The Impact of Popular Culture on Racial Perceptions

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Introduction

Racism is nothing more than a theme of the next scary story you are going to read before bad. After all, in the United States, blacks, Asians, indigenous populations, and other groups, which faced oppression in the past, have the same political rights as any white American citizen. There is no reason to discuss race relations anymore. In fact, sharing personal experiences regarding ones ethnic/racial identity leads to the normalization of victim mentality. This is the voice of ignorance filling the minds of so many Americans, who believe that race is a political construct. The fact that black and white people can take the same bus should not serve as a justification of portrayal of black men and women in mass media.

Films, TV shows, songs, and other products of popular culture are full of racial stereotypes that support the narrative of white superiority. Minorities are subject to typecasting, which does not reflect real life. Movies and other forms of visual media have blurred the lines between reality and fiction so much that people, including POC, subconsciously use them as a guide to navigate new environments. The incorporation of racial/ethnic archetypes in popular culture results in portrayal of minority characters as one-dimensional and primitive. Thus, it is unethical for filmmakers, producers, and other media executives to utilize racial stereotypes as it leads to dehumanization of people of color.

Racial Stereotypes as Invisible Barriers to Expression of Identity

Although the film industry has transformed greatly over the last couple of decades, it remains true that scriptwriters use race as a shortened description of the characters personality and the development arcs available to this type of hero. The established perceptions of POC characters through the white eye of studio executives underscore white superiority. In his essay In Living Color: Race and American Culture, Michael Omi argues that racial ideologies generated by big media outlets continue to dictate the representation of POC in popular culture. For example, Latinos in Hollywood flicks are always loud, passionate, and have anger management issues (Omi). These instances of racial coding affect viewers perceptions of minorities and lead to their dismissal as inferior. Limiting people of color to a predetermined set of characteristics dehumanizes them. Dehumanization, in turn, makes it easier to justify inequality against these groups, which leads to racial violence and other horrors of discrimination.

Positive stereotypes are not an appropriate answer to the decades of racial typecasting. POC sidekicks and mentors virtually void of any flaws still contribute to the idea of inferiority of minorities. Such characters usually play a subservient role in emphasizing the bravery of a white hero (Omi). In her essay Asian Women in Film: No Joy, No Luck, Jessica Hagedorn makes an excellent point about objectification of Asian Pacific women in Hollywood. The author notes that portraying women as sultry goddesses is not representative of the feminist movement (Hagedorn). It is rather a conscious effort to trap POC women in a box, which is hard to get out of. There is no concern about how Asian girls might feel about being either a submissive concubine or an ultimate wet dream in movies that are supposed to resemble real life (Hagedorn). As a result, members of minority groups, no matter which gender they are, develop insecurities when they fail to fill one of the roles allocated to them. Therefore, racial stereotypes in media becomes the root cause of internalized racism.

The Influence of Reality Television

Reality TV further blurs the lines between fiction and actuality by catering genuine human experiences and emotions to the audiences. Racial stereotypes in media shape peoples beliefs, which they then use to navigate the modern world. Hyper-realistic experiences provided by shows such as Americas Next Top Model (ANTM), Survivor, and others make it even harder for viewers to distinguish what is the result of scripts and typecasting. Commercial reality TV projects tend to harm minorities by oversimplifying their struggles, according to Jennifer Pozner. In her work Ghetto Bitches, China Dolls, and Cha Cha Divas, Pozner argues that ANTM, for example, fails to portray POC experiences as systemic problems that require institutionalized solutions, but instead enforces the idea that they stem from laziness, greed, and lack of discipline inherent among poor youth of color (363). The problem with reality television shows continuous use of racial stereotypes is the ease with which viewers accept racial propaganda. It is immoral for TV network executives to approve projects with blatant racial typecasting because it affects the publics perception of racial minorities.

White Superiority in Visual Media: Portraying Black People as Animals

Dehumanization through the use of racial stereotypes in popular culture extends as far as labeling minorities exotic. Black people are often presented animal-like, which contributes to the propaganda of white superiority. In this scenario, whites are educated and civilized, while blacks are savages. Pozner notes that the racist portrayal of black people as animals guided by primal instincts dates back to pre-abolition newspapers and magazines, where political cartoons and crude artwork accompanied editorial copy justifying the ownership of, and denial of basic human rights for the Negro race (366). Unfortunately, modern advertisements continue to utilize this harmful comparison of black people to animals (Pozner). In turn, these visuals take hold in the audiences subconscious and start to project onto black Americans who are now expected to be less than. Moreover, comparing a black person to an animal dictates a set of beauty standards savage-like African Americans fail to meet. As a result, many black people, especially young girls, feel insecure about their natural features. This is why it is crucial for media conglomerates to take accountability and refrain from racist imagery that reinforces the portrayal of blacks in Africa, living caves, and surrounded by lions in the desert.

Why No Resistance?

The biggest issue that emerges as a result of using racial profiling and stereotypes in popular culture is the effect it has on minorities in terms of their perceptions of themselves. Absorbing imagery generated by racial ideologies of Hollywood, people of color start to associate themselves with one-dimensional characters who are limited to a couple of exaggerated qualities dictated by the color of their skin. The lack of authentic representation forces POC to settle for whatever they can get. Pozner recalls her childhood when no one seemed to mind racial stereotypes in films since they were all too busy being grateful see anyone in the movies remotely like themselves (349). The little representation minorities received was enough to silence them and avoid any criticism regarding the use of racial stereotypes. Directors, producers, and other people in the front office have to take responsibility for mocking racial minorities in the past, while committing to exterminating caricatures of POC from mass media.

Unfortunately, people of color often choose to accept their misrepresentation in the media. Looking back at Americas track record of racial discrimination and violence, it is easier for minorities to submit to the racial propaganda in popular culture they are confronted with on a daily basis. Hagedorn notes that POC usually choose to fill in the gaps in the portrayal of characters, which are supposed to reflect who they are, but instead reinforce white superiority (356). Moreover, some members of racial minority groups actively partake in racial propaganda. For instance, a famous black singer Grace Jones appeared in Jean-Paul Joness photo-shoot on all fours, naked, oiled up and snarling inside a cage, surrounded by raw meat (with a plaque above the cage that cautioned not to feed the animal) (Pozner 367). Under the influence of internalized racism powered by popular culture, minorities choose to participate in projects that contribute to the normalization of racial stereotypes. What makes the matters worse is the fact that these stereotypes do not live exclusively on the screen or in magazines. They take an active role in dehumanization of POC, which normalizes racial inequality leading to discrimination and violence.

POC in the Front Office

The reason why so many racial stereotypes are overlooked is the lack of POC producers, directors, and other media executives. People are trapped in a seemingly inescapable cycle of absorbing racial falsehoods from the screen and then generating content that reinforces them. Popular cultures obsession with portraying minorities as one-dimensional and dim-witted leads to hiring executives (subconscious) inability to imagine people of color in the front office. Omi notes that racial segregation continues to characterize modern film and music production. He argues that for decades black exclusion from the front office (&) was justified on the basis of biological difference (Omi 626). The only way to show the world genuine joys and struggles of POC is providing young creators from minority communities with an opportunity to serve in a position of power and influence. Once there are enough Black, Asian, Latino directors, producers, photographers, and studio executives (most importantly), people of color will finally stop filling in the gaps and start enjoying seeing themselves on the big screen. Moreover, such transformations tend to have a domino effect. Therefore, thousands of POC voices featured in mass media are going to change racial beliefs of millions.

Conclusion

To sum it up, racism did not end with the abolishment of slavery or the rise of the Civil Rights movement. Popular culture is filled with racial stereotypes, both positive and negative, which normalize white superiority. Such stereotypes are a part of larger racial ideologies that influence peoples perceptions of one another. Mass media executives continue to typecast people of color and give them the roles of one-dimensional characters. As a result, under the influence of blockbusters, songs, and advertisements, people subconsciously start to assume that every minority member in real life has the exact same set of qualities attributed to his/her race. Then, under the pressure of social expectations, Blacks, Latinos, and Native Americans try to act a certain way, which limits expressions of their identities and results in internalized racism. The only solution is for media conglomerates to be socially responsible and diversify the ranks of executives, directors, producers, screenwriters, etc.

Works Cited

Hagedorn, Jessica. Asian Women in Film: No Joy, No Luck.

Omi, Michael. In Living Color: Race and American Culture.

Pozner, Jennifer. Ghetto Bitches, China Dolls, and Cha Cha Divas.

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