Stereotyping of African American Men

Stereotyping of African American Men

Introduction

The United States has a wide variety of racial and ethnic groups, and some of these have been more successful in American society than others. Within any group, there is notable variation in economic achievement, and the success of model minorities is often exaggerated. One explanation for these differences that has found some acceptance both within and outside scientific circles is that the cultures and values of these groups differ. Some groups' values are more conducive to success than others. Jews, for example, have traditionally been seen as valuing scholarship and business acumen; as a result, they have worked hard in the face of discrimination, educated their children, and pulled themselves up from poverty (Worrell, 2005).

African Americans, by contrast, allegedly lacked these values; the result is their continued concentration in the poor and working classes. Racial distinctions are meaningful because we attach meaning to them, and the consequences vary from prejudice and discrimination to slavery and genocide. Since people believe that racial differences are real and important, and behave accordingly, those differences become real and important. Hitler, for example, believed that Jews constituted a distinct and inferior race, and the consequences of his belief were very real for millions of Jews. Thus, the vital questions confronting sociologists who study race relations concern the social consequences of racial categorization. To what degree are different racial and ethnic groups incorporated into the larger society? How can we account for variations in the economic, political, legal, and social statuses of different groups? (Walker, 1999).

Discussion

Though the United States may be the most multicultural nation in the world, the images that many Americans have of their black brothers and sisters are still shaped by the media. The civil rights movement made enormous strides toward cultural and racial integration of the nation from the 1950's through the 1980's. The desegregation of public schools and facilities and affirmative action programs not only permitted African American saturation of white institutions, but caused white and black people to get to know and respect each other like nowhere else on earth. However, during the 1980's a resurgent conservatism spurred by Jerry Falwel's Moral Majority and Ronald Reagan's Republicans began a process of resegregation, accelerating an exodus of white people from public schools and white flight to suburban enclaves (Rushton and Jensen, 2005). Because of lack of personal interaction, most white people today are overly influenced by warped, distorted and truncated images of black people that they get from television, movies and the internet.

Media critic and scholar Donald Bogle has identified five primary stereotypes of African Americans that have dominated American media for 100 years: the "Tom", the "Mammy", the "Coon", the "Buck", and the 'Tragic Mulatto". I contend that all too often, these are the racist lens through which many white people still view black people today (Polite & Davis, 1999).

The "Tom" stereotype is the image of the "Good Negro", who though enslaved, beaten, chased, demeaned, insulted, hounded, and harassed-nevertheless remains loyal, obedient ...