DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.



Different mass Medias have played and will continue to play a compelling role in the way African American men and women are portrayed. As a result, the media manly focus their attention on violence, drug use, crime and other types of anti-social behaviors that are believed to be done by African Americans. By this, the media have cultivated a crooked and damaging public perception of African Americans. The portrayal of these African Americans is stereotypically racist in a way. Reality television have caused other groups of people to look at blacks in a very bad way; causing the society we live in to be full of hate, racism and many other things that can ruin an individual’s status.


Generalizing the Meaning of Reality Television and Society

The argument over whether or not reality television has a positive or negative effect on society has been going on for many decades. People watch reality television shows for many reasons depending of course on what kind of show it is. According to Joni Dubriel, this can cause some sort of hate towards other groups of people and can change the attitude they have towards them. Some reality critics believe that people watch reality television because they want to feel better about their own lives or just for entertainment. Many people believe that reality television should be used to educate, enlighten and inform viewers. From my point of view, television is an excellent form of medium for teaching, advancing different forms of art like music or drama and entertainment. It’s a way we all can be in a world full of amusement and also distract you a little so you don’t have to worry about life for a short while. Others though believe that television is a threat to intelligence because it indulges the ill-witted.

Reality television is nothing new to our society. It’s something that is a part of our daily lives and there is no way we can run away from it. But is it good for society? Some reality television shows are made to teach people a lesson but others are made for nothing sensible with no kind of meaning whatsoever. One of the attractions of reality television is suppose to be the “reality” of it. But in today’s reality television shows, there is a huge concern about how reality television promotes racial stereotypes. Producers now don’t focus on topics that everyone will benefit from but rather only focus on things that causes other people to look at African Americans differently.



How Are African Americans Described as

Black men are characterized by many differently terms. They are described as violent, crass, lazy, dead beat fathers, hot tempered and live off welfare because they have nothing good to do with their lives. As we see, reality television does not show a wide range of black men educated, athletic, quiet or politically active in government but rather the opposite. Furthermore, there is rarely more than one black male participant on a reality show; no matter the number of races presented. Due to the huge problem of racism in America, producers of reality television shows may not be aware that they are seeking stereotypes when they choose black male participants. But because of this, there shouldn’t be any excuse for allowing racial stereotyping to proceed.

Everyday, we are bombarded with images of African Americans women dancing half naked in music videos or prancing around. But when we get to reality television, it’s even a worse situation. Women are portrayed as loud, fighters, demeaning or other ways that are very unflattering. Our American culture in general teaches that a woman’s worth is directly related to how they look; fostering the belief that we should all look like Barbie dolls. But in reality, it is totally un-lady like. This is not good for society because it gives the impression to young a girl that is how they suppose to be. My belief is that producers should really look at the way the form their cast because if they do, everyone can get a positive effect from it. Society doesn’t make the reality of television shows realistic because they believe that is what people want to see. So they spice it up a little to catch viewer’s attention. Today, yes maybe there are some women out there who are living life as the women in reality television because believe it or not it is reality. This will also teach other women a lesson that they should go to school and make something good out of their lives.


Let’s Go Back In Time

After decades and decades of racial stereotyping and mischievous bias in United States television, the situation for blacks in the media has been changing for the better in the 1990s. With a positive portrayal of blacks, people perception of African Americans men and women began to change. But are those positive portrayals still shown in present day African American media? Reality television during the 1990s could be described in one word “realistic”. But the reality of those shows was basically portrayed in comedy television shows since there weren’t many black reality television shows at the time. Many sitcoms were produced to entertain people and these sitcoms were shows that had happy endings while others left you with a mini heart attack. Many of those shows portrayed blacks as successful men and women and also as living the American dream. They had happy families, nice homes and other things that a family needs to survive. For example, even though the Cosby Show is not a reality television show, it is a show that depicted the lives of African Americans in real life; those who actually strived for success. It was also a show that teaches that everyone can be successful but first you must work hard for it through the use of comedy. It had a positive impact on society because it changed the way blacks were viewed as. According to Anson Ferguson, The Cosby Show was a sitcom which presented fictional realism by portraying African Americans though a lens never before seen by the American public, creating both positive and negative effects from fans and critics for its role in the debate over stereotypical behavior(2). The efforts of the show improved upon black television programming from the past, created a new present for television in general and became a predecessor for black television in the future. But are people using this show as a role model in present day shows?


As I previously stated, reality during the 1990s were shown through television shows and comedy in order for people to know and learn what is going on around them. Unlike now where all our society is based on is reality television. “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air” was also a show that aired between the years 1990 and 1996. It was a black comedy show that deals with the life of a black teenager born and raised in Philadelphia and travels around the country to live with his wealthy aunt and uncle. The Fresh Prince of Bel Air and The Cosby show are similar in a way because they both portray black families who are wealthy and rich in the way they live. This is significant because it shows that everyone can be successful; everyone can make something great out of their lives whether you are black or even Caucasian. The show also applies multicultural representation by showing each of the family members in a positive light. All of the characters are presented differently instead of representing them as a stereotypical individual. There is also a variety of African American men and women characters and their personalities are a good role of the real world.

Stereotypical portrayals of African Americans have changed drastically during this time. African Americans went from being portrayed as maids, servants or clowns to now being portrayed as high class individuals. According to Christian Joyner, the 1990s was a time which demonstrated a “different” reality which changed the way people saw and thought (15). The negative images started to appear in many different sitcoms but views changed over time when these sitcoms were becoming more of a reality.


Back to the Present

Reality television is a powerful force in American culture and a negative one too. Back in the day, many shows were produced in order to portray African American men and women in a very bright light. But as we come to the present, it seems as though people are not using past shows as a jumps start to reality television shows we see on television today. African Americans should be aware that the things they show on television are going to be believed by many other people. As Travis L. Dixon stated, individual differences in attitudes towards blacks contribute to the effects of priming on subsequent evaluations and judgments (1558). This is true because whatever people see on television is what they are going to believe. Today’s African American reality shows are just idiotic and full of stupidity. I mean, there are other black men and women out there who have positive roles in our society. Some of these individuals include Oprah Winfrey, Steve Harvey, and Wendy Williams and so on and so forth.

VH1 and BET are channels that depict African Americans in a negative light. But people watch them anyway so they can be entertained or just to watch African Americans make fools out of themselves. For example, Love and Hip Hop is a show that is great for business, but what have this show done to the image of African American women? The women of this show have been in catfights, screaming matches, and even fist fights. This is something that producers add to the show to spice it up a bit. But for these women to carry themselves and their behaviors is completely different because of the stereotype that will never die from our culture. The same also goes for Basketball Wives, Real House Wives and The Bad Girls Club because they all portray African American women in a negative light and also the impression that this is how African Americans are suppose to be.


The Maury Show is a show that is very famous in the number of views they receive per day. The show depicts a negative image in African American men because it shows that black men can’t commit to one woman alone, can’t pay child support because they believe they are not the father of the child and also portray themselves as they are some type of “gangster”. They carry themselves on stage as if they have done all the good things in life. But they just give themselves a bad image not only in front of a couple of individuals but in front of national television. Women on the other hand also depict themselves in an atrocious way; loud mouthed, irresponsible and having multiple fathers for their children. The Maury show and the Jerry Springer show are similar but also different in a way. The Jerry Springer shows mostly shows the portrayal of white women. Even if a black person is in the show, the women are either portrayed as overweight black women who wear wigs and polished clothes; showing us that black woman are not ladylike. On the men side, they are also shown as weak, crass and unable to figure out what is best for them.


BET’s “Let’s Stay Together” is also another show that deals with the life of African American couples. Through romantic comedy, producer Jacque Edmonds Cofer takes us on a journey of the lives of hardworking, successful couples. It portrays African American men and women as hard workers both in home with the family and outside in the work area. This show is one of the few shows that are very inspirational, engaging and can really keep people entertained. It is also one of the few shows that portray Africana Americans in a very beautiful image. It also show that African Americans are not what individuals believe them to be but can also make a change in society.


In conclusion, the portrayal of African Americans in reality television has been both positive and negative effects in our culture. A depiction of African Americans as stereotypes rather than real people is nothing new in the society that we live in. Even though there are African Americans out there who have a good role in our society it still doesn’t change what other people believe; due to the fact that there are still reality television shows out there that are still on the air and on television five days a week. If these shows are still being shown, there is no doubt that people’s perceptions of African Americans will never change.

 

 

 

WORK CITED

Dixon, Travis. “Skincare, Crime News and Social Judgments; Priming the Stereotype of the Dark and Dangerous Black Criminal”. Journal of Applied Social Psychology. 2005. Web. 29 November 2012

 

Dixon, Travis. “A Social, Cognitive Approach to Studying Racial Stereotyping in Mass Media”. University of Michigan. Michigan, 1993. Web. 29 November 2012

 

Ferguson, Anson. “The Cosby Show and Its Role in Breaking Stereotypes”. Thesis and Dissertations. 2003: pages 1-5. Web. 29 November 2012

 

Joyner, Christian. “The Portrayal of Blacks in Reality Television”. Smith University. Massachusetts, 2005. Web. 29 November 2012

 

DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.