The Role Of Racism In The Media

Throughout the world, everyone makes comments that may offend one’s character or race to distinguish him or her as inferior. These comments have flourished through the racist scenarios and characters produced by the media. Racism is a prominent epidemic that has affected African Americans, especially in the development of America. Africans were torn away from their homes and brought to America in the 17th century to work as slaves, where they experienced various forms of chastisement and torture (Siddiqui). Lincoln abolished slavery in 1863 with the Emancipation Proclamation, freeing all the slaves and ending the Civil War. However, many of the freed slaves still lived in bad conditions and poverty. Whites saw African Americans as an inferior
According to Catherine Shoichet, writer and editor for CNN digital reporting on Latin American news and immigration topics, “About two-thirds of blacks (66%)…said racism is a big problem…[and] 57% of blacks experienced some form of racial discrimination in their lifetimes” (Shoichet 2015). One major cause of this discrimination is from the influence that media has on people. When colored people view these stereotypes, they take them as offensive attacks on their personalities, and they try to defend themselves by arguing that the stereotypes are false, portraying more negativity in the media than in reality. In a focus group conducted by Ohio.com, a Summit County news reporter delivering professional journalism from local and national levels, common racial issues were addressed from colored and white perspectives. When colored people were questioned about the perception of them living in dangerous neighborhoods, they responded by saying that they only live in bad communities because they lack the wealth to properly care for themselves. They said that they have lived in rough conditions all their life, and part of the reason they are associated with crime is because they were never treated as equals and “they don’t have an understanding of who they are” (“Blacks and Whites Have Different
First off, much of white America does not believe that racism is that much of an issue anymore as “only about four in ten whites agree [that racism is a big problem]” (Shoichet 2015). As explained by Rashad Robinson, a civil rights activist and executive director of the Color of Change organization dedicated to making a political change for black Americans, Americans’ constant exposure to racism in the media causes them to think it is normal, and they “act out those biases, treating black people as if the media’s stereotypes are real” (Savali 2015). Therefore, this constant cycle created by the media is brainwashing the public into thinking that black people are dangerous, disrespectful criminals, and they are suffering from an uncertainty about black identity. Defenders of the decreasing racism belief argue that discrimination in the media is “…clearly exaggerated. Critics who decry stereotypes are being oversensitive…” ("Infobase Learning" 2007). Infobase, an educational information provider to schools and libraries, addresses both sides of the argument about racism in the media. They defend the media by claiming that any characters or depictions should not be taken personally, as the creators are not purposely trying to “perpetuate harmful stereotypes” and only trying to express them as an art form ("Infobase