How does media racism feed into cultural biases? How do media channels skew our perspective on the lives of the black community?
Media racism is pernicious in its gross misrepresentation of the black community. Specifically, it creates scenarios where white citizens feel justified in monitoring black behavior and policing it if necessary.
Read about the influence of media on racism and cultural bias.
Covert Media Racism Through Perpetuation of Stereotypes
Media racism includes the way in which media outlets perpetuate stereotypes by grossly exaggerating the trials and tribulations of the black community. Today, only one in five black Americans is poor, and black people make up only about 27% of the poor population. In contrast, white Americans account for 66% of the nation’s poor population. However, 59% of the poor people depicted in news stories are black and only 17% are white. The result is a skewed perspective on black poverty.
A 1994 study found that 55% of Americans think that all black people are poor, and the two words are synonymous in many minds. This false representation is perpetuated by media racism and stigmatizes the subordinate caste and promotes other stereotypes regarding crime, which is also depicted disproportionately.
Crimes against white citizens by black citizens account for only 10% of all reported crimes, but the coverage of those types of crimes accounts for 42% of news stories. This inflated representation of black crime alone would be enough to create fear of black people, but the justice system contributes to this perspective, as well. The combined effects of media racism and the justice system cannot be denied.
The Self-Deputizing of the Dominant Caste
The stereotyping of black Americans as poor and criminals through media racism, coupled with white entitlement, creates scenarios in which white citizens feel justified in monitoring black behavior and policing it if necessary. Over the last decade, technological advances have allowed society to witness these incidents for themselves on video.
The videos of these incidents expose the unjustified intrusion of white people into the daily lives of blacks. These are just a few of many examples of this behavior, and often, the self-deputized white person is criticized or fired from their jobs following the release of the video. Yet despite the public outcry against these actions, this behavior continues.
- A white student at Yale University called the police on a black graduate student who’d fallen asleep in the common room of their dormitory while studying. When officers arrived, they followed the black student to her dorm room, and even though she had a key to her room, the police demanded to see identification. They didn’t request identification from the white student.
- A white woman called the Milwaukee police on a black corrections officer who struggled to get into his vehicle after his key fob stopped working properly.
- A white St. Louis woman attempted to block a black marketing consultant from entering his condo building. She demanded to see his identification, and when he refused and pushed past her, she followed him to his condo door. She asked the man over and over again who he was visiting, not believing that he lived in the same building as she did.
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Like what you just read? Read the rest of the world's best book summary and analysis of Isabel Wilkerson's "Caste" at Shortform .
Here's what you'll find in our full Caste summary :
- How a racial caste system exists in America today
- How caste systems around the world are detrimental to everyone
- How the infrastructure of the racial hierarchy can be traced back hundreds of years
Ubaguzi wa rangi wa vyombo vya habari huchocheaje upendeleo wa kitamaduni? Vituo vya habari vinabadilishaje mtazamo wetu juu ya maisha ya jamii ya weusi? Ubaguzi wa rangi wa vyombo vya habari ni wenye kuharibu kwa sababu ya kuwakilisha vibaya jamii ya watu weusi. Hasa, inaunda matukio ambapo wananchi weupe wanahisi haki ya kufuatilia tabia nyeusi na polisi ikiwa ni lazima. Soma kuhusu uvutano wa vyombo vya habari juu ya ubaguzi wa rangi na upendeleo wa kitamaduni. Ubaguzi wa rangi wa vyombo vya habari unajumuisha njia ambayo vyombo vya habari huendeleza mitazamo ya kawaida kwa kuzidisha sana majaribio na dhiki za jamii nyeusi. Leo, ni mtu mmoja tu kati ya watu watano weusi nchini Marekani ambaye ni maskini, na watu weusi ni asilimia 27 tu ya watu maskini. Kwa kulinganisha, wazungu wa Marekani wanahesabu asilimia 66 ya watu maskini nchini humo. Hata hivyo, asilimia 59 ya watu maskini wanaotajwa katika habari ni weusi na asilimia 17 tu ni wazungu. Matokeo ni mtazamo usiofaa juu ya umaskini wa weusi. Utafiti wa mwaka 1994 uligundua kuwa asilimia 55 ya Wamarekani wanafikiri kuwa watu wote weusi ni maskini, na maneno hayo mawili ni sawa katika akili nyingi. Uwakilishi huu wa uwongo unaendelezwa na ubaguzi wa rangi wa vyombo vya habari na huchambua jamii ya chini na kukuza mitazamo mingine ya ubaguzi wa rangi kuhusu uhalifu, ambao pia unaonyeshwa kwa kiasi kikubwa. Uhalifu dhidi ya wazungu unaofanywa na watu weusi ni asilimia 10 tu ya uhalifu wote unaoripotiwa, lakini ripoti za uhalifu huo zinajumuisha asilimia 42 ya habari. Uwakilishi huu ulioinuliwa wa uhalifu wa weusi peke yake ungekuwa wa kutosha kuunda hofu ya watu weusi, lakini mfumo wa haki huchangia mtazamo huu pia. Matokeo ya pamoja ya ubaguzi wa rangi wa vyombo vya habari na mfumo wa haki hayawezi kukataliwa. "Kujitambulisha kwa Wamarekani weusi kama maskini na wahalifu kupitia ubaguzi wa rangi wa vyombo vya habari, pamoja na haki ya wazungu, huunda matukio ambayo raia weupe wanahisi haki ya kufuatilia tabia ya weusi na kuifuatilia ikiwa ni lazima. """ Katika miaka ya hivi karibuni, maendeleo ya teknolojia yamewezesha jamii kushuhudia matukio haya kwa video. Video za matukio haya zinafunua uvamizi usio na haki wa wazungu katika maisha ya kila siku ya weusi. Hizi ni baadhi tu ya mifano mingi ya tabia hii, na mara nyingi, mtu mweupe anayejitambulisha mwenyewe anakosolewa au kufukuzwa kazi baada ya kutolewa kwa video hiyo. Hata hivyo licha ya maandamano ya umma dhidi ya vitendo hivi, tabia hii inaendelea. - Mwanafunzi mweupe katika Chuo Kikuu cha Yale aliita polisi juu ya mwanafunzi mweusi wa kuhitimu ambaye alikuwa amelala katika chumba cha kawaida cha vyumba vyao wakati wa kusoma. Polisi walipofika, walimfuata mwanafunzi huyo mweusi hadi kwenye chumba chake cha kulala, na ingawa alikuwa na ufunguo wa chumba chake, polisi walimtaka aonyeshe kitambulisho chake. Hawakumwomba mwanafunzi mweupe atambue. Mwanamke mweupe amemwita polisi wa Milwaukee kwa afisa mweusi wa magereza ambaye alijitahidi kuingia ndani ya gari lake baada ya ufunguo wake kuacha kufanya kazi vizuri. Mwanamke mweupe wa St. Louis alijaribu kumzuia mshauri mweusi wa uuzaji kuingia kwenye jengo lake la nyumba. Alitaka kuona kitambulisho chake, na alipokataa na kumsukuma, alimfuata hadi mlangoni mwa nyumba yake. Alimwuliza tena na tena ni nani alikuwa akimtembelea, bila kuamini kwamba aliishi katika jengo lilelile. <unk>Mwisho wa Preview<unk> Kama nini wewe tu kusoma? "Kama unavyoona, kitabu hiki ni cha kwanza katika orodha ya vitabu vya ""Caste"" vya Isabel Wilkerson, na kinachapishwa na ""Cast"" ya ""Cast"" ya ""Cast"" ya ""Cast"" ya ""Cast"" ya ""Cast"" ya ""Cast.""" "Hii ndiyo sababu ya kutajwa kwa ""Caste"" katika kitabu cha ""Cast History"" cha mwaka wa 1960: ""Mfumo wa jamii unaoendelea leo nchini Marekani, jinsi mifumo ya jamii ulimwenguni pote inavyowaumiza watu wote, jinsi miundombinu ya utaratibu wa jamii inavyoweza kufuatiliwa kwa mamia ya miaka."