The Dehumanization Of Blacks: Negative Portrayal In Mass Media

The Dehumanization of Blacks: Negative Portrayal in Mass Media
Since the establishment of this country there has always been a racial hierarchy system that is used as a basis to establish who is above one another in terms of status. The racial hierarchal system placed whites above all other races, leaving the other races who did not fit into the Eurocentric mold to flounder about at the bottom of the racial totem pole. Those with black skin in particular, especially dealt with the brunt of receiving the short end of the racial stick. Consequently, developing and cultivating a system of white privilege that aided whites in maintaining positions of power that helped control and influence the media’s portrayal of blacks. Nevertheless, the negative

Ramifications of the Problem The preconceived notions of how blacks are perceived by whites date back to the establishment of this country. According to Joshunda Sanders (2012), a writer for the Maynard Institute, which focuses on structural inequality, “the perception of people of color as inferior to whites is embedded within the nation’s legacy of racial hierarchy, which is described as a system of stratification based on belief that skin color makes whites superior”. Due to the system of white superiority blacks are seen in a negative one-dimensional light rather than the three-dimensional light that should be afforded to every single person. As said by Sanders (2012), blacks are subjected to be viewed under this light because popular culture in America has become numb to the superficial portrayals of blacks in the media. In fact, L.

According to Yurii Horton, Raegan Price, and Eric Brown (1999) who conducted research for the Ethics of Development in a Global Environment, the media is the force that sets the tone for the beliefs and values of our culture. This raises concern because it can be inferred, that there is are abundant amount of people do not interact with blacks on a day-to-day basis who believe that the stereotypes bombarded throughout the media are based on reality instead of fiction. This goes to show that mass media portrayal plays a key role in how blacks are perceived by whites. According to Narissra M. Punyanunt-Carter (2008), a professor for the Department of Communication Studies at Texas Tech University, whites who are exposed to the constant stream of the negative media portrayal of blacks more likely to make negative conjectures about them. Moreover, Elijah Watts (2016), a freelance videographer, reaffirmed Punyanunt-Carter’s statements by stating, “If all people ever see are negative images of blacks being killed or convicted that will soon become their impression of how blacks are”. Images of blacks that portray them as criminals, drug users, and gang members are continually bombarded in the media. According to Sanders (2012), because stereotypical depictions of blacks brings in the dollar that is why negative narratives are always