Portrayal of Minority Bodies in American Media

From UBC Wiki

Introduction

Since contact, the United States has had an obsession with the othering of races aside from Caucasian. This happened with the mass genocide of Indigenous peoples[1], and seen again with Transatlantic Slave Trade[2], just to name a few. As different forms of media, television, movies, etc., have gained popularity, they have become a space in which 'othering' can occur across their platforms. This article will look at difference examples across a large expanse of time and media platforms.

Othering

According to the Encyclopedia of Critical Psychology, “Othering” refers to the process whereby an individual or groups of people attribute negative characteristics to other individuals or groups of people that set them apart as representing that which is opposite to them. It refers to more than just stereotyping, as this can involve making generalizations about groups of people which may be positive or negative. Othering includes an affect component, where those that are othered are irrationally feared, even hated.[3]

Background History

Billy Van, the monologue comedian, 1900. This image is available from the United States Library of Congress's Prints and Photographs division under the digital ID var.1831 via National Museum of African American History & Culture

There is a complex history of the fetishization of minority bodies in America. One of the most notable being Minstrel shows. Minstrel shows were a genre of theatre entertainment which was popular in America that depicted “blackness” in a comedic way. They gained popularity during slavery and continued to develop into shows into the early 1900s.[4] As the shows developed, the token black character was often known as the ’Coon’ character. Coon is a racist slang word for African Americans. It is derived from the animal racoon as the facial fur of the animal with dark, ringed eyes, was compared to the over exaggerated features of ‘coon’ characters. Oftentimes, a white performer would depict this character in blackface and exaggerated their movements, language, etc. Beyond this, comparing an entire race to an animal is degrading and further engrains the idea of minority as ‘other’ in society.

The female figure of the Sapphire caricature embodies the stereotyping of the 'sassy black woman.' The Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture acknowledges, 'Their sassiness was supposed to indicate their acceptance as members of the white family, and acceptance of that sassiness implied that slavery and segregation were not overly oppressive.'[5]

Although these are only examples of characters that play to the racist stereotypes of African Americans, it is still a reminder of the deep rooted racist history of America. The portrayal of minorities within media have been skewed in favour of the white audience for a long time.

In the News

Selvin Alvarado, 29, with one of his children at a shelter in Tijuana... Photo by John Francis Peters for The New York Times via the New York Times

Recently, the United States of America have been making headlines for their conditions at the US-Mexico border. Many migrants are labelled as ‘illegal aliens’ and are often portrayed in news in pictures in poor conditions, often walking with children, or carrying all that they own. Most notably, people of Mexican descent have been detained at the country’s boarders or forcibly separated from their families, either facing asylum or deportation.[6] Such news coverage is almost always accompanied by stark images of these minority bodies in holding cells or adverse conditions and are depicted in a way that is separate from society.[7] This further perpetuates racial fetishization and the obsession of othering in America.

Furthermore, it is rare to have representation of a successful black person, or minority, in the news compared to all the successful Caucasian people. More recently with movements such as #BlackLivesMatter, this disparity is being addressed, however, the difference is still noticeable. Looking at the Forbes 400[8] list reflects this notion. Within the top twenty names listed, there is not a person of colour on the list.[9]

In Contemporary Television and Film

Hollywood is known for its heavy Caucasian presence and type-casting. Many shows with a predominately white cast usually has a token minority character or a minority character will be cast as a caucasian actor. Misrepresentation is not new to television and film. Aloha[10], a 2015 movie, featured Emma Stone as the lead female. Her character was suppose to be of Chinese and Hawaiian descent, however, Stone is Caucasian American.[11] The popular television sitcom show How I Met Your Mother[12]aired an episode in their ninth season[13] which depicted the main characters, of an all-white core cast, in stereotypical Asian outfits and mannerism. Furthermore, the hit action-drama Chicago Fire[14] aired an episode titled 'Telling Her Goodbye'[15] in while the firehall is taken hostage by a group of local gangsters, all of whom are minority figures. These are just a few examples of misrepresentation is recent television and film history.

Furthermore, Hollywood is known for type-casting. Asian characters are often nerdy, black women are sassy with strong personalities, black men are typically part of gangs or similar circumstances, Arabs or people from the Middle East are often portrayed in a terrorist role, and the list goes on.[16][17] These negative correlations have significant impacts outside of the entertainment industry.

Impacts

Infographic depicting statistics from the US Census, The Counted (1 January 2015 - 31 May 2015), image via The Guardian

These representations and misrepresentations in media work to perpetuate the message of the 'other.' In doing so, it spreads dangerous and false stereotypes that have a lasting impact on the racial groups involved. Negative and false portrayals of racist stereotypes promotes the intergenerations transmission of racism for the consumers of the media platforms. This transmission of racism continues to have lasting impacts. In the contemporary setting, dating apps have been on the rise. Minority groups, notably Asians and black women, have noted having difficulty finding matches on these platforms because of the correlation with negative stereotypes which have been engrained into society.[18][19]

In a more extreme example, police violence is disproportionately targeted towards minority bodies, namely black Americans. From 2015, The Guardian notes the stark disparity in this experience with police between races.[20] These figures demonstrate that 'othering' in American media create negative stereotypes and correlations with race groups that have serious and devastating impacts and is used as a way for Caucasian Americans to consciously and subconsciously identify themselves against the 'other.'

References

  1. Grand, Sue (15 February 2018). "The Other Within: White, Shame, Native-American Genocide". Contemporary Psychoanalysis. 54: 84–102 – via Taylor & Francis Online.
  2. "The Slave Trade". National Museum of American History. 2019. Retrieved October 25, 2019.
  3. Teo, Thomas (2014). Encyclopedia of Critical Psychology. New York, NY: Springer New York. doi:10.1007/978-1-4614-5583-7. ISBN 978-1-4614-5583-7.
  4. "Blackface: The Birth of An American Stereotype". National Museum of African American History & Culture. 2019. Retrieved October 25, 2019.
  5. "Popular and Pervasive Stereotypes of African Americans". National Museum of African American History & Culture. 2019. Retrieved Oct 25, 2019.
  6. Kanno-Youngs, Zolan; Averbuch, Maya (April 5, 2019). "Waiting for Asylum in the United States, Migrants Live in Fear in Mexico". The New York Times. Retrieved October 25, 2019.
  7. "Separation at the border: children wait in cages at south Texas warehouse". The Guardian. June 17, 2018. Retrieved October 25, 2019.
  8. Kroll, Luisa; Dolan, Kerry A., eds. (October 2, 2019). "The Forbes 400: The Definitive Ranking of the Wealthiest Americans". Forbes. Retrieved October 25, 2019.
  9. Entman, Robert (September 1, 1994). "Representation and Reality in the Portrayal of Blacks on Network Television News". Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly. 71 (3): 509 – via SAGE Journals.
  10. Aloha. Sony Pictures Releasing, 2015.
  11. Smith, Nigel M. (July 17, 2015). "Emma Stone says Aloha casting taught her about whitewashing in Hollywood". The Guardian. Retrieved October 25, 2019.
  12. How I Met Your Mother. CBS, September 19, 2005.
  13. “Slapsgiving 3: Slappointment in Slapmarra.” How I Met Your Mother, January 13, 2014.
  14. Chicago Fire. Chicago , Illinois: NBC, October 10, 2012.
  15. “Telling Her Goodbye.” Chicago Fire. Chicago, Illinois: NBC, March 21, 2017.
  16. Levin, Sam (April 11, 2017). "'We're the geeks, the prostitutes': Asian American actors on Hollywood's barriers". The Guardian. Retrieved October 25, 2019.
  17. Rose, Steve (April 6, 2014). "Repressed Brits, evil Mexicans, Arab villains: why are Hollywood's animated movie full of racist stereotypes?". The Guardian. Retrieved October 25, 2019.
  18. Stokel-Walker, Chris (September 29, 2018). "Why is it OK for online daters to block whole ethnic groups?". The Guardian. Retrieved October 25, 2019.
  19. Rao, Priya (July 17, 2016). "How Women of Color Face Racism on Online Dating Apps". Allure. Retrieved October 25, 2019.
  20. Swaine, Jon; Laughland, Oliver; Lartey, Jamiles (June 1, 2015). "Black Americans killed by police twice as likely to be unarmed as white people". The Guardian. Retrieved October 25, 2019.