Through all of my encounters with the media and their portrayal of black families, i found a few reoccurring themes. The one that stood out to me the most would be the degree of dysfunctionality that seems to be found in nearly all instances I tracked. The media appears to have this idea that all black families are filled with cookoo's who seem to function on a completely different wavelength than the rest of the "normal" world. Dysfunctionality is not limited to just their level of craziness but also how "untraditional" the make-ups of most families portrayed are. Typically we don't see white families on TV that are single-parent households or where the kids are raised by their grandparents, something which is far from unordinary when it comes to black families portrayed by the media. Now that raises the question, is the media blatantly creating this stigma or is it subconscious? Blatant or not, the idea is a bit confusing as to why the media sees it fitting to so openly, in a sense, stereotype a certain demographic. And not on a small scale but nationwide media, so all the world can see it. If the whole point is to raise awareness to the trials and tribulations faced by SOME black families nationwide, they are going about it all wrong. This form of widespread awakening is actual counter productive because it is making the idea easier to fathom, the idea that black families and white families are composed differently and function differently. It goes unsaid that there are without a doubt functional differences in families of different races, but it does not seem fitting that the qwerks of a particular race be displayed and dissected so bluntly while those of others are left untouched. If ultimately the goal IS to spread awareness then this is something that should be taken into account for ALL races... not one or two.
One quality that is also taken into account by the media would be comradery/loyalty, this is a quality echoed in our readings as well as my personal experiences. Though the media paints black families out to be nothing but utter chaos and dysfunctionality, they also recognize the loyalty that is displayed in so so so many black families across the nation and world. I came across and article in the San Antonio Express Newspaper about Jerrell Wilkerson, a former high school football standout who was all set to play at the university of texas on a full ride before he had a son, bringing his plans to a halt. The columnist talked about how Wilkerson went job to job trying to make a steady living to provide for his son, essentially weathering some very harsh storms. He and his son developed a very strong bond through it all though. So though he is a single-parent struggling to provide for his son, he and his son are still able to forge the same strong bonds seen in so many other families. This is very similar to the same ideas echoed in the movie The Pursuit of Happyness, where Will Smith's character struggles to provide for his son while still forging an impenetrable bond with his son. Though the media recognizes this side of black families, I do not think it is enough to justify their everyday stereotyping, it is unfair to the black families out there that are just as "normal" as any family of another race out there. So many people mold their opinions and perspectives on topics based on what the media feeds them, so by feeding them the idea that black families are dysfunctional, these people are going to have a predetermined outlook without any true knowledge. Thus putting so many people at a disadvantage. And until the media can find a way to avoid these stereotypes, we will continue to put people at a disadvantage.
1. Thursday
3/26/09 4:00pm
TruTV! (Channel 48)
'Carribean Cops'
Reality TV
(2 Teenage Brothers)
Negative
2. Thursday
3/26/09 4:30pm
Channel 12
Judge Judy
(Mother&Husband(Step Dad) vs. Daughter&Boyfriend)
Reality/Variety Show
Negative
3. Thursday
3/26/09 6:49pm
MySA.com
'Student-Athlete, Student-Father: Jerrell Wilkerson'
(Father&Son)
News Article
Positive
4. Tuesday
3/24/09 5:00pm
ABC Family (Channel 36)
'My Wife and Kids'
(Husband, Wife, Three Children)
Comedy program
Positive
5. Wednesday
3/25/09 5:21pm
New York Times'
thelede.blogs.nytimes.com
'Chris Brown Arrested, and Praised, by L.A. Police'
News Article
Negative
6. Thursday
3/26/09 8:00pm
Lifetime (Channel 25)
Akeelah and the Bee
(Mother, daughter, three siblings, 'mentor')
Movie
Positive
7. Tuesday
3/24/09 7:30pm
The Pursuit of Happyness
StarzBlack
(Father, Son)
Movie
Positive
First I want to substantiate a point that was touched on prior to the movie by the Black Law Student Ass'n President, prior to this class, and really prior to the movie... I had no clue about the Tulsa Race riots. Not once had a teacher mentioned it in history class, nor had I heard of it in any form of media. Does that mean the media is in denial of the situations existence as a whole? I think so. I am embarassed to say I, like much of the rest of the world, had no prior knowledge of the events that occured. But I am equally angered to find out much of the world goes on without acknowledging the tragedies and horrors of the tulsa race riots. Personally I think it just attests to the fact that the government has ultimate and endless influence... its almost scary. As easily as they have denied these poor people the necessary and proper reperations and recognition for surviving these events, they have just as easily hidden these facts from the rest of the nation. One could infer our nation as a whole is substantially embarassed by the facts and in turn has attempted to no longer recognize or acknowledge these events. One image that stood out to me, and probably will continue to remain with me for some time, was the image of the young man who had been lynched and adorned with a sign that read "This Nigger Voted." Now correct me if I'm wrong but this tragedy occured long after the 15th amendment had been implimented, allowing any true citizen of the country to vote. For that sake, the 13th and 14th amendments had just as substantially proved African Americans to be just as rightfully able to vote as the next man. So I am still insensed in how one could find themself justified in killing a fellow human being for doing what was their civil right and liberty, to make their voice heard in this "democracy". This is just a testament of how deeply rooted racism was back then... the only justification these people saw was that african americans were apparently seen as less than human... and far from equal.