Racism Is A Prominent Epidemic - 2228 Words

Throughout the world, everyone makes comments that may offend one’s character or race to distinguish him or her as inferior. These comments have flourished through the racist scenarios and characters produced by the media. Racism is a prominent epidemic that has affected African Americans, especially in the development of America. Africans were torn away from their homes and brought to America in the 17th century to work as slaves, where they experienced various forms of chastisement and torture (Siddiqui). Lincoln abolished slavery in 1863 with the Emancipation Proclamation, freeing all the slaves and ending the Civil War. However, many of the freed slaves still lived in bad conditions and poverty. Whites saw African Americans as an†¦show more content†¦These stereotypes could be the source of colored people’s struggle with their lack of income or unemployment. When the media discriminates against blacks through the production of negative stereotypes or exclus ion, it influences the audience into viewing and treating them in unfair ways; these unjust beliefs are then spread throughout the community, creating struggles in the colored community The Media The media’s representation of blacks is a major source of the racism and discrimination in today’s society. As the internet and television continues to grow as a world-wide phenomenon, people tend to rely on the media to for daily information, and in turn, they rely on it so much that it shapes their perceptions of daily events. People come to view the depictions of characters in the media as a real representation of people, and they use these as examples of how to act in reality. While these images could provide positive role models, the media has influenced society’s behavior with the use of negative stereotypes of blacks. The media associates colored people with the general misconceptions of being â€Å"†¦stupid†¦disrespectful, violent†¦ignorant, menacing, untidy, rebellious†¦[and] uneducated†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Punyanunt-Carter 2008). Laura Green, a student counselor at Virginia Commonwealth University Qatar with a masters