Black Stereotypes In The Media
By.
Janine, Tierra & Matt
Common Black Stereotypes
• Magical: Consisting of or looking for a spiritual super
power, usually to help their white counterpart. Often
uneducated with informal speech.
Examples: Dick Hallorann, “The Shining” 1980
John Coffey “The Green Mile” 1998
Papa Justify & Wife “ “The Skeleton Key” 2005
Miss Cleo – Infomercials 1990’s
Common Black Stereotypes
• Servants: Often found in movies, African Americans play
the butler, maid, bellboy, secretaries or waiter in a
Caucasian movie/TV show.
• Examples: Mammy “Gone with the Wind” 1939
Juanita “Billy Madison” 1995
Aunt Jemima From TV Commercials
Common Black Stereotypes
Sassy Overweight Black Woman: If not playing some
sort of servant/maid, many times African American
women (and men) are cast as mothers or grandmothers
that are very loud and bold, with a take no crap attitude.
Examples: Queen Latifah, “Bringing Down The House” 2003
Tyler Perry “Diary of a Mad Black Woman” 2005
Martin Lawrence “Big Momma’s House1 & 2” 2000
Eddie Murphy “The Nutty Professor” 1996
Common Black Stereotypes
• Ghetto: Drug dealer, ex-con, street hustlers, or even
just living in the inner city. Blacks often play gritty
characters, using informal English, just trying to better
themselves. If not trying to better themselves they are
put in off-the-wall situations to play contrast or opposite
to someone else (usually white).
Examples: Eddie Murphy “48 Hours” 1982
Flavor Flav “Under One Roof” 2008
Wesley Snipes “New Jack City” 1991
Common Black Stereotypes
• Athletic: Very athletic or the ability to run fast is a
common black role. This character usually very
boisterous, openly admitting their athletic skills.
Basketball is the most common sport that we see
portrayed by blacks, but Football, Baseball and Track
and Field are also used.
Examples: Jesus Shuttlesworth “He Got Game” 1998
Wesley Snipes “White Man Can’t Jump” 1992
Cuba Gooding Jr. “Jerry McGuire” 1996
Top 100 Black American classic movies
From blackclassicmovies.com
Many of the top 100 All-Time Black movies portray
Black Actors/Actresses in one of the 5 stereotypical
ways.
Examples:
Anna Lucasta
1959
Backstairs at the
White House 1979
48 Hrs. 1982
Boyz N’ The
Hood 1991
The Examples Go on and On…
Falsely Blaming A “Black Person”
Many news reports (TV, Newspaper & Internet) and
books are quick to take a white person’s word when
claiming that a Black Person committed a crime
against them. However when it is a Black Person
doing the accusing, many times they are not taken
seriously.
Examples
Susan Smith: initially reported to police, on October 25,
1994, that she had been carjacked by a black man who
drove away with her sons still in the car. She eventually
Confessed to killing her 2 kids.
Ashley Todd: Reported she was robbed at
knifepoint by a black man who carved the letter
“B” in her face, because of a bumper sticker
promoting John McCain. Admitted to the lie the
next day.
Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird: Tom Robinson is falsely
accused of Raping a White Woman.
ON THE FLIP SIDE…..
Rodney King: Even though evidence was clear to
show white police officers attacking Mr. King, a jury
found the white police officer Not Guilty.
Hip Hop Music
Hip Hop music portrays African American lives in many
different ways through the artists performing the songs.
A great deal of the popular music over the past three
decades has helped to stereotyping blacks in one or
more of the following categories:
- As Killers
- Degraders of Women
- Being from inner urban areas or serving prison
time
- Concerned with making money or having
expensive things
- Standing up to authority (Usually White People)
As Killers
Popular Hip Hop music known as “Gangsta Rap” uses guns and
murder as a common theme in most of the songs.
EXAMPLES: N.W.A – “Straight Outta Compton” (#6 All-Time Hip Hop Song) VH1.com
Sample Lyric: “When I'm called off I got a sawed off (Shotgun).
Squeeze the trigger and bodies are hauled off. You too boy if ya
f*** with me. The police are gonna hafta come and get me. Off
yo ass that's how I'm goin out.” - Ice Cube (1988)
2PAC – “Hit ‘Em Up” (2PAC is the highest selling Hip Hop
artist of all-time) Guinness
Sample Lyric: “All of y'all motherf*****,
f*** you, die slow motherf*****.
My four four (.44 magnum) makes sure all your kids don't
grow.” – 2PAC (1996, Same year he was shot to death)
Degrading Women
Very popular with Hip Hop music of today, songs portray women as
sexual objects, only highlighting there physical features. Slang
words like Bitch and Ho is a common phrase a many Hip Hop
songs. EXAMPLES:
Sir Mix-A-Lot “Baby Got Back” (#17 Best Hip Hop song of all time)
Sample Lyric: “A word to the thick soul sisters, I wanna
get with ya I won't cuss or hit ya. But I gotta be
straight when I say I wanna f*** Till the break of dawn
Baby you’ve got it goin' on.” – Sir Mix-A-Lot 1992
Lil’ Jon “Get Low” (#5 Song of 2003) Billboard.com
Sample Lyric: “Pa pop yo pussy like this cause yin yang
twins in this bitch. Lil Jon and the East side boys wit me
and we all like to see Ass and tities. Now bring yo ass
over here hoe and let me see you get low if you want
this thug” - Lil Jon 2003
Street Life/Prison Time
Hip Hop songs often bring light to the struggling condition many African
Americans face. Living in inner cities, projects/ghettos, or just plain
bad conditions are typified by many popular Hip Hop songs. Also
glorified time spent in prison is glorified in many songs.
EXAMPLES: Grandmaster Flash “The Message” (#5 HHSOAT) VHI.COM
Sample Lyric: “I cant take the smell, I cant take the noise
Got no money to move out, I guess I got no choice.
Rats in the front room, roaches in the back
Junkies in the alley with a baseball bat.
I tried to get away, but I couldnt get far Cause the man with the
tow-truck repossessed my car” – Grandmaster Flash 1982
Coolio “Gangsta’s Paradise” (#68 Greatest Song of All Time*)
Sample Lyric: “Forgot the situation, they got me facing
I can't live a normal life, I was raised by the strip
So I gotta be down with the hood team, Too much television
watching got me chasing dreams.” – Coolio 1995
*Source billboard.com
Making Money/Expensive Things
Hip Hop artist often flaunt the amount of money they have or expensive
things that they own in their songs. Many Hip Hop songs are
concerned with how much someone is worth, and how much more
money they can make. EXAMPLES:
Puff Daddy “All About The Benjamin's” (#32 HHSOAT) VH1.COM
Sample Lyric: “Rocking Bejor denims, with gold zippers.
Lost your touch we kept ours, poppin Cristal.
You should do what we do, stack chips like Hebrews.
Don't let the melody intrigue you, as I leave you.
I'm only here for that green paper with the eagle.” Puff Daddy 1998
Big Tymers “Still Fly”
Sample Lyric: “Gator Boots, with the pimped out Gucci suit
Ain't got no job, but I stay sharp.
Can't pay my rent, cause all my money's spent
but thats OK, cause I'm still fly.” - Big Tymers 2002
Standing Up To Authority
Many Hip Hop songs give suggestions to stand up to people in
positions of power, with many songs directed towards white people.
One of the fundamental reasons for the beginning of Hip Hop music
was to give African Americans a voice by using music. EXAMPLES:
N.W.A. “Fuck Tha Police (#417, Rolling Stones Top 500 Songs)
Sample Lyric: “Fuck tha police
Comin straight from the underground
A Young nigga got it bad cuz I'm brown
And not the other color so police think
They have the authority to kill a minority“ N.W.A 1988
Public Enemy “Fight The Power” (#1 HHSOAT) VHI.COM
Sample Lyric: “Elvis was a hero to most, But he never meant S***
to me you see. Straight up racist that sucker was, Simple and plain.
MotherF****** him and John Wayne.
Cause I'm Black and I'm proud, I'm ready and hyped plus I'm amped
Most of my heroes don't appear on no stamps” - Public Enemy 1989
Now The Big Questions
WHY?
Why do African Americans Have
common roles on TV and Movies?
Why do African American Men get falsely
accused by the media?
Why do African American Hip Hop Artists
stereotype their own culture with their
music?