Essay On African American Stereotypes

548 Words3 Pages

The earth is filled with all types of people. There are people of different race, socioeconomic status, religion, gender, values, and even different preferences on food. These differences are what make us human. These differences do not make us better than others. Just simply different. Because we live in such a technology savvy and media centered culture it is no surprise that these media forms impact the way that we view certain cultures. The way that a group is portrayed in the media can affect that individuals in that group are stereotyped and also play a key role in how people within that group view themselves and their role in society. The group I chose to research was African Americans and I was able to through my research discover how media messages …show more content…

These self-fulfilled prophecies can be both positive and negative depending on the circumstances, however based on the media that I was able to observe I would suggest that the prevailing messages about African Americans give them a negative self-image of themselves. Messages from the media portraying African Americans with poor grammar, loud voices, and strong attitudes can be a self-fulfilled prophecy for some students. Student may feel that because of their culture that rather than trying to become more that they should just be like the stereotypes suggest. As a teacher I realize that I will face these struggles with many students where they do not fully believe in their potential. However, for me as a teacher I believe that each student has amazing potential and my number one priority is to help them to see and strive to reach for their potential. Specifically, for those students that are in the African American group I would point out the examples that show the positive things that people within their culture are