Difference between revisions of "Dangerous and Untouched Africans"
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+ | ==Background== | ||
+ | As with Asians, black characters often weren't played by black people in the early days of Hollywood. In fact, they barely appeared at all, except as caricatures played by white actors in blackface. This practice originated in the American theater tradition of minstrelsy, in which racist stereotypes about black people were a staple. | ||
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+ | Blackface occurs much less frequently now, after a long period of criticism of the practice: In Dear White People, for example, college fraternity members throw a blackface-themed party, which the film, as well as the Netflix series of the same name, use as the basis for a discussion of racism at colleges across the United States. | ||
+ | |||
+ | But, as Hollywood has featured more black characters and cast more black actors, it has also emphasized other stereotypes. To this day, black men are often portrayed as scary or angry and black women as loudmouthed and sassy. If a movie features one token black character, it's likely to be the black best friend. And, if people die in a movie, the black character is still likely to go first. Even with awareness of racial stereotypes rising, Hollywood persists with these tropes. | ||
+ | |||
+ | If Africa is featured, it's dangerous and untouched by civilization | ||
+ | |||
+ | Hollywood's stereotypical depictions of black people mostly refer to black Americans. Tropes that are about Africans are rarer, partly because few Hollywood movies have African characters. The most common trope about Africa, though, is what TVTropes users have dubbed "Darkest Africa": Movies portraying the continent as a mysterious and dangerous isolated land with only limited ties to "modern" civilization. That depiction has become less common, however. | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | ==The False Assumptions== | ||
+ | Mary Beth Oliver is an associate professor of communication that teaches media effects, communication research, quantitative research methods, and interpersonal communication at Penn State University wrote a Journal of African American Studies titled ''"African American Men as "Criminal and Dangerous": Implications of Media Portrayals of Crime on the "Criminalization" of African American Men"'' back in September 2003. In the study mentioned the correlation of African American men with danger and crime represents a number of causes as well as a long tradition of racism and stereotyping. The way the media (especially the news media) portrays race and crime plays a significant role in the stereotyping of black males as violent and dangerous, according to this journal. The racial biased and racial prejudice to African American who is "assumed" to be threatening and violent comes with the price such as innocent men shooting by the police officers that happen in an alarming rate. Nonetheless, the high extent at which black men have become the object of wrongfully targeted police brutality illustrates the obvious influence that race plays in misguided perceptions of risk and crime. Of course the mistaken assumptions is not only manifested in law-enforcement field but also in several aspects such as store keepers / sales person who always keep an eye for black customers in store even using racial profiling or certain racist code name for black people (see also: [[Shopping While Black]]) | ||
+ | <ref>Oliver, Mary Beth. [https://www.jstor.org/stable/41819017?seq=1 ''African American Men as "Criminal and Dangerous": Implications of Media Portrayals of Crime on the "Criminalization" of African American Men'']. jstor.org. September 2003. Retrieved March 17, 2021.</ref> | ||
+ | |||
+ | ==See Also== | ||
+ | [[Shopping While Black]]<br> | ||
+ | [[Black-Targeted Racism in Brand]] | ||
+ | |||
+ | ==References== | ||
+ | {{reflist}} | ||
+ | |||
[[Category:Racism in Folklore]] | [[Category:Racism in Folklore]] |
Revision as of 01:05, 18 March 2021
Background
As with Asians, black characters often weren't played by black people in the early days of Hollywood. In fact, they barely appeared at all, except as caricatures played by white actors in blackface. This practice originated in the American theater tradition of minstrelsy, in which racist stereotypes about black people were a staple.
Blackface occurs much less frequently now, after a long period of criticism of the practice: In Dear White People, for example, college fraternity members throw a blackface-themed party, which the film, as well as the Netflix series of the same name, use as the basis for a discussion of racism at colleges across the United States.
But, as Hollywood has featured more black characters and cast more black actors, it has also emphasized other stereotypes. To this day, black men are often portrayed as scary or angry and black women as loudmouthed and sassy. If a movie features one token black character, it's likely to be the black best friend. And, if people die in a movie, the black character is still likely to go first. Even with awareness of racial stereotypes rising, Hollywood persists with these tropes.
If Africa is featured, it's dangerous and untouched by civilization
Hollywood's stereotypical depictions of black people mostly refer to black Americans. Tropes that are about Africans are rarer, partly because few Hollywood movies have African characters. The most common trope about Africa, though, is what TVTropes users have dubbed "Darkest Africa": Movies portraying the continent as a mysterious and dangerous isolated land with only limited ties to "modern" civilization. That depiction has become less common, however.
The False Assumptions
Mary Beth Oliver is an associate professor of communication that teaches media effects, communication research, quantitative research methods, and interpersonal communication at Penn State University wrote a Journal of African American Studies titled "African American Men as "Criminal and Dangerous": Implications of Media Portrayals of Crime on the "Criminalization" of African American Men" back in September 2003. In the study mentioned the correlation of African American men with danger and crime represents a number of causes as well as a long tradition of racism and stereotyping. The way the media (especially the news media) portrays race and crime plays a significant role in the stereotyping of black males as violent and dangerous, according to this journal. The racial biased and racial prejudice to African American who is "assumed" to be threatening and violent comes with the price such as innocent men shooting by the police officers that happen in an alarming rate. Nonetheless, the high extent at which black men have become the object of wrongfully targeted police brutality illustrates the obvious influence that race plays in misguided perceptions of risk and crime. Of course the mistaken assumptions is not only manifested in law-enforcement field but also in several aspects such as store keepers / sales person who always keep an eye for black customers in store even using racial profiling or certain racist code name for black people (see also: Shopping While Black) [1]
See Also
Shopping While Black
Black-Targeted Racism in Brand
References
- ↑ Oliver, Mary Beth. African American Men as "Criminal and Dangerous": Implications of Media Portrayals of Crime on the "Criminalization" of African American Men. jstor.org. September 2003. Retrieved March 17, 2021.