By now, we've discussed, or rather unpacked definitions and examples of images. We've applied these definitions to two films along with clips of the well-known Rodney King and Latasha Harlins incidents. In each of these, we observed how black bodies are objectified, and literally destroyed. Using our black spectatorship, we've been able to see an alternate 'truth' which contradicts what the media portrays. What examples can you name which perpetuate one of the stereotypes we've discussed, and what image counters this in today's media?
Please remember to refer to the blog rubric when answering.
Due: Wed., 2/7/18 by the beginning of class.
Using the image of the black man being attacked and beaten by the KKK which was formed in response to the white population's fear of reconstruction and Black people becoming too powerful, after claiming how black people are violent and primitive while whites are well mannered or civilized. This image counters that thought in today's media because there are still to this day white supremacy riots till this day from splinter groups of the KKK or White supremacy groups that claim they are trying to preserve their own race in fear of others which cause them to attack people of color both physically and verbally contradicting their claims to being civilized and wholesome people.
ReplyDelete-Bryce Murray
KeAsiah McLaughlin:
ReplyDeleteThe image of Latasha Harlins, her killer and the Empire liquor store perpetuate a huge stereotype for the Black community. That stereotype is that Black people are unable to possess their own businesses, leaving them no option but to buy from other races who sell in their neighborhoods. To the media, and in all actuality, those images display that Blacks are unable to support themselves or each other. The sad part is that even with Blacks being Asians’ greatest supporters financially, Asians continue to hold racial prejudice against the Black community. This ultimately led to the death of many Black people, such as Latasha Harlins. She was a female who constantly supported that Asian liquor store. Nonetheless, Harlins was still discriminated against by the owner’s wife and left dead with a bullet to her head. However, that stereotype is slowing molding away. In today’s media, we see more instances of Black businesses (big or small) flourishing because of support within the Black community. Today, it is becoming more known that Blacks can be business people and fulfill those needs in their own communities that other races take advantage of. The images above counter what is happening in our society today.
The KKK image also supports the stereotype that Blacks are inferior to Whites. The image shows a Black man looking helpless as “blood thirsty” Whites get satisfaction from his pain and their ability to diminish him as a person. Constant lynchings and intimidation occurred to keep Blacks from asserting rights recently given to them after the Civil War. Today, however, this image is not countered by our current society. White still look for ways to limit Blacks (mass incarceration, rigged prison sentences, racial profiling, etc.) It may not be lynchings, but it happens in different forms and symbolically today.
Jeanetta Hamilton:
ReplyDeleteThe concept of police brutality in our society is an example of stereotypes and images that have portrayed racial issues in our society. An example that I want to discuss is the Michael Brown case in Missouri. The young male was a suspect of the robbery of a convenience store. He was shot by a white cop and when I think about this case the significant factors are race and gender. The political context of race has to do with the harassment of police officers in black areas. This case and many other cases about police brutality would have a different view point if it were a Caucasian male. The stereotypes that I see in this case and the discussions we have had in class include Micheal being an African American male and robbing a convenience store. Another factor is racial disparity- the killing of a young black male by a white police officer.
Another example is the depictions of African Americans in the films of Birth of a Nation and Within Our Gates. In these films you are given several stereotypes of the African American race. Within our Gates was a film that really showed African Americans having opportunity of being educated and intelligent. As African Americans we can get looked down on because others do not see us as being educated or being successful. In Birth of a Nation it was the opposite of how Caucasians viewed African Americans. Michaux wanted to show that African Americans have a chance in life and D.W. Griffith's depictions of African Americans are viewed as out-of control. The images today in our media from both examples are based on assumptions of racism, emotions, and evidence of war. The issues I discussed still occur today in our society and affect many people.
Sources:
https://web.stanford.edu/class/e297c/poverty_prejudice/mediarace/portrayal.htm
https://mappingpoliceviolence.org/
https://www.cnn.com/videos/us/2017/03/12/michael-brown-new-video-stranger-fruit-gallagher-nr-pkg.cnn
I believe that one of the largest stereotypes that has been ever-present in American history is the fact that by default, “black” is made out to be dangerous. This image truly stems from slavery because of the exploitation of blacks physically. Black men especially were sold the bigger they were, the brawnier—whoever could do the most physically was the most essential person (or property…). Our worth as a slave heavily depended on our ability to work, and this was then used against us when we became free to say that we were somehow more dangerous now, and that we were to be feared.
ReplyDeleteThis image of dangerous is one of the biggest issues of being black. You walk into a store, down a sidewalk, etc. and based on the images other people have seen and the way they have been taught, they are most likely going to think at some point that they could potentially be in a dangerous situation simply because you are present and happen to have black skin. These images honestly have even affected black people themselves. Some black people feel some type of way when black males in particular pass their car in a “sketchy” area or walk into a place maybe dressed in baggy clothes or wearing a certain type of hairstyle because based on the media, that automatically means, “this black person is probably dangerous”. The saddest thing about it is the fact that there is literally NOTHING we can do to change this image completely. The damage has already been done. A living example of this would be Obama himself. He went to Harvard, he was very well educated, eloquent, a lawyer, a gentle spirit, a well-spoken, well-dressed man, and he even became president. The unfortunate part of this was that he was (and is) black, so no matter what good he did in office, for many people especially white Americans, it wasn’t enough because “black” (yes even with half white mixed in) can never be as good as white.
Birth of a Nation, the first Hollywood blockbuster helped in creating this image and in it, as we discussed, the double insult of blackface shows us how black just isn’t good enough. For Latasha Harlins, she was doomed because she was black. Even though she was a good high school student, even though she was only a 15-year-old child who was paying for her drink from the store—she was black so she was dangerous. Rodney King just wasn’t worthy of respect because he was black. He deserved to be kicked on the ground, beat by a baton, because this black person dared to defy a police officer by running away (via car). When people like us are born we do have much more of a chance today than in slavery days, but we still lack the chance not to be looked down upon, feared, misunderstood, and mistrusted all because of the color of our skin. It may not be fair, but it’s just the life that we all have to live. No achievement, accomplishment, education level, clothing style, hairstyle, or any image that we portray for ourselves will ever change the view by which many others inevitably see us when they encounter us every day.
On a lighter, more positive note, today more people in America are becoming educated on the negative portrayal of blacks in society. The more they learn about it rather than just taking in the defaulted opinions of it, the more they understand that they see black people the way they do because of the way the white society has set blacks up to be depicted as. In other words, the counter image today which is still not a very widely known or viewed image, is people who are not black like David Pakman or Tim Wise and others who are preferably white (so that their message can actually reach more white people) who speak against false dangerous representation of black people when the chance arises.
https://youtu.be/S-nO354JEew
~Elia Johnson
William Ward:
ReplyDeleteWebster defines victimization "as an act that exploits or victimizes someone(treats them unfairly)". This is nothing new to anyone that has even a small tint of color on their skin. We are reminded day after day that we are categorized and put in a negative category and sometimes it takes a major incident to remind us. For example, Latasha Harlins was killed because of her skin. People get scared when they see someone with a knife, gun, and sadly, brown skin. Just because she was Black it was assumed that she was stealing and sadly she lost her life because of this. Not to long ago Tamir Rice, a 12 year old boy, was shot by White police because he had possession of a toy gun. We can almost guarantee that if that was a Caucasian boy with a "gun" in his hang they would have maybe tazed him or even talked him into dropping the weapon. However, just because this little boy's skin was darker than theres he was automatically "bad" and categorized as a "thug" and therefore killed.
It is sad that because of a portion of us that we didn't choose, or can't control, we have to live our lives always aware and scared. Stereotypes are part of the reason why people who don't even have a problem with African American, fear us and categorized us as "ignorant, killers, drug addicts, and gangsters". The part that gets to me is that Whites claim that they don't see anything wrong with our lives. They feel we aren't going through anything, but when they are asked would they switch spots with us, the answers is always no. Their denial is almost as bad as their demonic actions.
In one of the pictures above, we see the Ku Klux Klan members are surrounding the Black man. Based on the level of hate they had for African Americans, the man wouldn't even have to offend or do anything to those individuals to be singled out or messed with. I believe that Whites do not dislike and hate African Americans because we are useless, but because we are a treat to them and their power, accomplishments and even society. They down us because they want us to believe that we aren't worth anything so they can stay on top. It is a mind game that they are playing and as a race we need to ignore them, overcome and become the best he can be. We have been victimized for centuries, as shown in the picture from Within Our Gates. They have taken us from our land, abused us, raped our women, and killed our men. The fight is not over, and we must stay strong, stay determined and keep our heads up because things are only getting worse.
Taylor Singleton:
ReplyDeleteAfrican Americans have always been labeled as "dangerous" and because of that we have been ill-treated for decades. Everybody in the black community is aware that we will always be labled and victimized just because of our skin color. Latasha Harlins is a prime example of the problem African Americans have faced for years. Latasha was a 15 year old girl who was murdered by a Korean lady because she believed that her life was in danger. Fast foward 20 plus years, we still see this trend of African Americans being killed because white people have a preconceived notion that were dangerous and a harm to them. Philando Castile is another example of how being black in America is enough for you to be killed. Castile was pulled over for a rountine traffic stop by two officers. During the traffic stop Castile did what he was supoosed to do and informed the officer that he had a firearm in his possesion. The officer feeling "threatened" shot Castile seven times because he thought he was reaching for his firearm instead of his ID. Castile like many other African Amercians lost his life simply because he was black.
The stereotype of us being "dangeous" can be traced all the way back to the Reconstruction period. White people were utterly afraid of us because we possessed certain strenghts that they did not have. In order to scare us and make us feel inferior to them, they formed the Ku Klux Klan to try to punk us and scare us away. In one of the pictures we see a black man surrounded by a group of Klan members. The black man was most likely minding his business but because he is black the Klan members labeled him as dangerous and wanted to strike fear in him. This trend is still evident in present day,the only difference is in the place of a white hood is a police badge.
Sources:
https://www.cnn.com/2017/06/20/us/philando-castile-shooting-dashcam/index.html
https://www.telesurtv.net/english/news/Police-Killings-of-Black-Men-Are-the-Modern-Day-Lynchings-UN-20160923-0016.html
We correlated the police brutality in Rodney Kings case and in most cases to the lynchings that happened specifically to African Americans. We can see the correlations when we see white police standing in enjoyment while someone is getting the life beat out of them or showing no remorse for taking someones life period. The reasons for these acts of hate happened simply because they were black and not much has changed. African Americans today especially males are constantly being looked at as threat or just intentionally not being treated as equal, and to me its just flat out racism. Cases like Rodney King and Lakeesha Harlins really showed the world how people of different races even view us as a whole, and I say whole because girls like Lakeesha wouldn't have been shot cold blood just from walking in a store and being false accused of shoplifting if she wasn't black.
ReplyDeleteNone of these people were perfect but they were regular human beings and no one deserves to be racially discriminated against. Mass numbers of people died for someone else personal hate against African Americans. The images I've provided are obvious images of hate racism, and mental illness.
Woman Linked to 1955 Emmett Till Murder Tells Historian Her Claims Were False
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGV6VKo-bYE
Eric Garner Chokehold Death: No Indictment | NBC Nightly News
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0Y3FH9Nb3I
I believe that one of most prevalent stereotypes imposed on the black community, especially black men, is the assumption of malicious intent. This kind of twisted paradigm is epitomized by the actions against Edward Clary, Rodney King and Latasha Harlins.
ReplyDeleteRodney King was a diagnosed alcoholic on probation who attempted to get away from the police in a Hyundai of all vehicles. Was he wrong for doing so? Sure. Should he have been punished for the actions he took? Absolutely. But did he deserve to be beaten in the dead of night by 4 officers of “the law”, surrounded by 6 squad cars and while 7 other policemen simply stood and watched? Did he deserve to sustain over 11 broken bones, internal organ damage, and a fractured skull? Unequivocally not. To venture even further, did the officers who inflicted this damage upon him deserve a clean slate after they so viciously and relentlessly attacked an unarmed man. I feel the answer to that is quite obvious.
Latasha Harlins lost her life over an item that was no more than 2 dollars. Shot, while her back was turned, and killed on the spot because the assumption was that she had the intent to steal. Her murderer, Soon Ja Du , seemed to believe that stolen fruit juice warrants the death penalty.
Lastly, Edward Clary. In the New Jim Crow, Clary’s story of blatant racial profiling is highlighted. Returning home from a California trip to visit friends, Clary had in his possession some drugs his friends had persuaded him to take home. Out of the blue, he was stopped and searched simply because a security officer felt that he “looked like a drug courier”. Because he was found with over 50 grams of crack, the judge who handled the case felt he had no other course of action but to sentence him to prison. Unfortunately, being the fresh 18 year old he was, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison even though he had no prior offenses. I find it extremely hard to believe the same ludicrous sentence would have fallen on a white male in an identical scenario.
A modern media image that counters the negative stereotypes aforementioned is that of Colin Kaepernick. Even though he was put into the situation he was because of the institutionalized racism in the NFL, he used his platform as a launchpad for something good. Just recently finishing his 1 million dollar donation pledge to charities that represent oppressed communities across the nation, Kaepernick is an example of the black greatness that can be achieved even in the face of hardship. His strength and peaceful resistance to the injustice that he’s encountered and the injustice that exists within the country is a direct antithesis to the stereotypes of maliciousness against the black community.
In today's society, media is race, as in what the media portrays is the current status and ideological "African American male or female in the current time". With this stereotype resonating in the minds of millions of white Americans, this stereotype will be long-lived and has proved to be long-lived since the early 90's when gruesome videos and images were released to the public of victims Rodney King and Latasha Harlins. The riots that were recorded and caused in L.A. frightened many whites and enhanced that blacks are very violent stereotype. The picture to the bottom right portrays a man eating a chicken bone aggressively, and makes him look intimidating for a potential future propaganda gain in the media. This brings me to my next stereotype that still exist today which is the restricting ideology of white Americans being the good guys on all incidents pro white.In Birth Of A Nation we discussed how at the end of the film the movie ensures white victory! This can be assimilated to today's time as the white man being portrayed as the CEO or well off employee of the team. Another example of this are current time race riots such as the one in Charlottesville that occurred in August of 2017.
ReplyDeleteThe first example that comes to mind when thinking about stereotypes in the twenty-first century on African Americans is when males are shown as thugs or violent for being black. Not only do the African Americans come off as violent, they are also shown as being dumb. In 'Birth of a Nation' a slave named Gus is portrayed as being sex-crazed, violent and dumb. Flora ran away from Gus because he was black and she "knew" that black slaves raped pretty white women. In the BANNED Pepsi commercial, Kendall Jenner is seen giving police officers a Pepsi to stop them from fighting with the protesters. Many people took offense to the commercial because if it had been a black person (realistically) going near police officers it would have most likely lead to another case of police brutality. In the Rodney King beating the officers felt that because this African American man was being "dumb" and evading arrest that he must deserve to be beaten. African Americans are being stereotyped as they walk down the street or walk into a store like Latasha Harlins. Latasha walked into the same convenience store that she visited almost daily. The store worker felt that she deserved to die because she was black. The owner had an idea of the "typical" black person thinking that if they are black they must steal. How did she shoot this young girl with no evidence that she was a thief. The answer is she did not need evidence Latasha's skin tone was all that she needed. Another case of being killed for being black was when Philando Castile was shot because the officer "thought" he was trying to pull a gun from his pocket. The officer stopped them because they "looked" like armed robbery suspects with the only description being that he had a "wide-set nose". The worse things about these cases is that Castile's officer was found not guilty of second-degree manslaughter and Latasha's killer was sentenced by a jury for 16 years in prison but a judge decided to overturn the conviction and only gave her 5 years of probation, $500 fine and community service. In both cases justice was never received for these victims who died just because they were born African American. A counter to the stereotypical black person is Barack Obama. Not only did Obama show that African Americans could be smart but he also showed that African Americans are not violent creatures who deserved to be beaten or shot because of their skin tone. Barack Obama showed that black people could be interesting and cool without being entertainment for white people.
ReplyDeleteSource:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73P9STckPLw (BANNED-Pepsi Commercial)
https://www.cnn.com/2017/06/20/us/philando-castile-shooting-dashcam/index.html (Philando Castile Shooting Video)
Isaac McNair
ReplyDeleteSince slavery was abolished African Americans have been stereotyped as aggressive and to a greater extent uneducated. This is still evident today as African AMericans are always portrayed as aggressive in the media. La Riots, Feurgson, Baltimore, etc were all known by the media as angry aggressive black people destroying their community. However , a few days ago after the Eagles won the superbowl downtown Philly was terrorized by a majority white crowd. They were received as die hard fans and not as aggressive thugs.
If you type smart man or educated man into google you get a bunch of pictures of white people. This is no surprise as black people have always been portrayed as uneducated especially black women; which is ironic since black women are the most educated group of individuals in the country. At any rate, the white man has always portrayed the black man as less than white people. Take the KKK image for example, it looks like a helpless black man with white men in complete control. Which is some ways how people look at the world today.
Da'sha Jones:
ReplyDeleteI would perpetuate the stereotype of "aggressiveness". Black men and women are and always have been labeled as aggressive. I personally believe black people have this stereotype because we are stronger than white people in every aspect, therefore; they tend to fear it. A BLACK, 15 year old, Latasha Harlins was not only looked at as a thief but also "aggressive" for holding her own. It is disgusting to know that Soon Ja Du thought that shooting a child in the back of the head was easier than going to get her husband or asking her to leave the store. And even more disgusting knowing that she did not have to reap the consequences. This proves to us that police aren't the only people getting away with harming our black people. I can only imagine how it is being a black mother/father in this world.
Racial profiling has always been relevant, for example: I previously watched this video of Oprah, there was a black man with dreads, Edward C. Lawson, on her show. A white woman called in and stated, "If I were on a bus and he sits beside me I would immediately grab my purse and move to another seat because he is scary." He politely put her in her place and told her that one of her family members would more than likely be the person that would murder and or rape her. I just find it amazing how white people can literally do any life taking activity (get in a cage with a tiger, fight a bear, fall off of a cliff, etc) but yet they are beyond terrified when a black man walks past their vehicle. Racism is real.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kC_H6wGFF8
Given the knowledge of Latasha Harlin's travesty the common stereotype given to Black people is basically that all we do is steal as if we are incapable of having anything for ourselves. As if having our own money to purchase anything and not steal is unbelievable. Today there is still an occurrence of these same instances, but today it is more controlled. Instead of instantly coming to the conclusion that any Black person is stealing in a convenient store they would rather look at another one of their employees to go and harass you around the store to make sure you don’t. Or whenever a Black person tries to pay for their items looking they begin to look at your money funny and try to look and see if it is real. There have been plenty of viral videos that have shown Black consumers trying to shop but the employees following them throughout the store.
ReplyDeleteAlso, the “Foothill Incident” with Rodney King this is displaying the stereotype which is most commonly given to our Black men which is that they are seen as “animals”. Stature and structure of a Black man’s physic is always pointed out in any incident as if it sets the tone as to why any force was needed. During the trial of Rodney King Powell was asked if King was an animal, although he gave a doubtful “no” he proceeded to say, “he was acting as one”. Not only his is insulting Rodney King by classifying him as an animal but he is trying to legitimize his actions within the same breath. This is still happening within our community today, there is always an excuse for using excessive force when dealing with a Black person. They treat us with such force as if we need to be tamed, whereas if your white your control is innate.
Lastly, trial of the “Foothill Incident” Powell began to describe the fear he had in his heart when dealing with Mr. King. He assumed he might grab his gun if the excessive violence was not used. This is exactly how many cops and other people get away with murder. Every cop has basically a plea that if the force was deemed necessary in this specific time then it was essentially OK. Most are familiar with the Philando Castile case when Castile admitted to the officer that he had a firearm in the vehicle but when reaching for his license was shot in cold blood. The Minnesota Officer that killed Castile was acquitted of all charges. In fear of his life that Castile was reaching for his gun the officer used the force which he thought was necessary. Philado Castile isn’t the first case a court has seen with the same “justifiable” claim. How can one sentence give the approval of taking someone’s innocent life. In the society today it’s almost like cops are on a killing spree and America is giving the OK to kill us all off one by one.
Kirstyn McLeod
ReplyDeleteIn our culture images are everything. They help to portray ideas, emotions and beliefs. Black women are often portrayed as one dimensional characters, and not seen as having much depth. Shows and films that portray these roles include:
Cookie (Empire)- The Sapphire
The sapphire is a sassy woman who always has a quick comeback and something smart to say. Tarahji even comments on the fact that her various other roles did not win her an award, but rather “Cookie, who spent 17 years in jail for selling crack.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzYZ_sMW6Eo
The Help- The Mammy
The mammy is an over weight, de-sexualized and dehumanized character who’s sole purpose is to nurture and provide for the family that she takes care of. In 2012 Octavia Spencer was awarded an academy award for this role, and was only the 4th black woman to receive this honor since 1929.
Olivia Pope (Scandal)- The Jezebel
The jezebel is a character who is overtly sexual, promiscuous and has a lack of morality. When scandal first began its as a political drama focused on examining the ins and outs of how politician’s problems could be fixed and cleaned up. As the show progressed it also began putting Olivia into the light of the jezebel. The show shifted and focused on how she was the president’s mistress, with many people comparing her to Sally Hemmings.
One recent image that helped to portray black women in a good light was Hidden Figures (2017). Hidden figures help to tell the untold story of 3 women Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson, and helped to explain the untold story of their impact on the Space Race and NASA in general. This film, and their story helped to debunk several stereotypes. This dispels both the Jezebell and the Sambo stereotype. It shows three smart, ambitious, and conservative women doing what once would have been deemed impossible. The reason as to why this was so powerful was because it told a true story. It didn’t simply try to counter these false images with a positive narrative, it showed the story of real women who had a real impact on the world. The one problem that you could argue with this film however is that some may argue that its still has a mammy character. Dorothy (played by Octavia Spencer) serves as a mother figure to the other two women and assists them as they take on the journey at NASA together.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wfrDhgUMGI
Stereotypes have plagued the Black community for years and we continue to see these stereotypes affect our communities today as portrayed in media. In Birth of a Nation, we saw the Mammy image reinforced as the caretaker for the white family.
ReplyDeleteSpecifically, the Mammy stereotype of a big, black, domestic, and uneducated women still permeates media today with the popularity of characters like Big Mama, Madea, and Norbit. What’s even more poignant is that all of these roles portraying women are all played by male actors, who reinforce the negative stereotypes for humor. Tyler Perry created the character Madea based off of women he knew throughout his life, but the portrayal of the Madea character is problematic, though humorous. Perry reinforces the angry black women “Sapphire” and mammy archetypes, among other popular stereotypes in many of his movies. Yet, because these movies are created by a Black man, the black community still supports him and will continue to do so, especially, since the film industry is not nearly as diverse as it should be.
We even see the mammy stereotype has impacted products like Aunt Jemima syrup, which used the mammy image to sell a product (https://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2012/04/new-racism-museum-reveals-the-ugly-truth-behind-aunt-jemima/256185/). The Mammy figure was also seen in household products like old salt shakers. Many of these items are used in the kitchen, which is where you would usually find many Black women who cared for white families. You also see Black women used to sell cleaning products like Pine Sol, which match the Mammy narrative that Black women should be the ones cooking, cleaning and taking care of the house. This was the reality for many Black women during the early 1900s who didn’t have many opportunities to go to school or find other, more skilled labor. My grandmother tells me stories about how she used to clean houses for white families in high school to contribute money to her own family, as her father was a sharecropper. While Black women have far more opportunities today, the Mammy image and stereotype is still used as a sort of propaganda to remind us of how we were/are viewed in society.
In an episode of “A Different World”, Kim explores what the Mammy image means in the black community and where this image stemmed from. Throughout the episode she struggles with her slight resemblance to the Mammy image and how people perceive her. She tries to deny this part of her history, until her friends encourage her to embrace the ugly truth and learn more about the historical context of Mammy. She showcases what she learned in the episode through a performance, seen here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJOX4rCJvDM). She draws upon black women’s strength from a biblical perspective and how our roots in Africa influence us today.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteDarien Culp:
ReplyDeleteThe image of Latasha Harlins and Soon Ja Du represents how society views black people. The whole situation was caused because of what Soon Ja Du thought of Latasha Harlins. She didn't speak English very well and she thought that Latasha was trying to steal the orange juice from the store. Her impression of what black people are clouded her judgement on what Latisha was actually doing. This can be seen throughout society now with police violence against African Americans. Time and time again we see footage of police officers brutally beating African Americans and it seems like in the videos that are released to the public that the person being beaten or tasered was in the wrong when it was really the officer.
My statement lies in the unfortunate misunderstanding of the skewed definition of fear. The people of this world have carelessly & drastically found a way to turn their own misfortunes, into those of other people’s by simply placing the blame elsewhere. In other words, what gathers all of these films and clips and cases together, is the simple fact that people are so afraid of things that they don’t understand. The irony of it all is that it is because of these same films, clips and cases that misunderstanding, and therefore fear of the unknown, occurs. So surfaces the stereotype that blacks are the "mistake"; the "threat"; the "no good for nothings".
ReplyDeleteIn the case of Rodney King, he was seen as a large belligerent drunk who was of no good to society, or to himself; the “real threat”. He was judged for his exterior being as well as for his mistakes because no one had the audacity to think of him as any more than. They [the officers] could only view King from a heteral normative standpoint, ultimately resulting in the limitation of their own thoughts.
This is also the point that Oscar Micheaux was aiming to get across with his portrayal of Uncle Ned in the film “Within Our Gates” (1920). Yes we need to keep an open mind before judging someone, but in order to do so, we have to have an open mind to begin with. And there lies the conflict – most people do not, especially the officers who beat Rodney King the way that they did, or else they’d have the decency to treat him in the same manner as they would have treated a white drunk male with the same history. It is unfortunate that the people whom are most knowledgeable of themselves as well as the world around them, are the ones to suffer, but this is generally because the ones who have no reason to fear, yet are fearful, are in the higher, upper-class positions. Therefore, they claim to have the authority to act accordingly towards what they don’t understand, and natural instinct implies fear.
However, there is hope lying within today’s media that shows that blacks are not only capable of working with whites as well as other races, but accompanying them in getting rid of the stereotype that “blacks are no good for anything”. First of all, the image of our 44th president, our first black president, and the mark that he left not only on this country, but on the world as a whole should be given credit to him as well as everyone he's worked with. People may not remember all of the things that president Barack Obama accomplished while he was in office, but they will never forget how he made them feel, and that is due not to his skin color, but to his viewpoints as a person. And lastly, there’s the image of specifically black-owned businesses which are gaining mainstream attention rapidly as the African-American community is finally coming together in recognizing that we are more than our exteriors, that it is necessary that we support each other, and that we refuse to be broken and/or closed-minded by doing so.
x Niya Fleming
In looking at the images of the Rodney King beating and the Latasha Harlins' shooting, the one stereotype I feel that the attackers are trying to persuade us to believe is the mandingo stereotype. In both incidents, Harlins and King were portrayed as if they were being extremely violent. The mandingo stereotype is played to be crazed, out of control, and violent toward others. With Rodney King, he experienced the consequences of making a bad decision to run from the police. He was not necessarily crazed or belligerent; in a way he was trying to protect himself from a systemically oppressive loop designed to keep black and poor people stuck. (Being on parole leaves little room for being connected to criminal related activity)
ReplyDeleteLatasha Harlins was doing what was part of her normal routine in visiting the store to make a daily purchase. Because she did not conduct business in a way that was comfortable for the cashier that day, the cashier viewed her actions as possibly very violent therefore characterizing her in the mandingo stereotype.
Just as Gus was type cast as the mandingo character in the movie Birth of a Nation and he was killed and delivered as a sign and a message to the black people in the city, so were both Harlins and King murdered/beaten and it sent a message to the rest of the world: extrajudicial justice is fine as long as it is taken out on the mandingo.
I am not quite sure if there are images that can counter this stereotype, but it just might start with the images of watching a white officer take care of a black child when he got separated from his mother during a festival in Louisiana.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3282173/It-s-awesome-officer-going-call-duty-Heartwarming-pictures-cop-comforting-distressed-boy-lost-parents-street-fair.html
Out of all of the images that we have discussed over the past few weeks the one that entices me the most is the constant antagonization and dumbing down of black people. Examples from the movies that we watched would be “The Birth of a Nation.” In that film, the underlying theme was that black people were always the enemy, and if not they “knew their place.” Black people were made out to be decieving, sneaky and untrustworthy individuals who were constantly looking for ways to disrupt order. They were made out to be spontaneous creatures with absolutely no complex conscience or thought process. This idea was echoed throughout the film and the prevalence caused an almost constant sense of foreshadowing when seeing a black actor (or white actor in blackface) in the film. An image of one-sidedness and staticness is what sparked the stereotype of the uneducated, ignorant and simple minded black man/woman; which is still carried out in a multitude of ways in our society today.
ReplyDeleteA direct example of the “mammy” type of stereotype would be during election time in 2016. There were two black women who seemed to love Donald Trump a little too much. They made videos talking about how great Trump was, and even made appearances at his rallies to talk to the (almost all white) crowds. Looking at videos of them at a Trump rally you might catch a few white people laughing at the women while they ramble about Trump like he’s a ray of light shining down, ready to save them from some great evil dark force. Seeing it was very reminiscent of watching a scene directly from “The Birth of a Nation.” Almost as if they were a form of entertainment for the white crowd to laugh at, which was quite sickening in many ways to watch. He used the common stereotype of the mammy to try and connect with black voters in order to get more of the black vote, which in turn caused the total opposite reaction. The stereotype of the mammy is one too old and familiar in American cinema and television, and has seeped its way into contemporary American society, namely by whites in order to profit off of/benefit from the stereotype of black inanity.
Youtube video of Trump Rally: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIXGpScZ0Cg
-Buddy Jones
Stereotypes are prevalent in today's society. Although no one claims to judge others off stereotypes, they do. Blacks are portrayed as thugs and criminals on TV, movies, and video games. Others from outside races tend to believe that criminality is a part of the typical black person's reality so much they feel "threatened" in our presence. This is very accurate for white people and asians. They see a black person and assume we want to cause trouble. They begin to feel "afraid" and "threatened." They use these excuses to literally destroy us. This was the case for Latasha and Rodney. Neither of them wanted to cause any harm. They were both unarmed. The system was set up in a way for the blacks to lose, even when they're the victim. In both cases the court ruled in the defendants favor in my opinion. Probation is not enough for a murderer. The system protected the white police officers, even though they failed to protect us. This ideology dates back to pre jim crow laws. All of the lynches occurred and the whites always made some excuse that was based on fear. Cops use the same excuses today when they shoot us for the most minor things. Below I attached the video of the shooting of Philando Castile. His girlfriend and child were in the car. He notified police that he did have a firearm (as a safety precaution) and he did not intend to use it. However, the cop shot him several times out of "fear."
ReplyDeletehttps://www.cnn.com/videos/us/2017/06/21/philando-castile-shooting-dashcam-llr-orig.cnn
Alesia Smyre
ReplyDeleteI feel as though the black stereotype that resonates and stood out the most to me is the "Mandingo" stereotype. The Mandingo stereotype puts all black men in a box in saying that they are aggressive and violent, particularly in a sexual nature towards white women. Often times the Mandingo stereotype and the false white rape accusations go hand in hand. Examples of the Mandingo stereotype include the plot in the film "Birth of a Nation". Most of the second half of the movie was about the KKK defending the towns people, most importantly white women, from the dangerous and sex crazed black men during reconstruction. Blacks were portrayed as wanting the white female flesh more than anything in the world and would rape, kill, and plunder to get their needs met. This just simply was not true. Also when it came to Emmett Till the white men that beat, mutilated, then shot, did so because a white woman accused Emmett Till of whistling at her and making a sexual comment.These white men feel the need to protect Carolyn Bryant from this "Mandingo" and protect her white female virtue. Here again we have a young black man being accused of sexual misconduct against a white woman. later after Emmett Till was dead and gone Carolyn Bryant confessed to being a liar.
This occurrence of false rape allegations is still happening today. I have two cousins that have been falsely accused of rape by their white girlfriends. Both accusations happened their senior year of high school. One of my cousins had a full ride scholarship to play football at ECU, he lost it of course. Just another instance in which white women, that are supposedly innocent and pure, accuse a black man of violating them and demonstrating their sexually and physically dominant nature.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2017/02/09/emmett-till-family-wants-truth-accuser-lies/97683096/
Though there are many stereotypes that black people are wrongly prosecuted and killed for, one seems to be the most everlasting of them all. The "Mandingo" stereotype is the claim that all black people are not civilized, violent and cannot properly live among others without causing disorder. We can see this in many instances of injustice towards black people. Latasha Harlins is a good example of this. She defended herself when she felt she was threatened. The clerk used that and her preconceived notions to justify shooting Harlins as she was walking away. Another example of this is the Trayvon Martin situation. He was shot by the community watch coordinator because he looked suspicious in a black hoodie. In both of these cases, the shooters were given a slap on the wrist. These and many other instances have not-so-subtly made it okay to kill black people whenever murderers deem it necessary because they know that the justice system will be on their side. These examples are of civilians killing other civilians and receiving lenient if any sentencing at all. Police officers get away with hurting and killing unarmed black people much more often. Rodney King, Philando Castile, Sandra Bland, Mike Brown, Freddie Gray, Tamir Rice and Eric Gardner are just a few victims of unnecessary police violence. It continues to be seen today that when people harbor uneducated notions about an entire race of people, the negativity causes a great loss of life and justice.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.newsweek.com/police-shootings-killings-us-unarmed-black-reform-michael-brown-764787
ENG 318-Unit 1/Blog 1
ReplyDeleteJermaine Williams
BLACKFACE
Republican State Legislature candidate, Robbie Gattie, dressed in Blackface as Tiger Woods, for a "good night at church" event. “Shortly after this event, I was ordained in this church. As a medical professional, ordained minister and military officer, I live my life seeing only character and I stand by that.”
(http://thehayride.com/2017/02/robbie-gatti-responds-to-publication-of-his-blackface-picture/)
(http://black-face.com/)
Blackface was considered entertainment. Actors would paint their faces black and act out the negative stereotypes of Black people. This was common in the mid-1800's and is still found today, although the media denies this practice.
California teen dresses in Blackface to ask a girl to the prom.
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/blackface-lynching-reference-used-in-promposals-by-students-from-the-same-school_us_592edfcae4b09ec37c30c273
Due Wed : 2/7/2018
Lou Moses
ReplyDeleteThe picture of Latasha Harlin and Soon Ja Du is a clear representation of how people view Black folks. All Latasha wanted to do is buy a orange juice and go home but instead she didn't even make it out of the store due to Soon Ja Du ignorance. Soon ja Du and her husband owned a corner store but her husband normally work the counter because she barley knew how to speak English. Unfortunately for Latasha (who is a regular at the store) Soon Ja Du was taking over the counter as her husband took a nap outside in the car. All Latasha did was grab a orange juice and ended up getting not only touched but shot dead because Soon Ja Du thought she was stealing. Latasha grew up with her grandmother who was a church going lady. She meant no harm. The camera caught it all but Soon ju Du just ended up getting community service instead of going to prison. In todays society the same thing goes on with police violence on African Americans. They kill us on camera and get away with it like nothing happened.
I believe one stereotype that is prevalent in all the examples that we discussed in class is the concept that black people are supposed to be feared. Especially black men. This is a made up fear that society (white society) has used to justify discrimination and blatant dehumanization of black and brown people.
ReplyDeleteSociety has plagued Black people with the characteristics of being lazy, aggressive,uncontrollable, and savage like, however if you look into our history we have been known to be the exact opposite. Africans were chose as slaves because they were seen a easy to control but they were strong and knew how to do the work that needed to be done. White people have used these stereotypes to their advantage in order to not see black people as human. However in reality if black people are actually aggressive, violent, savages then why did they make us keep their homes together, raise their children, and come in contact with their money source. White people use the stereotypes when they deem necessary.
Fear caused by dehumanization of black people is seen in every example we discussed. Latasha Harlins was a 15 year-old-girl and this women felt the need to still fear her for no apparent reason. She was not aggressive in anyway nor did she have a weapon on her. In the film Birth of a Nation black men are seen as violent, overly sexed, and aggressive with their only intention being to rape white women. However during the time there were way more babies from white men raping slave/black women than there were babies from black men raping white women. But black men get the negative stereotype and the "white savior" saves the day.
This is seen in today's society in many different ways but most in police brutality. Which also connects. to the Rodney King Beating. White police have been condition by society based on our history to dehumanize black people more specifically black men which has caused this concept of fear they all have expressed to have had during the incidents. This has caused black men to not only have an automatic target on their backs but the way the law handles them in all situations. Most of the men that have be subjected to extreme police force have been unaggressive, non-violent, and unarmed. Clearly not a threat especially to police who are armed and should have the training, and the ability to descale the situation without force considering their lives were not actually in danger.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteUsing the images of Latasha Harlan’s and Soon ja Du played a big role with African Americans and the Asian American merchants that provide these things that we need. This event had led to numerous Korean owned businesses to be attacked and the race war tensions to be higher at this point. The thing that blows my mind is the control our government and justice System has once a innocent black person is killed, the jury said that Du’s Shooting was fully in her control causing her to fire the gun Voluntarily, she was found guilty of mansalaughter more so the judge let her off with community service with a 500 dollar fine. I feel like us as black people when we are seen as the superior race we move different rather than others. We stand out as a race which causes people to look at us a certain way and treat us differently. We have seen this situation occur in a slight difference with the Trayvon Martian case Another black man down killed by George Zimmerman a mixed Hispanic man and let off with ease.
ReplyDeleteIn the film Of the Rodney king beating it reminded me of the image upbove of the KKK around the black male and the Mandingo stereotype of being Poor, black always going through something never smiling which plays a big role in today’s society with the whole white supremacy affect. Innocent slaves being beating and hung because they didn’t follow their masters orders right or just because white people were in a better position than us, they can control things in the manner. They are out here in the street meaning Law enforcement officers who are suppose to be helping keep our world safe, are the one who are hurting us the most when it comes to justice. One thing that stood out the me was during the video you have officers that just stand around and watch and those were the ones that got up and just left. White supremacy does these things because they feel afraid and think we are going to hurt them. Looking at these images above and just to think that some of these things are still happening today makes me think that we will never be equal in this world. Jamal Barrett
Kayla Mitchell
ReplyDeleteIn class we have dissected numerous films and historical events that have had a significant impact on the stereotypes and indifferent beliefs that plague our society today. Examples of ideologies that are constantly perpetuated are white supremacy, the financial benefit yet intimidating perception of the black man’s physique, and the interpretation that every black person shares the same story.
White supremacy has been the driving forces that permitted slavery and the “oppressed” idea of African American people. “The Birth of the Nation” and “ The New Jim Crow” revealed the birth of white supremacy and how it has progressed throughout American history. Images that counters in today’s landscape are the “criminal” characteristic of African American people. We see African Americans being targeted in the war on drugs and mass incarceration. The war on drugs was a racially inspired tactic to imprison 1 in every 14 black men in 2006. President Reagan used to media to build the momentum for his war on drugs campaign. Media outlets publicized stories that involved black crack users and dealers in ghetto communities. Although the media portrayed one thing, in reality their depiction was far from the truth. African Americans only represented 15% of the drug users, while white people constituted the majority. The media has played a pivotal role in fueling the image of drug infested African
American communities. Once a black man is taken away from their families they instantly represent the “single-parent” household stereotype. The Judicial system farther imposes unjust tactics on African American people by giving them heavier sentences and keeping African American from participating in juries. The idea of white supremacy has contributed to the disproportional prison system and the injustice judicial system which ultimately perpetuate stereotypes that display African Americans as the oppressed race that fills our prison systems, and commits most of our crime in America.
The Black man’s physique has been the source of billions of dollars for the white man yet has been used to invoke fear among women and other African Americans. In the film “ Within our Gates” and lynch riots we have seen the bodies of African Americans be demolished to create fear and inferiority in the black community. The lynching of bodies were used to keep us subordinate and amuse the vicious attendants. In “ The Birth of a Nation” we see the aggressive and sexual portrayal of black men. For three centuries, the black man’s labor built the economic status in the America we know today. The black man’s physique has always been a financial benefit for the white man since slavery. Images that counters this example is the lavish life of sports players. Whether NFL,NBA, or MBA young black men are being lured into another system that gives white men the opportunity to capitalize off of the black man’s physique.
When the media portrays African American people they display the same story. For nearly three decades new stories regarding street crime have disproportionally featured African Americans. “The single story” TED talk presents the danger of the images that link all the African Americans together. We are all different yet the media broadcast stereotypes that keep us suppressed in America. For instance, when the media covered the Micheal Brown murder or Trayvon Martin they seem to only focus on the criminal or stereotypical past of the victims instead of telling their story as victims of injustices.
Sources:
Within Our Gates (1920) - Oscar Micheaux Silent Film
The Danger of a Single Story | Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie | TED Talks
The Birth of a Nation (1915 film by D.W Griffith)
The New Jim Crow excerpt - Michelle Alexander