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
The funny thing is that, yes all of this is true and these prejudices and this discrimination is nationwide and these ideas have been so prevalent for so long that there is no way that they can be gotten rid of over night, but like you mentioned the simple fact that the media does this without a blink of an eye is just insane. It is rare that we see any other group of people or race so openly and constantly stereotyped without a care. Other groups do get stereotyped, but often times it is looked a peculiarly. It is sad that one race and group of people can be so blatantly singled out and constantly put in the mass media with a negative connotation.
ReplyDeleteGreat points. I think most of us can agree that the way the media goes about directing African-American shows is different than the way they direct other.
ReplyDeleteThat said, can we entirely blame the media for this image? Don't get me wrong, I am very anti-media, but I think they sometimes catch unfair criticism. They sometimes can't win for losing. If they make shows like Good Times or the Jeffersons, they get criticized for advancing the African-American stereotype. If they make something Family Matters-esque, they are accused of inaccurately portraying the typical African-American's lifestyle, not by whites, but by BLACKS! Finally, the dysfunctional family issue isn't a stereotype of blacks; it is merely an archetype for sitcoms. Most sitcoms have a "dysfunctional" family. It adds to the comedy. Even drama shows like 7th Heaven present families with multiple issues.
I think that our generation is one of the first generations that will start to see issues on a global level. This, alongside the election of President Obama, I think the media will begin to shift even more into showing more positive African American images. However, it is going to have to battle parts of the hip hop culture that glorify sex, drugs and crime that create many negative African American images on television and in other media. If we are going to built strong images in media, it is up to the consumers to demand those types of images in the first place. If we allow our air waves to be over run with filth, then the media is going to continue to perpetuate that in the name of “revenue”. I enjoyed your blog!
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