Black Stereotypes In The Media

By.

Janine, Tierra & Matt

Common Black Stereotypes

• Magical: Consisting of or looking for a spiritual super power, usually to help their white counterpart. Often uneducated with informal speech.

Examples: Dick Hallorann, “The Shining” 1980John Coffey “The Green Mile” 1998Papa Justify & Wife “ “The Skeleton Key” 2005Miss Cleo – Infomercials 1990’s

Common Black Stereotypes

• Servants: Often found in movies, African Americans play the butler, maid, bellboy, secretaries or waiter in a Caucasian movie/TV show.

• Examples: Mammy “Gone with the Wind” 1939Juanita “Billy Madison” 1995Aunt Jemima From TV Commercials

Common Black Stereotypes

Sassy Overweight Black Woman: If not playing some sort of servant/maid, many times African American women (and men) are cast as mothers or grandmothers that are very loud and bold, with a take no crap attitude.

Examples: Queen Latifah, “Bringing Down The House” 2003

Tyler Perry “Diary of a Mad Black Woman” 2005

Martin Lawrence “Big Momma’s House1 & 2” 2000

Eddie Murphy “The Nutty Professor” 1996

Common Black Stereotypes

• Ghetto: Drug dealer, ex-con, street hustlers, or even just living in the inner city. Blacks often play gritty characters, using informal English, just trying to better themselves. If not trying to better themselves they are put in off-the-wall situations to play contrast or opposite to someone else (usually white).

Examples: Eddie Murphy “48 Hours” 1982Flavor Flav “Under One Roof” 2008Wesley Snipes “New Jack City” 1991

Common Black Stereotypes

• Athletic: Very athletic or the ability to run fast is a common black role. This character usually very boisterous, openly admitting their athletic skills. Basketball is the most common sport that we see portrayed by blacks, but Football, Baseball and Track and Field are also used.

Examples: Jesus Shuttlesworth “He Got Game” 1998

Wesley Snipes “White Man Can’t Jump” 1992

Cuba Gooding Jr. “Jerry McGuire” 1996

Top 100 Black American classic movies

From blackclassicmovies.com

Many of the top 100 All-Time Black movies portray Black Actors/Actresses in one of the 5 stereotypical ways.

Examples:

Anna Lucasta 1959

Backstairs at the White House 1979

48 Hrs. 1982 Boyz N’ The Hood 1991

The Examples Go on and On…

Falsely Blaming A “Black Person”

Many news reports (TV, Newspaper & Internet) and books are quick to take a white person’s word when claiming that a Black Person committed a crime against them. However when it is a Black Person doing the accusing, many times they are not taken seriously.

ExamplesSusan Smith: initially reported to police, on October 25, 1994, that she had been carjacked by a black man who drove away with her sons still in the car. She eventually Confessed to killing her 2 kids.

Ashley Todd: Reported she was robbed at knifepoint by a black man who carved the letter “B” in her face, because of a bumper sticker promoting John McCain. Admitted to the lie the next day.

Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird: Tom Robinson is falsely accused of Raping a White Woman.

ON THE FLIP SIDE…..

Rodney King: Even though evidence was clear to show white police officers attacking Mr. King, a jury found the white police officer Not Guilty.

Hip Hop Music

Hip Hop music portrays African American lives in many different ways through the artists performing the songs. A great deal of the popular music over the past three decades has helped to stereotyping blacks in one or more of the following categories:

- As Killers- Degraders of Women- Being from inner urban areas or serving

prison time- Concerned with making money or having expensive things- Standing up to authority (Usually White

People)

As Killers

Popular Hip Hop music known as “Gangsta Rap” uses guns and murder as a common theme in most of the songs.

EXAMPLES: N.W.A – “Straight Outta Compton” (#6 All-Time Hip Hop Song) VH1.comSample Lyric: “When I'm called off I got a sawed off (Shotgun). Squeeze the trigger and bodies are hauled off. You too boy if ya f*** with me. The police are gonna hafta come and get me. Off yo ass that's how I'm goin out.” - Ice Cube (1988)

2PAC – “Hit ‘Em Up” (2PAC is the highest selling Hip Hop artist of all-time) Guinness

Sample Lyric: “All of y'all motherf*****,f*** you, die slow motherf*****.My four four (.44 magnum) makes sure all your kids don't grow.” – 2PAC (1996, Same year he was shot to death)

Degrading Women

Very popular with Hip Hop music of today, songs portray women as sexual objects, only highlighting there physical features. Slang words like Bitch and Ho is a common phrase a many Hip Hop songs. EXAMPLES:

Sir Mix-A-Lot “Baby Got Back” (#17 Best Hip Hop song of all time) Sample Lyric: “A word to the thick soul sisters, I wanna

get with ya I won't cuss or hit ya. But I gotta be straight when I say I wanna f*** Till the break of dawn Baby you’ve got it goin' on.” – Sir Mix-A-Lot 1992

Lil’ Jon “Get Low” (#5 Song of 2003) Billboard.com

Sample Lyric: “Pa pop yo pussy like this cause yin yang twins in this bitch. Lil Jon and the East side boys wit me and we all like to see Ass and tities. Now bring yo ass over here hoe and let me see you get low if you want this thug” - Lil Jon 2003

Street Life/Prison Time

Hip Hop songs often bring light to the struggling condition many African Americans face. Living in inner cities, projects/ghettos, or just plain bad conditions are typified by many popular Hip Hop songs. Also glorified time spent in prison is glorified in many songs.

EXAMPLES: Grandmaster Flash “The Message” (#5 HHSOAT) VHI.COM

Sample Lyric: “I cant take the smell, I cant take the noiseGot no money to move out, I guess I got no choice.Rats in the front room, roaches in the backJunkies in the alley with a baseball bat.I tried to get away, but I couldnt get far Cause the man with the tow-truck repossessed my car” – Grandmaster Flash 1982

Coolio “Gangsta’s Paradise” (#68 Greatest Song of All Time*)

Sample Lyric: “Forgot the situation, they got me facing I can't live a normal life, I was raised by the strip So I gotta be down with the hood team, Too much television watching got me chasing dreams.” – Coolio 1995

*Source billboard.com

Making Money/Expensive Things

Hip Hop artist often flaunt the amount of money they have or expensive things that they own in their songs. Many Hip Hop songs are concerned with how much someone is worth, and how much more money they can make. EXAMPLES:

Puff Daddy “All About The Benjamin's” (#32 HHSOAT) VH1.COM

Sample Lyric: “Rocking Bejor denims, with gold zippers. Lost your touch we kept ours, poppin Cristal. You should do what we do, stack chips like Hebrews.Don't let the melody intrigue you, as I leave you.I'm only here for that green paper with the eagle.” Puff Daddy 1998

Big Tymers “Still Fly”

Sample Lyric: “Gator Boots, with the pimped out Gucci suitAin't got no job, but I stay sharp.Can't pay my rent, cause all my money's spentbut thats OK, cause I'm still fly.” - Big Tymers 2002

Standing Up To Authority

Many Hip Hop songs give suggestions to stand up to people in positions of power, with many songs directed towards white people. One of the fundamental reasons for the beginning of Hip Hop music was to give African Americans a voice by using music. EXAMPLES:

N.W.A. “Fuck Tha Police (#417, Rolling Stones Top 500 Songs)

Sample Lyric: “Fuck tha policeComin straight from the undergroundA Young nigga got it bad cuz I'm brownAnd not the other color so police thinkThey have the authority to kill a minority“ N.W.A 1988

Public Enemy “Fight The Power” (#1 HHSOAT) VHI.COM

Sample Lyric: “Elvis was a hero to most, But he never meant S*** to me you see. Straight up racist that sucker was, Simple and plain.MotherF****** him and John Wayne.Cause I'm Black and I'm proud, I'm ready and hyped plus I'm ampedMost of my heroes don't appear on no stamps” - Public Enemy 1989

Now The Big Questions

WHY?Why do African Americans Have

common roles on TV and Movies?

Why do African American Men get falsely accused by the media?

Why do African American Hip Hop Artists stereotype their own culture with their

music?