Media and Racism: 40 Years of Discrimination - Essay Sample

Introduction

Media has often been blamed for the racism cases that have been witnessed in the last 40 years, both in America and across the world. Through the examination of the mass media, the whites are still portrayed to have authority and respect over the blacks (Adams, Bell & Griffin, 2007). As such, the blacks (non-whites) are often excluded from the media, where their voices often remain unheard of. Such racial discriminations are witnessed behind the screens and in front of the camera (Jensen, 2005). This paper shall delve into understanding whether or not the non-white voices have been increasingly heard in the last 40 years as well as understand the various avenues that the non-whites could follow to ensure that their voices are listened to (Lund & Colin, 2010). Again, the paper shall present the likely role of social media in offering a formidable voice to the non-whites within the US.

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History of Racial Discrimination in the Media

The cases of racial discrimination, bias, and disempowerment are some of the longstanding issues that have been witnessed within the mainstream media (Jensen, 2005). More than 40 years ago, racial segregation orchestrated by the media was a heated topic within the United States. However, this period was followed by an increasingly robust period of civil rights movements that championed racial equality within the United States (Adams, Bell & Griffin, 2007). However, it remained compelling and obvious that with the advent of modern, sophisticated advertisement platforms, racial inequality would still occur in such media platforms (Lund & Colin, 2010).

For instance, the beginning era of modern mediums such as news, advertisement, and entertainment through the televisions was predominated by the whites. As such, the contents of the various media presentations were aligned heavily on the opinions of the whites who were increasingly involved in the industry (Adams, Bell & Griffin, 2007). It is important to note that the advertisement for products was universally marked for the general American public heavily depicted the Caucasians. In contrast, the ad meant for black people to describe people of color (Lund & Colin, 2010).

During the early period of media utilization, there has been a need to understand how people from diverse racial backgrounds were represented within American society (Lund & Colin, 2010). For instance, the media influenced, to a great extent, the beliefs revolving around the impacts of generational media within the United States (Adams, Bell & Griffin, 2007). As such, over the last 40 years, the press has been supported the power of the dominant groups (whites) while presenting emotion-provoking and negative pictures of the minority groups within the American context (Jensen, 2005).

One of the absurd media representations of black could be seen in early film distortions, which presented the painting of the white people to look like the blacks (Jensen, 2005). In the film, the whites conveyed the message that the blacks are not 'good enough' even to represent themselves and that they also lacked the talents to play some character role within the film (Lund & Colin, 2010). As such, white people taking over the roles of the black people sent a message to the general viewers that the whites were more preferred and capable groups to be involved in the mainstream media compared to the blacks (Adams, Bell & Griffin, 2007). Concisely, such a harmful depiction of the blacks was very problematic since they provided room for racial segregation within the United States. Thus, in the last 40 years, the voices of the non-whites remained unheard of.

What Happens In Our Society When Voices Go Unheard

There are serious repercussions when voices remain unheard of within the society. For instance, when voices remain silent, it creates a foundation for oppression because oppressors often get away with their injustices, especially when the oppressed suffer in silence (Lund & Colin, 2010). Voices remain unheard within the society; there is a likelihood that there would be social annihilation characterized by stereotypes as well as denied identities (Adams, Bell & Griffin, 2007). For instance, the media could orchestrate social annihilation through the intentional omission of the black representation within the industry (Jensen, 2005). As such, the non-whites were less represented in almost all the media forms such as news media, songs, visual arts, films, et cetera.

Most importantly, in a society where the voices are unheard, polices are made that do not take the views of everyone, thus thwarting the state of the nation (Jensen, 2005). Again, the unheard voices could eventually rebel against the oppressive authorities, thus negatively impacting the economy. Fundamentally, there are often increased strikes and demonstrations, especially when citizens feel ignored (Lund & Colin, 2010).

Other Avenues That Non-whites Have Followed to Ensure That Their Voices Are Heard

Several strategies have been adopted by the non-whites to ensure that they are often heard in various forums (Jensen, 2005). For instance, they would often resort to demonstrations in the early days of American history. Martin Luther King remained a renowned non-white who advocated for the rights of all others within America (Adams, Bell & Griffin, 2007).

The clergymen also used the chances they had to mobilize their congregants against oppressive regimes. This was one of the most efficient methods since most of the congregants believed whatever their religious leaders told them without questioning (Lund & Colin, 2010). Therefore, they could easily be convinced to demonstrate to have their voices heard.

Conclusion

From the discussions, it is observed that media is currently playing an essential role in the transformation of the form of racism that had been witnessed in the United States over 40 years ago. The various types of media recognize the fact that racism does not add any value, especially for the development within society.

References

Adams, M. E., Bell, L. A. E., & Griffin, P. E. (2007). Teaching for diversity and social justice. Routledge/Taylor & Francis Group.

Jensen, R. (2005). The heart of whiteness: Confronting race, racism, and white privilege. City Lights Books.

Lund, C. L., & Colin, S. A. (Eds.). (2010). White Privilege and Racism: Perceptions and Actions: New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education (No. 125). John Wiley & Sons.