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Does the media show bias against black people?

Does the media show bias against black people?


  • Total voters
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Luna Tick

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By media I don't just mean the news. I mean the entertainment media as well such as television and movies and even commercials. Do we still see negative portrayals of black people?
 
By media I don't just mean the news. I mean the entertainment media as well such as television and movies and even commercials. Do we still see negative portrayals of black people?
Not intentionally.
 
Someone voted "Yes". I'd love to see an example.
 
As stated, I have a hard time understanding how anyone could vote "no." Of course some media presentation somewhere presents a negative view of black people. If the question is, instead, whether the media predominantly portray black people negatively...I think the answer is probably complex. There are divided medias in this country. Most people seek out books, movies, articles, and stories that complement their existing biases. So there are some media that do present a negative image, and some that do not. But the ones that do have a nearly captive audience, and that's a serious problem.
 
As stated, I have a hard time understanding how anyone could vote "no." Of course some media presentation somewhere presents a negative view of black people. If the question is, instead, whether the media predominantly portray black people negatively...I think the answer is probably complex. There are divided medias in this country. Most people seek out books, movies, articles, and stories that complement their existing biases. So there are some media that do present a negative image, and some that do not. But the ones that do have a nearly captive audience, and that's a serious problem.
I'd love to see an example that supports your vote.
 
Dooble said:
Someone voted "Yes". I'd love to see an example.

Pick up any copy of "The Klansman."

If you want a more mainstream example, most episodes of "Cops" or "The first 48" present black people doing bad things--things not typical of all black people.
 
Someone voted "Yes". I'd love to see an example.


Does the Media ever show a side profile of Serena Williams? Did the Media present the Clintoons as rascists during the 2008 campaign. It is a reverse bias, but a bias nevertheless.
 
By media I don't just mean the news. I mean the entertainment media as well such as television and movies and even commercials. Do we still see negative portrayals of black people?

Anything but,today, but watch an old movie... or read an old newpaper....
We have progressed, but not all of us.
Of course, media is the whole shabang....
For the past 20 plus years, a visitor, new to our nation, would think that our population is 50% "black" or more, just by our media....we are trying that hard...
And the portrayal is good...
 
Pick up any copy of "The Klansman."

If you want a more mainstream example, most episodes of "Cops" or "The first 48" present black people doing bad things--things not typical of all black people.
The Klansman is utter trash - not a good example of normal mass media...there is also Limbaugh, Nazi hate, child porn, all sorts of filth our there.. The price we pay for our free speech.
"Cops" on TV tells things as they are in certain places of our nation, we do have serious problems, that cannot be swept under rugs.
 
earthworm said:
The Klansman is utter trash - not a good example of normal mass media

The question wasn't about normal mass media. Or, at least, that's not how the question itself reads. I pointed this out in my post: if the question, as asked, is about whether there are any negative depictions or portrayals of African Americans in current media. The answer is, of course there are.
 
Pick up any copy of "The Klansman."

If you want a more mainstream example, most episodes of "Cops" or "The first 48" present black people doing bad things--things not typical of all black people.

Cops definitely does not show bias against black people. Whenever I've watched it I've seen a pretty equal representation of all races. I don't know what the first 48 is, though. But to say that Cops is biased against black people is just ridiculous.
 
By media I don't just mean the news. I mean the entertainment media as well such as television and movies and even commercials. Do we still see negative portrayals of black people?
Generally, I do not.
I feel that portraying people as they are is neither negative nor positive.....if they are that way, then so be it.. This cannot be ignored..A high percentage of what I see, hear, feel, TODAY is a good example of fairness to the so-called black...Granted, it was not always this way..
I have never heard of nor seen the "Klansman"...
Now, this is our media of which I talk, but , as for the people, the American people, I know that there are many haters, many nazis, even in our Congress..It will take many years for this sickness to fade away.
 
Generally, I do not.
I feel that portraying people as they are is neither negative nor positive.....if they are that way, then so be it.. This cannot be ignored..A high percentage of what I see, hear, feel, TODAY is a good example of fairness to the so-called black...Granted, it was not always this way..
I have never heard of nor seen the "Klansman"...
Now, this is our media of which I talk, but , as for the people, the American people, I know that there are many haters, many nazis, even in our Congress..It will take many years for this sickness to fade away.

By the "Klansman" I believe he must be referring to the movie The Birth of a Nation. The Klansman is the play that film was based upon. However, that movie was released in 1915, which makes it a really old example, almost a hundred years. The movie contains numerous racial stereotypes and portrays the KKK as a heroic organization that saves white women from evil black men. If any such movie were released today, there would be widespread outrage. There was even a lot of outrage back when it was released.
 
Pick up any copy of "The Klansman."

If you want a more mainstream example, most episodes of "Cops" or "The first 48" present black people doing bad things--things not typical of all black people.

They show white people doing bad things that are not typical of all white people. Why would a black person have to always be placed in the light most favorable to all black people?
 
Pick up any copy of "The Klansman."

If you want a more mainstream example, most episodes of "Cops" or "The first 48" present black people doing bad things--things not typical of all black people.

Helloooooo. These are reality shows.
 
Cops definitely does not show bias against black people. Whenever I've watched it I've seen a pretty equal representation of all races. I don't know what the first 48 is, though. But to say that Cops is biased against black people is just ridiculous.
Plus, the program is supposed to be showing real life criminal activity as it happens. It's a "What you see is what is really going on out there" scenario.
 
By the "Klansman" I believe he must be referring to the movie The Birth of a Nation. The Klansman is the play that film was based upon. However, that movie was released in 1915, which makes it a really old example, almost a hundred years. The movie contains numerous racial stereotypes and portrays the KKK as a heroic organization that saves white women from evil black men. If any such movie were released today, there would be widespread outrage. There was even a lot of outrage back when it was released.

Quite the phenomenon....that two can see the same scene and report two different things.. I have watched "Birth of a Nation" (TCM) ...I do not think it was that controversial and...this KKK, I saw it being showed as evil as can be.
This movie needs to be re-shown, but with audio, and exactly the same as it was a century ago... A shame that todays directors cannot seem to leave "well enough" alone.
 
Last edited:
Sonic said:
Cops definitely does not show bias against black people. Whenever I've watched it I've seen a pretty equal representation of all races. I don't know what the first 48 is, though. But to say that Cops is biased against black people is just ridiculous.

Whenever I've watched it, most of the suspects or perpetrators are African American. Now, in the sense that the people filmed behaved as the film depicts, there is no bias. But the upshot is nevertheless that people seem to get the idea that African Americans behave that way, or tend to behave that way.

See, for instance:

http://jmq.sagepub.com/content/71/3/509.short

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/08838159409364255

The second directly addresses "Cops."
 
Fisher said:
They show white people doing bad things that are not typical of all white people. Why would a black person have to always be placed in the light most favorable to all black people?

MaggieD said:
Helloooooo. These are reality shows.

I posted these two links in response to Sonic:

http://jmq.sagepub.com/content/71/3/509.short

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/08838159409364255

Part of the problem is white privilege. When a white person is depicted doing something wrong, he's thought of as a "bad white person." When a black person is depicted doing something wrong, it's thought of as being typical of black people. The classic study on this phenomenon (which is just slightly more complex than I've sketched here--though what I've said is one well-studied consequence) is Barbara Flagg's "Was Blind, But Now I See," which will be available at good libraries and bookstores.
 
I posted these two links in response to Sonic:

Representation and Reality in the Portrayal of Blacks on Network Television News

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Part of the problem is white privilege. When a white person is depicted doing something wrong, he's thought of as a "bad white person." When a black person is depicted doing something wrong, it's thought of as being typical of black people. The classic study on this phenomenon (which is just slightly more complex than I've sketched here--though what I've said is one well-studied consequence) is Barbara Flagg's "Was Blind, But Now I See," which will be available at good libraries and bookstores.

By whose yardstick? Why do you make that assumption? Are you black? Are you white? How do you know what goes on in people's minds? Please 'splain to me "white privilege."
 
I posted these two links in response to Sonic:

Representation and Reality in the Portrayal of Blacks on Network Television News

An Error Occurred Setting Your User Cookie

Part of the problem is white privilege. When a white person is depicted doing something wrong, he's thought of as a "bad white person." When a black person is depicted doing something wrong, it's thought of as being typical of black people. The classic study on this phenomenon (which is just slightly more complex than I've sketched here--though what I've said is one well-studied consequence) is Barbara Flagg's "Was Blind, But Now I See," which will be available at good libraries and bookstores.
That is certainly not my thoughts. If they are yours, seems to me you are the racist one.

.
 
Whenever I've watched it, most of the suspects or perpetrators are African American. Now, in the sense that the people filmed behaved as the film depicts, there is no bias. But the upshot is nevertheless that people seem to get the idea that African Americans behave that way, or tend to behave that way.

See, for instance:

Representation and Reality in the Portrayal of Blacks on Network Television News

An Error Occurred Setting Your User Cookie

The second directly addresses "Cops."

I'm not agreeing that there is an unfair representation of blacks. I don't know anybody who assumes that because they see blacks doing illegal things on a tv show, that every black person does so.
 
Plus, the program is supposed to be showing real life criminal activity as it happens. It's a "What you see is what is really going on out there" scenario.

Exactly. So if there are more black people committing crimes in say, New Orleans, then there will most likely be more people on film who are black. Even though I've always seen what I thought was fairly equal representation (I've only seen a few episodes), even if there are more black people I may make sense to the cities demographics.
 
MaggieD said:
By whose yardstick? Why do you make that assumption? Are you black? Are you white? How do you know what goes on in people's minds? Please 'splain to me "white privilege."

White privilege is the privilege that white people enjoy to not think about race applying to themselves. And so, if there's a story of a white person doing something bad, he or she is just a "bad person." If there's a story of a black person, a hispanic person, or an American Indian person doing something bad, it's perceived as typical of the people of those races. Or, at least, that's one consequence. I posted, in the section you quoted, the study done on this phenomenon. It's well accepted in academic circles that study sociology and psychology of race. If you have an interest in it, read the book. Or spend a little time on Google scholar. Barbara Flagg has several articles out there that I think are available to the public.
 
Sonic said:
I'm not agreeing that there is an unfair representation of blacks. I don't know anybody who assumes that because they see blacks doing illegal things on a tv show, that every black person does so.

Don't take me the wrong way: I don't think very many people consciously have such thoughts. But there are demonstrable implicit biases that remain. This is one of those implicit or subconscious biases.
 
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