Stereotypes of African Americans

Daniel Koh

EN 101 TR @ 3:30

Professor Olmstead

May 10, 2011.

Stereotypes of African Americans

Stereotyping involves the conception of conventional opinions embodying a fixated image of all members of a culture or belonging based on their race, ethnicity, gender, age, religion or origin (Equal Opportunity Unit 4). Limited information and generalized conceptualizations lead to inexact opinions. Often, the stereotypes fail to acknowledge the multidimensional and composite nature of human beings through utilization of simple observable characteristics. However, stereotypes are not necessarily negative, as positive stereotypes do exist too. This paper evaluates the effects of stereotypes and focuses on the experiences of African Americans through stereotyping. The paper also examines the role of media in promoting stereotypes in advertising campaigns and how it can be used to assist the society disembark from negative stereotype mentalities.

Every society experiences varied degrees of stereotypes to particular groups based on race, ethnicity, and religion among other influences. In essence, stereotyping presents an inflexible framework that tries to fit members belonging to particular groups into one rigid classification. Accordingly, the classifications can be harmful and dangerous if their interpretation is not blended with rational immediate considerations. Stereotyping results in misunderstandings between individuals due to the existence of prejudgments in interactions where participants rely on stereotyping to predict behavior or reactions. As a result, there is a high prevalence of violence and conflict, discrimination and prejudice, abuse or misrepresentation (Equal Opportunity Unit 2). However, in certain circumstances stereotype categories are reasonably accurate even in cases without prior knowledge of facts. There are also positive streotypes which foster strong relations among memebers of different communities.

In America, African Americans have always been stereotyped as more inclined to engage in criminal activities. The image depicted is that of African Americans wearing a facemask with only eye and mouth opening with guns strapped inside their leather jackets or tight jeans. The stereotypes have therefore painted a grossly incorrect picture of African American men as violent, aggressive monsters who rob and rape carelessly (Gray). As a result, innocent African American youth have wrongly been prosecuted and sentenced to capital punishment even when they are innocent. The stereotyping of African Americans men as violent led to the beating of Rodney King by Los Angeles police officers in 1992. When taken to court, the officers were acquitted of any crime since it was argued that the man was violent and attacked them first. This shows the intensity with which stereotyping can change a people’s perception of others.

In stereotyping the African American men as criminals who derive pleasure from inflicting pain on other members of the society, especially the white people, the stereotype has been grossly unfair. The stereotyping has denied the African Americans men the access to fair trial in the judicial system as most of them are incarcerated in their innocence. A close examination of the past executions of death row convicts reveals that African American men are more likely to be executed than white convicts for same degree of crime are (Gary). Further, the society has traits of mistrust for the African American youth denying them the opportunity to make positive contributions in the society.

The American president, Barrack Obama, has successfully countered the negative stereotypes on African American men. By winning the presidential elections and being entrusted by the American society to manage the country, the president had to fight against racism and negative stereotypes directed towards African Americans. Mr. Obama also, had to address claims from his political rivals that he was a drug dealer in his youth. The concept was latched on his admission of having used recreational drugs. In 2007, the ABC News published an article which quoted Obama saying that he had smoked Marijuana and cocaine in his younger years (Medved).  His African American accent considerably amplified this claim although it was ignored later on grounds that it was outrageously founded.

In advertising campaigns, stereotypes have been used successfully to market products while others have flopped. For instance, the Acer eccentric advertisement with Tiger Woods has been a global success. An increase of the African American middle class over the past decades has incredibly increased their purchasing power. As a result, American producers have to formulate advertisement campaigns that respect the aspirations of the African Americans and their distinct social history. Marketers are now under the obligation to create advertising campaigns that appeal to a specific niche market that has been identified. An example of such advertisements is the Proctor & Gamble advertisement of Tide detergent. It involves an African American father cuddling his son. This advertisement is seen as a counter attack on the stereotype that most African American men do not provide the fatherly love that their children require. Such marketing campaigns are meant to appeal to the African American market which has grown heavily over the years.

The Hollywood writers and directors largely enforced the violent and aggressive stereotype of African American men. Despite the movies gaining massive fanatical following, they always depicted the African American men as aggressive people who engaged in criminal activities for heroism. For instance “A time to kill” by Samuel L. Jackson is a perfect example. These grotesque caricatures are not accurate representations of the African American men and contribute to the proliferation of negative stereotyping. In this movie, Samuel L. Jackson who acts as Carl Lee Hailey is depicted as a highly violent man who does not wait for justice. He kills the men who raped his daughter without fear of the consequences. However a movie like “I am legend” by Will Smith can be used to counter this claim. In this film, Will Smith sacrifices his own life in order to save his friends. Additionally, he as worked hard throughout his life for the good of others.

The media is arguably the most prolific tool in educating the society. In enshrining the stereotypes of African American men as criminals, the media has played an undoubtedly active role. In equal measure, the media can act as a tool again in debunking the myths and stereotypes through creation of counter-stereotypes programs. With the advent of technology, it is increasingly becoming easier to introduce and reinforce a concept within a short period. Therefore, despite the negative stereotyping of African Americans having taken years to formulate, it will be easier to disembark from that mentality with sustained counter-stereotypes programs. Thus the media can be used effectively as a tool for disseminating the correct information to the public and thus reduce if not eliminate negative stereotypes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Works Cited

 Equal Opportunity Unit. Watch Your Language: Guidelines for Non-Discriminatory Language, 2005. Web. May 10, 2011. <http://www.hr.unimelb.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/87501/Watch_Your_Language.pdf>

Gray, Stephen, F. Recognizing Stereotypes Images of African Americans in Television and Movies. Yale New Haven Teachers, 2011: n. pag. Web. 10 May 2011. < http://www.yale.edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/1996/3/96.03.05.x.html >

Medved, Michael. Obama’s Cocaine Confession won’t Blow His Chances. AbcNews, 5 Jan 2007. Web. 10 May 2011. <http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/BothSidesAllSides/story?id=2773754&page=1>