Media sources thrive on stereotypes and inaccurate portrayals. I feel that the media sends out negative images and messages to viewers about African Americans. Thus, following are reasons why I think watching TV and movies is bad for Black people and the people who believe what they see.
- They tell black people how to think, live and act
- They tell black people what to buy
- They teach black people how to hate themselves
- They tell black people that they are not important
- They show that black people are only good at entertainment, sports and comedy
- They show black people more as sexual objects and not intelligent beings
- The show that black is not beautiful
- They do not show images of healthy black families
- They show single mothers struggling and on welfare
- The lack of black actresses in leading roles in large Hollywood films says that they are not worthy of the position
- Black people are typically portrayed as gun-toting criminals
- They show black people in lower paying jobs instead of executives and professionals
- Black actresses are not good enough to star in movies with leading black male actors
- They show many black youngsters in gangs
- They rarely show successful black people with successful black mates
- They rarely show leading black actors in films
That’s all I came up with. What else can you think of?
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I somewhat disagree with you on this article. I believe number 1, 2, 6 and 13 goes for everyone, regardless of race. I disagree with number eight. Today's shows don't really show healthy images of black families, but what about Family Matters? What about the show HawthoRNe? This show is about a black, female DOCTOR. She is portrayed as a strong, caring individual and is the main character. In the show Law and Order, they have a black detective. He is portrayed as strong, intelligent character. Some shows portray blacks as a stereotypical African American, but not all shows. And those shows should be recognized.
I also feel that watching TV and movies is bad for everyone. Society tries to dictate our lives, regardless if its right or wrong. Black people aren't the only ones who are targeted; men, women, whites, Mexicans, Asians, etc. EVERYONE is targeted as not being good enough. Society tries to tell people to strive for perfection, but it's clearly impossible.
I agree with you 100% and if you can find people from these groups who are willing to share their thoughts about mainstream media portrayals, that would be great.