Has the media, particularly television, been kind in portraying African-American women?
Name: Nkenge Zenzele Email: zenzeln@admrs6k.roosevelt.edu Response:
Black women are treated heinously by the media. But then that's par for you
see who owns the media, maintains it, decides what will and won't be
protrayed on it. A white supremacist, capitalistic, patriarchal, homophobic
structure is the backbone of the American media. Therefore, whatever it
chooses to present or omit will support its racist/sexist/classist/homophobic stance.
In order for Black women, or any other group of people of color, to get representation we must
either be "user friendly", White identified and phenotypic, assimilatable,
non-threatening, colored folk or social deviants. In order for us to be
non-threatening we must comfortably fit into the available stereotypes. For
example, the Black mammy role can be seen in myriad films and TV shows in
the modern guise of the "Black friend." This person is constantly offering
emotional support to their White co-workers, giving them advice and just
being a ready shoulder to cry on in general. However, how often are these
people portrayed as having lives of their own separate from those of their
White "friends?" It seems that these women don't exist outside of the
office or of the gaze of the White characters of the show. One assumes they
cease to be when off camera. But this modern day portrayal of Mammy is
marked as a hallmark of the improvement of the media's portrayal of modern
Black/White relations. So it really isn't surprising to me that the White
owned recording industry pays big bucks to young Black artists to defame
Black women and Black men as well and for acts that refuse to do this and
wish to use some real creativity, that they have trouble even getting
noticed by record companies, or if they do the are told that their music is
unmarketable because they don't fit into some sort of demographic.
Name: A. J. Gulley Email: Response:
I do believe black women are being portrayed negatively by the media. I believe that they are being outright DISRESPECTED by the media with what they DO NOT CHOOSE to show on television. When a person watches television commercials of barbie dolls and etc., they are always displaying the white dolls first, and at the end of commercials they will display the black dolls in the background. When black girls see this, they will be brainwashed into believing that the white image is better. I barely see the media portraying a true black woman in a positive light. It makes me angry to see that black women have to portray white features, such as long hair, light-skin, in order to be noticed by the general media. For example, when will there be a day when I turn on the television and see a commercial where they are showing a shampoo commercial where a black woman is washing her NATURAL HAIR? Black women are not ashamed of who they are. I am proud of my natural hair, dark skin and full lips. I want to see positive images of black women on television to show the general media who we really are.
Name: Randolph Bettis Email:Iceman@neca.com Response:
The media hasn't been kind to anyone except the bankers. There is nothing intelligent going on in the media just greed and thats american way. Look at what we see on cable. At forty five I have to watch the Disney channal what fare about that.
Name: K.M.K.(Kicking Much Knowledge) Email:kgary@sunset.backbone.olemiss.edu Response:
I think that instead of worring about how the media treats black women, we should be more concern with the way we(black men) treat our women. I am a 21 year old black law student and I just hate it when I hear a so-called man refer to a black woman as "BITCH" or "WHORE". The black woman is neither of those things she is the Queen of the Earth. It is time for us(blackmen) to love,protect,and RESPECT the blackwomen. I,m not saying that we should not be concern with the way the media protrays our women, I saying we must first show set the example of how are women should be treated in all walks of life then force the media to do justice to the Black Woman. Peace Out Brothers and Sisters!
Name: G.P. Williams Email:gwillia1@tx.ncsu.edu Response:
I think the answer to the question is obvious. It is only in recent years that there have been balanced or positive portrayals of women of color in movies and on televison. However we must remember how these changes came about. White folks did not suddenly realize the error of their ways, black men and women began writing and producing their own movies and television shows. We need to support programs that portray us positively by watching the programs and writing to the producers and the networks and letting them know that we enjoy and appreciate those programs. We also need to be sure to let the producers and networks know when we are displeased. But most importantly we need to continue to strive to be the writers, producers, and network executives so that we are in control of how we are portrayed. My last thought on this and someone else has touched on this recently the most negative depictions of black women have not come from the white community. The most negative disrespectful portrayals of black women are coming from young black men in the world of rap music. It is very sad to listen to the way these men talk about women just because it sells records. I would like to remind everyone who listens to and purchases that kind of music is that those images are not real, are not cool, and the worse thing is that they allow white people to condmen us with our own words. Any white person who wants to believe that black women and men are oversexed, crazy, and violent has just to listen to lyrics of people like Tupac and Snoop Doggy Dogg to confirm their beliefs. I would like our men to remember before they refer to a woman (but particularly a black woman) as b---h or wh--- , how would they feel if someone referred to their mother or sister that way. Then remember that the woman they are speaking to is somebody's mother or sister.
Name: Attica Scott Email:SCOTT@LIBRA.LAW.UTK.EDU Response:
I would not begin to say that the media has been kind in its portrayal of African-American women. Television has been slow to put people of color on the screen, and when they do, it is usually a stereotypical portrayal of our women.
The soaps seem to either take us from a street life to this miraculous diva in a few episodes. Our sisters get knocked up, are on drugs, or aren't allowed to express their culture. When you look at the decor of their homes they have nothing that says, "I'm black and I'm proud." When there was a show on (Roc) that gave the black woman her due, we let it go. We have got to get active and involved in keeping our shows on that portray us in a positive light.
How many times have you watched a news show and women they did happen to cover a story about people of color the black woman seems to always live in the housing developments, is a single mother on welfare, can't make ends meet, looks like crap, and I can go on and on.
We won't even go into the musical side of the media. How many of you have listened to Tupac's new CD, particularly the one cut that says, "everywhere I go it's the same old ho's"?
Brothers, we need your help and you need ours--let's come together.
Name: Marsha Presberry-Parker Email:marsha_presberry-parker@gmgate.arc.nasa.gov Response:
Until the Spike Lee era, African-American women were cooks, maids, tramps or someone's Mammy. Movies like "Waiting to Exhale, "The Color Purple", "She's Gotta Have It" have done much to improve our image. When Black females are just part of an acting ensemble, not something special or out the ordinary we have a long way to go. Thankfully "our" actresses are taking the line Cicely Tyson has ALWAYS taken, she had only done parts that show strong, intelligent Black women. Otherwise she doesn't "DO" the part.
Name: Randolph Bettis Email:Iceman@meca.com Response:
Black men should wake and smell the coffee. Black women hedge thier bet with the women movement. We men are the ones in serious trouble!
Name: Gregory Grant Email: Response:
First of all I think we need to not make this a men vs women issue. The media portrays both are men and women badly. The news is always reporting on the negative side of things. Whereas the soap operas and movies either make the characters act like the white people or they take the stereotypical (usually the worst sides of the black community) to portray our lifestyle. We need a way to really show the life of black men, black women and their children.
I would also like to add that contrary to popular belief there are many men out there amongst us who take good care of both their women and their children. We must not measure the whole black race by what we see happening in our very small part of the community and impose that upon the whole. If we do that we are doing exactly what the media is doing. The media thrives on finding the bad and the ugly and then using it to portray our lifestyles.
In order to get a better representation of ourselves we need teams of writers that will stand up against the media status quo and dare to differ from the accepted norm.
God be with you and Peace be unto you. Name: B.K.CCS Email: Response:
B'S OPINION IS THAT THEY DONT APPRECIATE BLACK BEUTIFUL WOMEN TODAY. I THINK THAT THE MEDIA CAN TREAT BLACK BEAUTIFUL WOMEN TODAY AS WELL AS THEY SUPPOSED BE TREATED.BLACK WOMEN MADE BLACK MEN AND WITHOUT THEM THEY WOULDNT BE BORN.THE MEDIA SHOULD RESPECT AN HONOR THE BLACK WOMEN AND APPRECIATE WHAT THEY HAVE DONE FOR THIS WORLD TODAY.THANK YOU.
K'S OPINION:I FEEL THE MEDIA HAS MADE BLACK WOMEN LOOK LAZY.THEY HAVE ONLY FOCUSED ON THE BLACK MEN,WHO WOULD'NT HAVE BEEN HERE WITHOUT US WOMEN. I FEEL THE MEDIA IS WRONG, AND WE AS BLACK PEOPLE NEED TO STOP THEM AND SHOW THEM WE ARE MORE THAN THEY SEE.WOMEN HAVE DONE ALOT OF THINGS SUCH AS, OPENING SCHOOLS,STARTING BEAUTY SALONS AND MANY MORE.THE MEDIA GIVES THE MEN ALL THE CREDIT, AND I THINK IT'S TIME WOMEN TAKE A STAND AND GET THE RESPECT, GLORY AND HONOR THEY DESERVE.
Name: MICKEY HARAWAY Email: Response:
MY REACTION ON BLACK WOMEN TODAY IS THAT THEY GET INTO ALOT OF WORTHLESS EVENTS. THEY ABUSE THEIR CHILDREN, BECAUSE OF MEN WHO CONTROL THEIR MIND. THEY LET THEIR CHILDREN TAKE OVER. THEY BECOME DESERVED BY BLACK MEN TODAY WHO IS NO WORTH A DIME AND WHO WILL NOT BE THERE FOR YOU WHEN IT IS TIME TO TAKE FULL RESPONSIBITY. THEY INPREGNANT YOU AND TELL YOU THEY LOVE YOU, BUT LEAVE YOU STRAND AND STANDING ALONE.
Name: MELVIN REYES Email: Response:
MY REACTION ON MEN TODAY IS THAT THEY THINK THEY RULE THE WORLD BUT THE ONLY THING THEY WOULD BE ABLE TO RULE IS THEIR HOUSE, CLOTHING AND MAYBE THEIR OWN BUSINESS.
THEY INPREGNANT OUR YOUNG BLACK SISTERS AND THEN THEY RUN OFF TO THE NEXT YOUNG BECAUSE THEY KNOW THEY DON'T KNOW BETTER.
