time in which African Americans worked for racial equality. Unfortunately, we cannot say that this racial equality has yet been achieved. One example of this inequality is seen in the overrepresentation of Black Americans in the jail cells. Also during the late 1990’s, African Americans accounted for fifteen percent of drug users in comparison to the seventy-two percent of drug users who were white. “Media has divided the working and stereotyping young African American males as gangster or drug users. As a result of such treatment, the media have crushed black youths’ perspectives for future employment and advancement” (Balkaran). Although the violent behavior was more common among black females (eleven point seven percent) than that of white females( twenty-two point three percent), the race behavior is broken by the behavior of black males with twenty-three point one percent while white males accounted for twenty-eight point six percent (“stereotypes of African Americans”). “Media stereotype because we stereotype. Our brains classify what we see and we can’t help but notice the differences in physical attributes between one person and another, yet it is not natural to stereotype” (Lester).
It is said that Black Stereotypes have a role in public relationships. Stereotypes will favor one group over another, ultimately causing ill-feelings in the non-favored group. All in all, in some what pigeonholes the members of the non-favored group, possibly causing an educator to obtain unfair expectations of the students of a group. Because of this, teachers can’t see the individual student. This also has a negative effect on the college life. “When I wear my suit in the campus parking lot, everyone is polite to me and knows me. When I change into my workout clothes and go for exercise, the same people I just walked past don’t recognize me and don’t speak to me. When I go out of context, I become invisible, said Franklin Gilliam (Jackson). “Men and women, blacks and whites alike fail to realize that the mass media is a powerful entity with the ability to place…valid images or information in our minds” (Teixiera).
It has been said that all blacks are capable of doing is crime and dropping out of school, yet research has disclosed that most serious crimes such as homicide, rape and robbery, and assault in the inner city are done by a very low percentage of African American youth, some eight percent by estimates (“stereotypes of African Americans”). After all, the tendency to put all Black American males in a category as criminal continues in our society today. Mass media gives minors a negative view at the lifestyles of Black Americans. Some television shows depict African American ways that are false. There is even a video game with an African American character that is only capable of killing people, robbery businesses and innocent people on the street, and having sex. Because African Americans tend to be stereotyped as criminal, many people are startled to find out that the criminalities of black youths are significantly lower when it comes to the use of tobacco, alcohol, and even some drugs (“Stereotypes of African Americans”).
Some said that the name of an accused is twice as likely to be on the television on in the local newspaper reports if the defendant is a Black American rather than white. Some even say that an African American is twice as likely to be shown physically restrained in the local television news reports rather than a white defendant. “If that’s the only image that they get of a black male teenager, it’s a highly distorted picture,” said Lori Daforman (“Stereotypes of African Americans”).
The is a book called The Black Image in the White Mind: Media and Race in America by Robert Entman and Andrew Rojecki, found blacks still disproportionally depicted as ‘ghettoized’ into crime, sports, and entertainment coverages. Research says that Black American youth are less as likely to report using substances than that of their White or Hispanic peers. People believe that “black characters are less likely to be the intellectual drivers of problem solving,” (“Stereotypes of African Americans”). One truth is that most Black Americans are not ‘poor’, and most of Americas poor are not black. African Americans have been misrepresented for many different reasons. “Although the FBI statistics show that most violent crimes involve others of the same race, there is a common misconception that crimes by black people against white people are most common” (“Stereotypes of African Americans”).
While Africans seem to be stereotyped often, they are not the only ones who are facing this kind of critical judgment. The list goes on and on: African Americans are good at sports, Latino Americans are all apart of a gang, Native Americans are alcoholics, Lesbians prefer short hair, elders need constant care, the physically challenged always need help, the homeless are drug addicts, and rockers are emotional. It seems as though all people are stereotyped without the ones who judge getting to know them. Pastor Charles E. Richardson says, “If you don’t want to be stereotypes as a ‘hoodlum’, don’t go out in public with a do-rag and sagged pants. Pick you pants up, put a belt on, speak well, and you’ll be that much more closer to your goal” (Richardson).
Black stereotypes are accepted as truth by many people. A stereotype is “an unwavering truth form or pattern; specifically, a fixed or conventional notion or conception as a person, group of people, idea, ect., held by a number of people, allowing no room for individuality; critical judgment (harmful stereotypes).” For example, on television, the media depicts Black Americans as ‘poor’ twice as much as they really are. African Americans actually account for twenty – four point one percent of America’s poor, although many might assume it to be above fifty percent. It was the late hip-hop icon, Notorious B.I.G., who said “Livin’ life without fear, putting five karats on my baby girls’ ear. Lunches, Brunches, interviews by the pool,
considered a fool, ‘cause I dropped out of high school. Stereotypes of a black man misunderstood, and it’s all good” (Teixiea). In today’s society, the media is negligent in its portrayal of African American culture as an inferior stereotype in comparison to other cultures.
The history behind stereotypes have set the pace the critical judgment that Black Americans receive today. There in an ear that is called the ‘Civil Rights Movement.’ Although this movement was considered to have occurred in the 1950’s and 1960’s with a few of history’s most influential people such as Rosa parks, Malcolm X , and the late great Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., it should not be thought of as the only time in which African Americans worked for racial equality. Unfortunately, we cannot say that this racial equality has yet been achieved. One example of this inequality is seen in the overrepresentation of Black Americans in the jail cells. Also during the late 1990’s, African Americans accounted for fifteen percent of drug users in comparison to the seventy-two percent of drug users who were white. “Media has divided the working and stereotyping young African American males as gangster or drug users. As a result of such treatment, the media have crushed black youths’ perspectives for future employment and advancement” (Balkaran). Although the violent behavior was more common among black females (eleven point seven percent) than that of white females( twenty-two point three percent), the race behavior is broken by the behavior of black males with twenty-three point one percent while white males accounted for twenty-eight point six percent (“stereotypes of African Americans”). “Media stereotype because we stereotype. Our brains classify what we see and we can’t help but notice the differences in physical attributes between one person and another, yet it is not natural to stereotype” (Lester).
It is said that Black Stereotypes have a role in public relationships. Stereotypes will favor one group over another, ultimately causing ill-feelings in the non-favored group. All in all, in some what pigeonholes the members of the non-favored group, possibly causing an educator to obtain unfair expectations of the students of a group. Because of this, teachers can’t see the individual student. This also has a negative effect on the college life. “When I wear my suit in the campus parking lot, everyone is polite to me and knows me. When I change into my workout clothes and go for exercise, the same people I just walked past don’t recognize me and don’t speak to me. When I go out of context, I become invisible, said Franklin Gilliam (Jackson). “Men and women, blacks and whites alike fail to realize that the mass media is a powerful entity with the ability to place…valid images or information in our minds” (Teixiera).
It has been said that all blacks are capable of doing is crime and dropping out of school, yet research has disclosed that most serious crimes such as homicide, rape and robbery, and assault in the inner city are done by a very low percentage of African American youth, some eight percent by estimates (“stereotypes of African Americans”). After all, the tendency to put all Black American males in a category as criminal continues in our society today. Mass media gives minors a negative view at the lifestyles of Black Americans. Some television shows depict African American ways that are false. There is even a video game with an African American character that is only capable of killing people, robbery businesses and innocent people on the street, and having sex. Because African Americans tend to be stereotyped as criminal, many people are startled to find out that the criminalities of black youths are significantly lower when it comes to the use of tobacco, alcohol, and even some drugs (“Stereotypes of African Americans”).
Some said that the name of an accused is twice as likely to be on the television on in the local newspaper reports if the defendant is a Black American rather than white. Some even say that an African American is twice as likely to be shown physically restrained in the local television news reports rather than a white defendant. “If that’s the only image that they get of a black male teenager, it’s a highly distorted picture,” said Lori Daforman (“Stereotypes of African Americans”).
The is a book called The Black Image in the White Mind: Media and Race in America by Robert Entman and Andrew Rojecki, found blacks still disproportionally depicted as ‘ghettoized’ into crime, sports, and entertainment coverages. Research says that Black American youth are less as likely to report using substances than that of their White or Hispanic peers. People believe that “black characters are less likely to be the intellectual drivers of problem solving,” (“Stereotypes of African Americans”). One truth is that most Black Americans are not ‘poor’, and most of Americas poor are not black. African Americans have been misrepresented for many different reasons. “Although the FBI statistics show that most violent crimes involve others of the same race, there is a common misconception that crimes by black people against white people are most common” (“Stereotypes of African Americans”).
While Africans seem to be stereotyped often, they are not the only ones who are facing this kind of critical judgment. The list goes on and on: African Americans are good at sports, Latino Americans are all apart of a gang, Native Americans are alcoholics, Lesbians prefer short hair, elders need constant care, the physically challenged always need help, the homeless are drug addicts, and rockers are emotional. It seems as though all people are stereotyped without the ones who judge getting to know them. Pastor Charles E. Richardson says, “If you don’t want to be stereotypes as a ‘hoodlum’, don’t go out in public with a do-rag and sagged pants. Pick you pants up, put a belt on, speak well, and you’ll be that much more closer to your goal” (Richardson).
Monday, March 2, 2009
Know It's Alright
For all those who are facing life struggles, remember that one must hurt before they can heal. When things don't work just how you like, know that God is in control of your life. All things will work together for you. I find now that aolt of people say "Encourage Yourself", yet some people cant. Some dont know how because life has beat them up so much. So I want to encourage whoever is reading this, to keep going on, keep moving on, and know it's alright.
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