Race in the United States: Media
by Ryan and Ashleigh
"Any dictator would admire the uniformity and obedience of the [U.S.] media." - Noam Chomsky The Media is a very influential part of our society. How certain groups of people are looked at, is widely based on what we see in the media. Here are some statistics that help to illustrate how white vs black people are portrayed differently in the media: - A mug shot of a Black defendant is 4 times more likely to appear in a local television news report than of a White defendant - Black female movie characters shown using vulgar profanity: 89% - White female movie characters shown using vulgar profanity: 17% - The name of the accused is 2 times more likely to be shown on screen in a local TV news report if the defendant is Black, rather than White. - The accused is 2 times more likely to be shown physically restrained in a local television news report than when the accused is White These statistics are provided by about.com Based on this information, we can see that the media is a big issue to how people of different ethnicity's are portrayed. These statistics prove how black people are shown as the "bad guy". Criminals are more publicly circulated through the media if their black. This also applies to women as well, movies shows black females as being "vulgar" and less lady like then they portray white women as. This video clip shows how Obama's biggest influence is seemingly racist. This clip is mainly about Reverend Wright, who has been working closely with Obama and his family for a considerable amount of time. In this clip we see a FOX newscaster asking Reverend Wright about what he preaches, "Commitment to the black community, commitment to the black family, adherence to the black work ethic." The interviewer sums Reverend Wright's preaching as that. The unusual occurrence is of the word "black". It is evident that Wright preaches the advancement of the "black community" but does not mention the white community or the integration of various races. This is what troubles the public, the fact that Obama's role model for 20 some odd years has maybe implanted some ideals of racism into Obama's train of thought.
Recommended Resources: Books: African Americans in the Media Today Encyclopedia Of American Race Riots Websites: Newark Public Library: African American Video: Articles: |
