Racial Stereotypes Research Paper

Armani Evans
College English 2
March 16, 2017
Essay 2

The Perpetual Stereotypes Derived From Blackface

“When people rely on surface appearances and false racial stereotypes, rather than in-depth knowledge of others at the level of the heart, mind and spirit, their ability to assess and understand people accurately is compromised.”
- James A. Forbes

Throughout the years there have been so many stereotypes being passed around, Some of the most common being all blondes are dumb, all muslims are terrorists, all minorities are on welfare, and all Asian people are smart. These stereotypes and many more has been integrated into our culture and has shaped our views on everything having to do with race, gender and other personal identifications.
This … suddenly changed when a modern riverboat arrives and the beautiful White ladies from the crew bring their energy and good manners to the town.” ( http://racism.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1707:colorism001&catid=116&Itemid=140&showall=&limitstart=4). Similar to how they portrayed the Zip Coon being that he needed the white people to save him we see similarities with the white women saving these citizens of lazytown. Cartoons like these were shown to children which further promoted these negative perceptions of black people, and promoted such racism at such a young age. Movies like The Blind Side based on the same idea of the white character being a savior to the black minority is a modern day example of the Zip Coon. This is the plot summary for The Blind Side
“ Leigh Anne Tuohy and Sean Tuohy take in a homeless teenage African-American, Michael Oher. Michael has no idea who his father is and his mother is a drug addict. Michael has had little formal education and few skills to help him learn. Leigh Anne soon takes charge however, as is her nature, ensuring that the young man has every opportunity to succeed … They not only provide him with a loving home, but hire a tutor to help him improve his grades to the point where he would qualify for an NCAA Division
This is before the sudden cultural appropriation that has taken over the media involving celebrities like the Kardashians, Iggy Azalea, Kylie Jenner, and Rachel Dolezal. Before Kim Kardashian America’s ideal image for beauty was slim and tall. Black women’s curves oftentimes equated to their attractiveness in The African American community. Saartjie Baartman was famous for having the world's biggest derriere known to man, many people look at her as the “Booty Queen” unaware of how much she was ridiculed and looked at as a spectacle rather than a person. Kim Kardashian’s picture that “broke the internet” was actually inspired by a photo taken by Saartjie Baartman. As Baartman was a jezebel or wench (either can be used interchangeably) in her time, Kim Kardashian and many others are inspired by this “newfound sexiness” that comes from black culture. So if this survey was taken today maybe this idea of African American’s being less attractive would have