Ethnic stereotypes have existed in society since the very beginning of civilization. Ethnic Notions is an award winning documentary that shows how deeply rooted these prejudice stereotypes truly is and their effects on how minorities are perceived. The development of these social constructs are linked to how the media has portrayed African Americans.
In art, movies, and cartoons, blacks were characterized with greatly exaggerated features. They had big plump lips, oversized white eyes, and big messy hair. This outlandish and dramatization of the African American population has had a tremendous effect on people’s perceptions. Barbara Christian of University of California at Berkeley commented, “it’s not just that it’s in the figurines and the coffee pots, but it’s that we are seen that way, perceived that way, even in terms of public policy, and that our lives are lived under that shadow and sometimes we then even come to believe it ourselves.” Christian makes a very important point in saying that these reinforced images act as a sort of barrier or obstacle for African Americans. These depictions further reinforce the idea that “black is ugly.”
Blacks are constantly battling this stereotype or expectation that is forced upon them. It is no wonder that slavery and segregation had lasted so long in American history. For so many years, blacks were denied the opportunity to make the most out of their lives.
In the documentary, Larry Levine says, “When you look at them often enough, black people start to look like that even though they don’t.” This further supports the idea that media portrayals of the black race influences how other people view and behave around them. For instance, many films depicted slavery as good and that slaves enjoyed their so-called “job” to serve their white masters. Moreover, black children were presented as sub-human and even animalistic in nature.
These depictions in art, advertisements, and moving pictures showed that people were still uncomfortable with the black population and used artistic renderings to rationalize their feelings and attitudes. In fact, it also seemed that the general public enjoyed seeing this complete distortion of the black population. As a result, many businesses took advantage of the public’s affection of these images. Black face was also a form of entertainment in which white people would paint their faces and act as blacks. These performances were indeed very popular in the early 20th century and people found the idea very witty and laughable.
These images were not only targeted towards adults, but to children as well. Many children’s books and cartoons have captured the attentions of the young by presenting these exaggerated stereotypes as not only socially acceptable but as humorous and valid as well. Embedded below is a a video that presents several examples of racism portrayed in children's cartoons. In my opinion, I think it is completely wrong and unacceptable that the media targets such impressionable young minds. Reinforcing these ideas in the minds of children will only make them more hostile and closed-minded towards black individuals as they grow older.
