African American Stereotypes In Movies

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AFRICAN AMERICAN STEREOTYPES IN TV AND FILM When it comes to TV and film, African Americans are portrayed as thugs, domestic workers, magical negroes, and more. According to Merriam-Webster, the word thug “means: a brutal ruffian or assassin: gangster, or tough.” (Merriam-Webster). Referencing the definition of what a thug reflects, it is no wonder why this labeling is a disgrace to hold to an entire group of people. Movies like Training Day and The Wire are examples of how films have a way of labeling the African American community with these prejudices we are faced with the challenge of unfolding. Botelho reported in his article “What happened the night Trayvon Martin died”: Martin also enjoyed making jokes on Twitter about street…show more content…
Although movies are oftentimes based upon real life events, they misrepresent the different sides and perspectives of the culture. Often these films and television shows provide little social context for why more black men than others are likely to end up in the criminal justice system. They overlook how racial and economic injustice make it more difficult for young black men to evade a prison term or how policies such as stop-and-frisk and racial profiling make black men targets of the authorities. They fail to ask whether black men are inherently more…show more content…
When introducing information to the public, oftentimes, the media lack the accurate information or proper knowledge about the source. “The media perpetuates ideas linking race with criminality, which have also been reinforced by political agendas. All of these phenomena have served to solidify the stereotype of the young African American man as a criminal threat among the public in contemporary American society, thereby fueling the practice of racial profiling by criminal justice officials. (Welch, 2007). Botelho reported in his article “What happened the night Trayvon Martin
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