Media, Race, Class, and Gender
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Introduction
Media is a powerful tool that defines life’s realities. Media influences race, gender, and class, three of the most important organizing principles of society. In the current media-focused society, much of what people understand about race, class, and gender is based on the media’s narratives and images about these topics. The influence media has on people’s perceptions is a subject that has been explored for decades, and theories such as the cultivation theory and the associative priming theory show the different ways in which media influences and shapes positive and negative perceptions. While the media is largely seen to promote positive change in society, its depictions of race, gender, and class have widely been negative, resulting in discrimination. Over the years, different media forms have gained popularity with different generations of individuals; however, their narratives on race, gender, and class have been similar. Consequently, people are judged based on their race, their gender, and their social class. Negative racial stereotypes are the most persistent forms of discrimination that media has continually propagated over the years. These negative racial stereotypes have encouraged racism. As racism directly impacts social class, race, and gender, it is vital to understand how media has propagated this prejudice. Understanding how media influences racism is the key to creating viable solutions that can help solve this problem. Media is central to what represents class, gender, and race realities.
Influence of Media on Gender, Race, and Class
Today’s society is hooked on various forms of media. People constantly consume media content through print, broadcast, and the internet. The endless consumption of media content has made it such that media institutions are in control of the narrative. Everything people know, identify, and are concerned about is based on the images, texts, and symbols media institutions provide. Media shapes the way people identify themselves and their notions of gender, class, and race. Therefore, the narrative of what it means to be female or male, black, Asian, Latino, white, and poor or rich is a direct construct of media portrayals. Today’s social realities are narratives created and spread by the media.
People’s understanding of race, class, and gender is rooted in culture. Culture encompasses the social behaviors, beliefs, norms, knowledge, and customs of different groups of people. People use culture to give meaning to identity, relationships, and experiences. As media influences culture, it also influences the definition of gender, making it a social construct that dictates what it means to be a man or woman and the responsibilities and expectations tied to that title. Race is a social construct that has little basis in science. People use skin color, hair texture, and hair color to identify race. Racial categories are based on a region’s political, social, and economic dynamics. Class is a social construct in which people are grouped in hierarchical categories. Occupation, heritage, income, wealth, and education determine the hierarchical position people fall into. Individuals with these factors have greater access to power and resources, which places them higher in social ranks.
What people watch and read in the media is the source of stereotypes people have about individuals with seemingly distinct features. These perceptions are the root of racism, and they determine the kind of treatment different groups of people receive. The cultivation theory shows that long-term media exposure makes it difficult for people to distinguish reality from media fiction (Wright, 2018). The cultivation theory also shows that long-term media exposure shapes consumers’ behavior and perception. Therefore, the media widely influences how people conduct themselves and their perceptions and attitudes. Black men have long been portrayed as violent and dangerous in the media. This distortion in representation has directly influenced society’s attitudes and understanding of black males resulting in real-world negative consequences. For instance, the exaggerated depiction of black men as big, ill-tempered dangerous individuals is the foundation of the all-too-common belief and expectation that black men are dangerous and should be feared.
The associative priming theory shows that the media influences basic human beliefs and perceptions that affect people’s interpretations, judgments, and decisions (White, 2017). The associative priming theory explores media effects on people and how information from the media is stored in the human brain. This stored information is then stimulated into associative thoughts that dictate behavior and judgment. For instance, the media has long portrayed black men as gangsters and delinquents. This image has been stored in peoples’ minds for a long time. People who have never lived with black people or have black family members to alter this distorted depiction will only associate black men with crime and violence. Therefore, the long-term media portrayal of black men as dangerous builds an image of violent individuals and reinforces the belief that black men are to be feared. This associative negative image creates a society that constantly judges black men as violent delinquents.
One of the most obvious real-life consequences of negative media depiction of black men is the overrepresentation of black people in prisons. The US justice system is one of the largest globally, and it has the highest incarceration rates of any other country (Sentencing Project, 2018). The negative representation of black men has resulted in society overestimating the amount of crime committed by black people. This overestimation puts black men at a higher chance of being arrested and convicted. African American men are 5.9 times more likely to be arrested and convicted of crimes than any racial group. Also, while African Americans account for only 13% of the population, they make up 34% of the total population in prison (Sentencing project, 2018). Although crime statistics do not support the overrepresentation of black people in prisons with criminality, the constant portrayal of black men as criminals strengthens negative perceptions of race and crime. This image affects how society interacts with black people (Isom, 2017). African American women also fall prey to this stereotype. Of all the depictions shown of women in media, the black woman has long been portrayed as overbearing, aggressive, and ill-tempered (Cheers, 2017). This image is the basis of “the angry black woman,” an image that has negatively impacted the way society treats African American women.
The stereotypical media depiction of black people being dangerous has given way to racial discrimination. The media has created a culture that conditions the general population to view black people as dangerous; hence, it is common for black people to experience hate and discrimination. The US population is one of the most diverse globally; however, people are judged through a binary system that categorizes them as either black or white. The closer one’s skin color is to white, the more favorable they are treated. Dark and brown-skinned individuals are treated discriminately by society. For instance, due to the preconceived idea that dark-skinned individuals are criminals, neighborhoods with a large population of black and brown people are neglected as they are seen as dangerous. In contrast, areas that white individuals predominantly occupy are seen as safe, and they branded the title “suburban American dream.” Regions with this title are well maintained and have various social amenities. This form of discrimination is detrimental as it reinforces resentment and hostility.
Racial discrimination also affects access to health services. Strides in healthcare have ensured that Americans are living longer, healthier lives. African Americans have a lower life expectancy than individuals from other racial groups despite this progress. Systemic health disparities and the shortage of healthcare providers in health facilities in African American neighborhoods have made it harder for individuals in this racial group to access quality healthcare. Healthcare disparities are most evident among African Americans living in the south. A 2017 report by the US Department of health and human services office of minority health found that while 58% of African Americans lived in the south, a majority of them lacked health insurance due to draconian requirements as conditions to access medical insurance programs such as Medicaid (Taylor, 2019). These health disparities are also evident in health outcomes. African American women are more likely to die due to pregnancy-related issues than their counterparts in other racial groups. Infant mortality rates are also the highest among black children compared to children of different racial demographics (Taylor, 2019). Racial discrimination is also evident in the way healthcare workers treat black people. The media image that African American women are strong has made healthcare workers believe African American women are impervious to pain. Therefore, though an African American woman might explain the level of pain she is experiencing, her doctor is likely to dismiss her input. A 2019 study published in the American Journal of Emergency Medicine found that black patients were 40% less likely to receive medication for acute pain than their counterparts (Lee et al., 2019).
Class discrimination is another form of bias that the media propagates. Class discrimination is closely tied to racial discrimination hence the association between black people and low socioeconomic status. The media often depicts black neighborhoods as dangerous and poverty-stricken. This image paints the picture that these regions are dirty, and their inhabitants are low-income earners that lack education and manners. Children that grow up watching movies and films that depict black neighborhoods in this light develop a permanent bias against living in communities with black people. This negative image also creates a prejudice against black people and people that sound black. For instance, as society associates poverty with black people, people who are black or have black-sounding names are seen as poor. This association with poverty further limits the opportunities black people can access. For instance, regardless of levels of education, white Americans are more likely to get good-paying jobs than black Americans (Johnson, 2019). If black people get well-paying jobs, their white counterparts are more likely to get higher pay. Overall, white individuals receive higher income at all levels of education, an opportunity that is denied to black individuals (Johnson, 2019). Also, due to limited opportunities, black individuals are less likely than their counterparts to go to college, a factor that further affects the kind of job and pay they receive
Class discrimination and unequal treatment are also evident in how society perceives people from different neighborhoods. Growing up, most people have watched movies that depict predominantly black areas as poor. This imagery is a form of class and racial discrimination that directly associates poverty with black people and their neighborhoods. Individuals from perceived poor neighborhoods are likely to face discrimination based on their residential area. When making job applications, these individuals are likely to lose out on the positions and jobs they want because they come from the “wrong address.” This form of discrimination is also seen in how society treats people, depending on their name. Names are used as indicators of socioeconomic status. Black-sounding names are seen to belong to poor people, while white-sounding names are associated with white people. People with black-sounding names are likely to lose out on opportunities, while people with white-sounding names are likely to get opportunities.
The lack of diverse representation has also contributed to the prejudice media has depicted over the years. Until recently, media institutions excluded people of color from creating media content. This exclusion impacted media representation, resulting in inaccurate depictions of black people. For instance, in 1915, the film “Birth of a Nation” portrayed black people as morally degenerate delinquents that needed to be dealt with through groups such as the Ku Klux Klan. This film justified racism and created a tradition in which future films cast black people in limited, demeaning, and stereotypical roles that further stressed that they were dangerous (Garrett, 2017). Over time, negative media about black people has resulted in racial profiling. This form of discrimination affects the public’s view of people of color, fostering institutional bias. For instance, racial profiling is prevalent in the modern-day justice system. The criminal justice system often presumes that people of color are guilty of crimes without proof. This assumption has led to the fatal shooting and killing of several unarmed and innocent black men by police (Mesic et al., 2018). The deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Philando Castille, and Botham Jean are examples of high-profile cases in which black men senselessly lost their lives due to racial profiling and mistaken identity.
Racial profiling is detrimental as it places people of color in a situation where they constantly need to explain and justify their identities in a manner acceptable to the white society. Social justice movements such as Black Lives Matter have emerged in response to the increased racial profiling cases. Black Lives Matter has coined phrases such as driving while black and living while black. These phrases show how white people and law enforcement officers harass black people as they go about their daily lives. The prominence of these phrases in media highlights how racial profiling affects the lives of people of color.
Racism In social media
Social media is the most popular form of media to exist. Close to half of the world’s population use social media. Some of the most popular social media sites include Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok (Ortiz-Ospina, 2019). Each of these sites has more than a billion users. Though each of these platforms has unique ways in which users interact and share information, all social media platforms provide users the power to say what they want at the time they want. In addition to free speech, social media platforms also provide users with anonymity. While social media has enabled the ease in the spread of information, it has also turned into a platform that promotes racism. Anonymity has enabled users to create toxic online spaces that abuse and attack people due to their race, gender, and class (Linabary & Corple, 2019). Both overt and subtle racism thrives on social media. Overt racism in social media is most prominent among adolescents, and it involves the spread of rude texts and images that attack specific groups of people (English et al., 2020). Adults often make subtle racists remarks, and they mask these remarks as harmless comedic jokes. An example of subtle racism is the use of made-up names. These made-up names represent people’s assumptions of what a black person should be named. Other than racism, these made-up names are also used to indicate class disparities. Phrases such as “go back to Africa” are commonly used. As Africa has been depicted as a poverty-stricken region, individuals who use this phrase do it to tell black people that they belong to poor areas. These made-up names and phrases categorize black people as odd and low-income earners. They also tell black people that they belong to the bottom of the social class.
Racism In Film and Television
During the early to mid-1900s, white actors would apply black paint on their skins to depict black people. These actors would then portray their characters as lazy, illiterate, and uncivilized. This portrayal dehumanized black people and set the stage for modern biased attitudes and perceptions about black people in media (Dixon, 2019). Between the 1960s and 1970s, media networks started featuring black actors. By the 1990s, black families were portrayed in some media stations, with shows like the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air gaining national attention. Despite these advances, the representation of black people on media shows was skewed, and only a few actors got the opportunity to act in roles that did not depict media stereotypes.
Today, many media shows have black actors; however, the negative image of black people persists. For instance, modern sitcoms and reality shows perpetuate stereotypes such as black people being on welfare, black women being angry, and young black girls being prone to sexual promiscuity and early pregnancy (Dixon, 2019). For instance, reality shows such as I love New York, the Real Housewives of Atlanta, and Love and Hip-Hop commonly show that their black female casts are always aggressive. Also, these shows are heavily scripted to elicit drama and increase ratings at the expense of black women. These programs also depict their cast as being too loud, promiscuous, and materialistic, traits that negatively affect the image society has of black women. In addition to enforcing negative stereotypes, these shows also promote internalized racism. Internalized racism is evident in the adoption of behavior that mimics negative stereotypes (Speight, 2007). As black people watch these shows, they are likely to adopt these stereotypes and project the negative images they see of themselves.
Racism in Representation
People are influenced by what they see growing up. As children learn through visuals, their understanding of the world is based on the meaning their culture provides. Therefore, a child’s understanding of what gender, race, and class mean is based on the cultural representation their society and media provide. Positive representation results in positive attitudes, while negative representation results in negative attitudes. Over the years, American culture and media have used derogatory representation to describe black people. As a result, negative stereotypes persist, promoting hate and discrimination. Negative representation is a double tragedy as children of other races are taught to hate black people, and young black children equally learn to hate themselves. There is a need for increased representation of black people and black culture in the media to combat these negative effects. For instance, the Marvel Studios movie Black Panther introduced the idea that black people can be heroes. Black Panther also showed various positive aspects of black culture. This positive imagery showed black children that they could grow up to be anything they wanted. Therefore, positive representation is essential in changing people’s minds and reconstructing society’s narratives about people of color.
Conclusion
Media is central to what represents class, gender, and race realities. Over the years, media has helped create negative stereotypes about people based on their race. These stereotypes affect the way society views people of color. As highlighted above, the media has long portrayed people of color as dangerous, aggressive, and impolite. Black men are portrayed as dangerous, while black women are portrayed as aggressive. In addition, both black men and women have been depicted as poor and with low levels of education. The prevalence and acceptance of these stereotypes show that media significantly influences the meanings of race, gender, and class. As gender, race, and class significantly impact the lives and experiences of people, the media needs to start portraying people of color in a positive light.
References
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