Representation of race & ethnicity
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The document discusses representation of race and ethnicity in media. It notes that while race has biological elements, there are also cultural components to representation. Media often relies on rigid racial stereotypes, especially in portrayals of minority groups. This can negatively impact viewers' perceptions, especially for children who have little other exposure to different cultures. The document calls for more accurate and diverse portrayals of various racial and ethnic groups in television, films, and other media to avoid perpetuating harmful stereotypes. It provides several specific examples of how different minority groups such as African Americans, Latinos, Asians, and Native Americans have been stereotyped in media over time.
Representation of race & ethnicity
- 1. REPRESENTATION OF RACE & ETHNICITY
- 2. • Race, ethnicity and colour, like sex, comprise sets of genetically defined, biological characteristics. • However, as with gender, there are also cultural elements in those defining characteristics.
- 3. Representation of race in the media can consist of the same sort of rigid stereotypes that constitute gender portrayal. However, stereotyping of race is seen as more harmful than stereotyping of gender, as media representation may constitute the only experience of contact with a particular ethnic group that an audience (particularly an audience of children) may have.
- 4. Racial stereotypes are often based on social myth, perpetuated down the ages. Thus, the media depiction of, say, Native American Indians, might provide a child with their only experience of Native American Indian culture and characters, and may provide that child with a set of narrow prejudices which will not be challenged elsewhere within their experience
- 5. The need for a more accurate portrayal of the diversity of different races is a priority for political agendas, but, as ever, it seems as though it will take a while for political thinking to filter through to TV programme and film-making. Hollywood movies seem to be particular offenders when it comes to lazy racial stereotypes.
- 6. African-American Representation A lot of work on Race & Media has focused on the representation of black men and women. This has partly been because there is a strong African- American counter-culture which provides viable alternative role models and demands that they are represented, and partly because some of the early racial stereotypes were so obvious and offensive.
- 7. Little Black Sambo (1935) Little Black Sambo demonstrates rigid, reductive stereotyping. But back in 1935 it was seen as harmless entertainment. If nothing else, this clip helps show the tremendous cultural shift that has occurred, as this kind of representation is no longer acceptable Little Black Sambo See also the history of Coon Caricature
- 8. In recent years, the success of actors as diverse as Denzel Washington, Will Smith, Halle Berry, Taraji P. Henson, Naomie Harris, Laurence Fishburne, Keke Palmer and Morgan Freeman in roles across the board has meant that black characters in movies and on TV are no longer 'stock' types. Some of the time.
- 9. However, there are many negative representations of black people, portrayals which seem deliberately designed to inflame the fear and hatred of other cultures - how positive a representation is the archetypal African-American gangsta? Yet these are representations coming from within black culture itself...
- 10. Different viewpoints of African- American Representation Stop Whining About the Media - is black representation now 'proportional'? The Persistent Issue of Black Representation on Television and why more roles won't fix a thing I Know Black People— effective satire from Dave Chappelle
- 11. Latinos and Asians (US TV) Attention is now being paid to the representation of other ethnic groups, notably Asian Americans and Latinos, who represent a much larger proportion of the US population than their TV coverage would suggest. Things are changing, but not fast enough.
- 12. MANAA Media Action Network for Asian Americans Asian Stereotypes - A memo demanding some action from Hollywood producers who keep resorting to stock Asian characters:
- 13. Asian Americans as foreigners who cannot be assimilated. Because they are racially and culturally distinctive from the American mainstream, Asian people have been widely seen as unable to be absorbed into American society. According to this view, anything Asian is thus inherently "alien" to America.
- 14. Asian cultures as inherently predatory. For decades, Americans have viewed Asian immigrants as "taking" from this country without giving anything back. This perception was reinforced by early laws making it difficult for Asians to immigrate and impossible for them to become naturalized citizens. Although these laws have since been repealed, the image of the Asian as alien predator still infuses popular media. In the 1993 movie "Falling Down," for example, the white main character accuses a Korean grocer of draining American resources without bothering to fit into American society.
- 15. Asian Americans restricted to clichéd occupations. Asians and Asian Americans make their living in a wide array of professions, but too often, Asian American professionals are depicted in a limited and predictable range of jobs: restaurant workers, Korean grocers, Japanese businessmen, Indian cab drivers, TV anchorwomen, martial artists, gangsters, faith healers, laundry workers, and prostitutes. This misrepresents the diversity of the Asian American work force
- 16. Asian racial features, names, accents, or mannerisms as inherently comic or sinister. Because distinctive Asian characteristics are less common in the United States, movies and TV shows often fall back on them for quick and easy gags or gasps Fisher Stevens as Ben Jabituya Ben Jabituva
- 17. Asians relegated to supporting roles in projects with Asian or Asian American content. Usually, when a project features Asian subject matter, the main character will still be white. "The Killing Fields" and "Seven Years in Tibet" are only two efforts that follow this "rule."
- 18. Asian male sexuality as negative or non-existent. Although Asian women are frequently portrayed as positive romantic partners for white men ("Sayonara," "The World of Suzie Wong," ad infinitum), Asian men are almost never positively paired with women of any race. Western society still seems to view Asian male sexuality as a problem. Consequently, Asian men are usually presented either as threatening corrupters of white women or as eunuchs lacking any romantic feelings.
- 19. Unmotivated white-Asian romance. In "Daughter of the Dragon," the daughter of Fu Manchu lays her eyes on a British detective and instantly falls in love with him. "The Bounty" and "Come See the Paradise" also contain scenes where an Asian woman falls in love with a white man at first sight. The repetition of this conceit sends the signal that Asian women are romantically attracted to white men because they are white . It insinuates that whiteness is inherently more important than any other romantic quality and inherently more appealing than any other skin color.
- 20. What, no Asians? The movie "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves" commendably found a place for a prominent black character in the unlikely setting of Medieval England. By contrast, contemporary TV shows set in large cities--"L.A. Law," "Chicago Hope," "Murphy Brown," etc.--don't include a single regular Asian American character. What's wrong with this picture? Asian people live all over the world and in every region of the U.S.
- 21. Anti-Asian racial slurs going unchallenged. Words such as "chink," "Chinaman," "Jap," "Nip," "gook," "slope," "slant-eye," and "wog" are offensive to most Asian Americans. Unfortunately, not all non-Asians recognize the offensiveness of these terms. For example, the 1997 movie "Absolute Power" has one of its heroes use the word "Chinaman" in an off-handed manner
- 22. See Also: Letter from MANAA to Paramount re: The Last Airbender An overview of Asian portrayals from The Media Portrayal Project Latino Presence on and in US Media Latino Portrayals in the Media Race And Culture on Dexter
- 23. Race on UK TV Racism on TV in the UK exploded as a global issue in 2007, as Shilpa Shetty was subjected to vicious racial slurs by her (white) housemates. As Shetty is a well- loved Bollywood star, there was an outcry in India, and there were widespread objections to both her treatment and Channel 4's decision to broadcast it.
- 24. A record 40,000+ complaints were logged by the broadcasters' watchdog, OFCOM. The row reached the House of Commons, and became part of a national debate on the undercurrents in the UK's supposedly multi- cultural society. Subsequently, Channel 4 became very sensitive when it came to allegations of racism, and housemate Emily Parr was speedily removed from the non- celebrity house later that year for using a racial epithet
- 25. However, race remains a hot button issue on UK TV, both in fiction and non- fiction programming, largely because it's always going to attract headlines — and sell copies of the Daily Mail.
- 26. Race is inextricably tangled with the immigration issue and questions of national identity. What does it mean to be British in the 2010s? Given that modern Britain is populated by a diverse range of people, do national media outlets represent different colours and ethnicities proportionally? Fairly?
- 27. Whether it's an "all black" episode of Eastenders or a hard-hitting edition of Panorama about teenage racists on a London housing estate, there will continue to be heated discussions about how different races are represented, and how that representation affects the way people treat each other in reality
- 28. Task: Find a clip of any UK TV Drama where there is a negative, stereotypical representation of race and explain why you think this a negative portrayal Find a clip of a UK TV drama where this negative portrayal isn't present Explain the differences and contrast the 2 characters, focusing on how the key micro elements reinforce this representation. Your work should be presented as a word document with annotated images.