Black Stereotypes In The Media

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Black Stereotypes In The Media

• By.
• Janine, Tierra Matt

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Common Black Stereotypes

• Magical Consisting of or looking for a spiritual
  super power, usually to help their white
  counterpart. Often uneducated with informal
  speech.
• Examples Dick Hallorann, The Shining 1980
• John Coffey The Green Mile 1998
• Papa Justify Wife The Skeleton Key 2005
• Miss Cleo Infomercials 1990s

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Common Black Stereotypes

• Servants Often found in movies, African
  Americans play the butler, maid, bellboy,
  secretaries or waiter in a Caucasian movie/TV
  show.
• Examples Mammy Gone with the Wind 1939
• Juanita Billy Madison 1995
• Aunt Jemima From TV Commercials

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Common Black Stereotypes

• Sassy Overweight Black Woman If not playing
  some sort of servant/maid, many times African
  American women (and men) are cast as mothers or
  grandmothers that are very loud and bold, with a
  take no crap attitude.
• Examples Queen Latifah, Bringing Down The
  House 2003
• Tyler Perry Diary of a Mad Black Woman 2005
• Martin Lawrence Big Mommas House1 2 2000
• Eddie Murphy The Nutty Professor 1996

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Common Black Stereotypes

• Ghetto Drug dealer, ex-con, street hustlers, or
  even just living in the inner city. Blacks often
  play gritty characters, using informal English,
  just trying to better themselves. If not trying
  to better themselves they are put in off-the-wall
  situations to play contrast or opposite to
  someone else (usually white).
• Examples Eddie Murphy 48 Hours 1982
• Flavor Flav Under One Roof 2008
• Wesley Snipes New Jack City 1991

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Common Black Stereotypes

• Athletic Very athletic or the ability to run
  fast is a common black role. This character
  usually very boisterous, openly admitting their
  athletic skills. Basketball is the most common
  sport that we see portrayed by blacks, but
  Football, Baseball and Track and Field are also
  used.
• Examples Jesus Shuttlesworth He Got Game 1998
• Wesley Snipes White Man Cant Jump
  1992
• Cuba Gooding Jr. Jerry McGuire 1996

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Top 100 Black American classic movies

• From blackclassicmovies.com
• Many of the top 100 All-Time Black movies
  portray Black Actors/Actresses in one of the 5
  stereotypical ways.
• Examples

48 Hrs. 1982
Boyz N The Hood 1991
Anna Lucasta 1959
Backstairs at the White House 1979
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The Examples Go on and On
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Falsely Blaming A Black Person

• Many news reports (TV, Newspaper Internet) and
  books are quick to take a white persons word
  when claiming that a Black Person committed a
  crime against them. However when it is a Black
  Person doing the accusing, many times they are
  not taken seriously.

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Examples
Susan Smith initially reported to police, on
October 25, 1994, that she had been carjacked by
a black man who drove away with her sons still in
the car. She eventually Confessed to killing her
2 kids.
Ashley Todd Reported she was robbed at
knifepoint by a black man who carved the letter
B in her face, because of a bumper sticker
promoting John McCain. Admitted to the lie the
next day.
Harper Lees To Kill a Mockingbird Tom Robinson
is falsely accused of Raping a White Woman.
ON THE FLIP SIDE..
Rodney King Even though evidence was clear to
show white police officers attacking Mr. King, a
jury found the white police officer Not Guilty.
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Hip Hop Music

• Hip Hop music portrays African American lives in
  many different ways through the artists
  performing the songs. A great deal of the
  popular music over the past three decades has
  helped to stereotyping blacks in one or more of
  the following categories
• - As Killers
• - Degraders of Women
• - Being from inner urban areas or serving
  prison time
• - Concerned with making money or having
  expensive things
• - Standing up to authority (Usually White
  People)

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As Killers

• Popular Hip Hop music known as Gangsta Rap uses
  guns and murder as a common theme in most of the
  songs.
• EXAMPLES N.W.A Straight Outta Compton (6
  All-Time Hip Hop Song) VH1.com

Sample Lyric When I'm called off I got a sawed
off (Shotgun). Squeeze the trigger and bodies
are hauled off. You too boy if ya f with me.
The police are gonna hafta come and get me. Off
yo ass that's how I'm goin out. - Ice Cube
(1988)
2PAC Hit Em Up (2PAC is the highest selling
Hip Hop artist of all-time) Guinness
Sample Lyric All of y'all motherf,f
you, die slow motherf.My four four (.44
magnum) makes sure all your kids don't grow.
2PAC (1996, Same year he was shot to death)
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Degrading Women

• Very popular with Hip Hop music of today, songs
  portray women as sexual objects, only
  highlighting there physical features. Slang
  words like Bitch and Ho is a common phrase a many
  Hip Hop songs. EXAMPLES
• Sir Mix-A-Lot Baby Got Back (17 Best Hip Hop
  song of all time)

Sample Lyric A word to the thick soul sisters,
I wanna get with ya I won't cuss or hit ya. But
I gotta be straight when I say I wanna f Till
the break of dawn Baby youve got it goin' on.
Sir Mix-A-Lot 1992
Lil Jon Get Low (5 Song of 2003) Billboard.com
Sample Lyric Pa pop yo pussy like this cause
yin yang twins in this bitch. Lil Jon and the
East side boys wit me and we all like to see Ass
and tities. Now bring yo ass over here hoe and
let me see you get low if you want this thug -
Lil Jon 2003
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Street Life/Prison Time

• Hip Hop songs often bring light to the struggling
  condition many African Americans face. Living in
  inner cities, projects/ghettos, or just plain bad
  conditions are typified by many popular Hip Hop
  songs. Also glorified time spent in prison is
  glorified in many songs.
• EXAMPLES Grandmaster Flash The Message (5
  HHSOAT) VHI.COM

Sample Lyric I cant take the smell, I cant take
the noiseGot no money to move out, I guess I got
no choice.Rats in the front room, roaches in the
backJunkies in the alley with a baseball bat.I
tried to get away, but I couldnt get far Cause
the man with the tow-truck repossessed my car
Grandmaster Flash 1982
Coolio Gangstas Paradise (68 Greatest Song of
All Time)
Sample Lyric Forgot the situation, they got me
facing I can't live a normal life, I was raised
by the strip So I gotta be down with the hood
team, Too much television watching got me chasing
dreams. Coolio 1995
Source billboard.com
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Making Money/Expensive Things

• Hip Hop artist often flaunt the amount of money
  they have or expensive things that they own in
  their songs. Many Hip Hop songs are concerned
  with how much someone is worth, and how much more
  money they can make. EXAMPLES

Puff Daddy All About The Benjamin's (32
HHSOAT) VH1.COM
Sample Lyric Rocking Bejor denims, with gold
zippers. Lost your touch we kept ours, poppin
Cristal. You should do what we do, stack chips
like Hebrews.Don't let the melody intrigue you,
as I leave you.I'm only here for that green
paper with the eagle. Puff Daddy 1998
Big Tymers Still Fly
Sample Lyric Gator Boots, with the pimped out
Gucci suitAin't got no job, but I stay
sharp.Can't pay my rent, cause all my money's
spentbut thats OK, cause I'm still fly. - Big
Tymers 2002
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Standing Up To Authority

• Many Hip Hop songs give suggestions to stand up
  to people in positions of power, with many songs
  directed towards white people. One of the
  fundamental reasons for the beginning of Hip Hop
  music was to give African Americans a voice by
  using music. EXAMPLES

N.W.A. Fuck Tha Police (417, Rolling Stones Top
500 Songs)
Sample Lyric Fuck tha policeComin straight
from the undergroundA Young nigga got it bad cuz
I'm brownAnd not the other color so police
thinkThey have the authority to kill a minority
N.W.A 1988
Public Enemy Fight The Power (1 HHSOAT)
VHI.COM
Sample Lyric Elvis was a hero to most, But he
never meant S to me you see. Straight up
racist that sucker was, Simple and
plain.MotherF him and John Wayne.Cause
I'm Black and I'm proud, I'm ready and hyped plus
I'm ampedMost of my heroes don't appear on no
stamps - Public Enemy 1989
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Now The Big Questions

• WHY?Why do African Americans Have common roles
  on TV and Movies?
• Why do African American Men get falsely accused
  by the media?
• Why do African American Hip Hop Artists
  stereotype their own culture with their music?