Does Negative Stereotyping of African Americans by the Media Contribute to Police Brutality and Racism in the United States
Introduction
There is a longstanding history of dehumanisation and depiction of the Black man in a negative light in American society. The association of African features with criminality is not a new development, and several historical accounts show how racist and stereotypical sentiments have contributed to the lynching and adoption of discriminatory policies over the years. However, in modern-day America, such racist views and rhetorics seem to be perpetuated and promoted by the mainstream media. For example, there are numerous accounts where Black victims have been depicted negatively to try and justify the actions taken against them, including the use of lethal force. Also, the media is fond of associating criminality with African-Americans, promoting the stereotype that black men are predisposed to aggression and violence. Therefore, it is clear that by negatively associating blackness with negative stereotypes of aggression and violence, the media has promoted the use of violent force against African Americans.
Literature Review
Race and skin colour is the most sociodemographic marker in the United States, that is used to identify and differentiate between individuals. The social construction of modern-day racial ideologies in the US can be traced back to the enlightenment period when debates on the state population and the three-fifths rule were rife. The separations and distinctions on race provided in the enlightenment period and economic needs justified the development of slavery and racial ideologies. These racial ideologies have fanned the flame of racism over the years, which is practices at both institutional and individual levels. The image of the African American man has been severely microinstruction over the years. For example, during the institution of slavery, the black man was represented as a docile character, blissfully ignorant, and foolish.
Cinematic blackface portrayals of black men played by white characters depicted them as foolish and comedic perpetuating the stereotype that they are unintelligent to try and justify the enslaved position of black men in American society. Such depictions of blackness as subservient were echoed by the ability of the White man to control the life of a black man, promoting the idea that slavery served to benefit African Americans. However, the American civil war changed such depictions of blackness ended as former slaves and their descendants began to seek socio-economic and political rights leading to the creation of thriving black communities. This growth challenged white superiority and created fear among white communities about the power of black mobilisation. Wealthy white individuals were particularly fearful of the newfound freedom and the political power African Americans could use from their votes, while poor Whites viewed them as competition in the wage market. This contributed to the adoption of Jim Crow laws, and subsequently, the media’s stereotypical representation of the Black brute began to surface and grow. Also, the demonisation of Black men as murderers and rapists by the media has continued to take form for several decades, to construct them in an image outside the realm of typical masculinity. These absurd representations of African-American males have been used to justify and legitimise racist practices, such as mass incarceration of Black men and police brutality.
Several non-factual theories on anthropological and biological factors have emerged over the years, including Charles Smith’s controversial statement that a Black man can be the most brutal and savage creature on the earth. Such perceptions fanned the spread of myths and stories about black savageness and brutality, promoting the lynching of black males. One example is how different accounts of an incident that were reported on the case of Sam Hose, a Black man who killed his employer after having a scuffle with his boss who threatened to take his life. The newspapers reported a headline with the tag “a monster in human form” detailing Hose as a brutal and savage killer who murdered his employer and proceeded to rape his wife. The reports led to the brutal lynching of Hose and promoted the use of excessive amounts of violence of Black people. The consistent portrayal of African Americans as savages and brutes has a long legacy in American society. It is partly to be blamed for the high numbers of incarceration of African American men experienced today. Statistics point out that Black men are arrested and imprisoned six times as much as compared to White men ( ). In modern-day America, beliefs and misconceptions on black bodies have shifted from that of a race to crime and community, contributing to the high incidence of police brutality meted on them. African Americans, particularly young black males, are often personified as aggressive and bound to crime by the media, propagating the view that Black men are a danger and legitimising the need to disproportionately use lethal force. Therefore, there is a high chance that decisions to respond violently, to some degree, have been influenced by the medias portrayal of the African American community.
The past few years have marked a heightened representation of unarmed black males as “criminals” and “thugs” by the mainstream media. Several documented events show how stereotyping and racist ideologies have contributed to the adoption of discriminatory laws and promotion of anti-black sentiments across institutions resulting in the exponential increase of Black male incarcerations. In modern times, the negative depiction of African American males is evidenced by the frequent use of the term “thug” to describe black men who do not conform to norms, and this had adverse impacts on the lives of young black men. For instance, in the past few years, we have seen law enforcement justify and normalise the use of deadly force on Black male suspects or persons of interests based on their physical appearances or thuggish demeanour. Also, we have seen the use of the term “thug” become a common practice when describing African Americans who do not prescribe to the standards of White America. For instance, Richard Sherman, a football player, was termed a “thug” for how he conducted himself in a post-match interview. Even though Sherman did not expressively use vulgar or derogatory language or endorse any form of violence, his physical appearance and loud voice were used to justify his “thuggish” outlook. Additionally, there are several incidences where political rivals of President Obama have called him a political thug. Numerous examples show that the use of the word “thug” has become a channel to dismiss the value of Black lives and promote negative and criminal connotations in the form of misconceptions and misconstructions that perpetuate some sort of validation.
The recent incidences of police brutality where unarmed young African-American men have died in the hands of law enforcement officers have opened up discussion on the use of the term “thug” and the negative perceptions it has. Another example of the problematic characterisation of African Americans is the case of a 16-year-old female Black student from Spring Valley High School, who was attacked by a White resource officer at her school. According to reports the student failed to comply with her teacher’s requests to leave the classroom prompting the teacher to seek intervention from the school’s resource officer. However, video evidence captured from a cell-phone shows the officer tossing the girl out of the classroom with no care about her safety. The events of the incident stirred several conflicting views, including those of senior CNN analyst, Harry Houck, who argued that the girl should have gotten out of her seat when she was instructed to leave the class. According to Houck, the girl was disrespectful to her teacher and her class, and probably had no respect for her parents back at home. Instead of viewing the girl as a victim, Houck blamed her and tried to legitimise the brutality that was meted on her. Sentiments such as those displayed by Houck reveal the considerable role played by mainstream media in the demonisation of Black lives and the growing indifference to Black agony and misery.
The medias negative portrayal of black men has contributed to the generalisations that African-Americans are much more likely to engage in criminal activities. The American mass media is characterised with racist representations of African-Americans that convince the masses that Black people are not worthy of sophisticated critical analysis. Consequently, promoting beliefs, such as the more Afrocentric the African-American’s facial features, the more they are excepted to be deviant. Also, there is a possibility that the unflattering characterisation of Black males in the media is exposing hidden but existing stereotypes in white communities rather than facilitating their creation. For example, the controversial ramblings of Fox News commentators, who faulted gangs for the violent Baltimore riots instead of speaking up against the systematic racist violence directed towards African-Americans provide a good case of the systematic racist representations. According to Savali (2015), Americans are being conditioned with misconceptions and stereotypical views of the Black community through language, images, and deliberate omissions. Additionally, the images of African Americans in the media are used to reinforce the notions of white supremacy. According to Johnson (2015), mainstream media seldom portrays African Americans in a positive light even if they are the victims of a violent crime.
In contrast, White criminals are usually depicted in a sympathetic tone, with many citing views of insanity to defend some of their actions. Several headlines of White criminals engaged in violent crimes often describe the criminals as “silent,” “reserved,” and “nice” and occasionally try to pin their actions on insanity. In contrast, Black suspects and criminals are described as brutal and murderous. Also, the mainstream media appears to be openly biased when selecting the kind of photos to portray African-American victims as compared to Caucasian victims. The mainstream media often tends to use positive images of the individual when the victim or criminal is White,
However, when the victim is Black media outlets often use compromising photos. For instance, in the case of Michael Brown, several media outlets displayed pictures of him showing off a peace sign, which many people misinterpreted for a gang sign. It was challenging to find any news outlet showing photos of Brown hanging out with friends and family or wearing his high-school graduation gown. In contrast, the media tends to humanise White criminals and suspects to try and justify their crimes. For instance, it is common to come across phrases, such as “he was bullied a lot,” and even “he had a mental breakdown or has a history of mental problems” when Caucasian individuals are found guilty of committing a crime. In cases where the evil is exceptionally unfathomable a “lone wolf” narrative is usually adopted to shift attention from some of the heinous violent crimes committed by White supremacists. This pattern can be observed Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston shooting where Dylan Roof killed nine Black members of the church. Several media outlets that reported the shooting described Roof as a “lone wolf white supremacist” with several commenting that they “did not know what his motive was.” Additionally, there are several incidences within the mainstream where young African American boys have been presented as adults. Black victims, particularly young children, are rarely considered as children by the mainstream media compared to young White victims and suspects.
The negative depiction of African-Americans communities has promoted the perception that Blacks, particularly young black males, are drawn to criminal behaviours and that the use of excessive force is justified in such encounters. Such opinions have also promoted increased support for capital punishment by White communities, even though capital punishment has been found to disproportionately affect African Americans. These inaccurate portrayals of crime and race contribute to the generalisation of the “crime problem” to a particular race or minority group (Chaney, 2013, p.4). In the wake of racial violence in the United States, the mainstream media is partly to blame for the stigmatisation and marginalisation of Black youths because of their constant depiction of them as dangerous.
Police Brutality Against Black Males
Police brutality describes the excessive use of physical or verbal force and psychological intimidation by law enforcement. A growing body of research and studies indicate that African American are increasingly likely to become victims of police brutality than Whites, particularly when driving a motorised vehicle. A General Social Survey conducted by the National Opinion Research Center for the University of Chicago (1994-2004), revealed that Whites are significantly accepting (29.5 %) of the use of lethal force by law enforcement when a citizen is attempting to evade an arrest than Blacks (Chaney, 2013, p. 3). There are numerous incidences of police brutality among members of the African American community and this can be attributed to several factors, including existing racial stereotypes that Blacks are criminally inclined. Other factors associated to the high incidences of police brutality among this demographic include the high level of vulnerability and marginalisation present in African American communities, as vulnerable members are less likely to report such incidences and less likely to be believed.
Also, black people encounter repeated exposure to police increasing their incarceration rates and chances of getting assaulted by police. Studies show that African Americans may be disproportionately exposed to police interactions compared to other ethnicities (Carbado and Rock, 2019, p.167). This is evidenced by the extra policing presence in urban schools and communities with predominantly Black individuals. This group’s consistent exposure to law enforcement officers makes them highly susceptible to incidences of brutality. Coupled with existing biases that African-American men are more criminally inclined increases their chances of approach African-American men more often. However, this still does not justify why there are more incidences of police brutality among Black men than other demographics. The high prevalence of police brutality against African American men can be linked to social psychology that White Americans link Black men with violence and aggression. For example, the “shooter bias” experiment pointed out that individuals consider black men as much more dangerous than white men.
Moreover, instances of shooter bias might much more be pronounced among law enforcement officers. Central to studies conducted on shooter bias is the fact that faces of black men attract more anxiety and visual alertness than comparable white faces (Carbado and Rock, 2019, p.168). The sort of attention paid to images of black faces is akin to biological responses exhibited in response to threatening stimuli, such as snakes and spiders. African Americans have become associated with a danger that coming close to them can trigger heightened awareness similar to those that manifest when an individual is exposed to a biologically threatening stimulus. That is, a black man who is providing no evidence of being a threat is much more likely to attract police attention than a white person in the same position.
Case Study the Murder of Michael Brown
On August 9, 2014, Micheal Brown, together with a companion, were spotted leaving a convenience store after stealing cigarillos from the place. At 12:01 p.m., both Brown and his companion encountered Officer Darren Wilson while walking on a nearby street, where the officer commanded the two to move to the sidewalk. At this point, Officer Wilson recognised that Mr Brown matched the description of one of the suspects who had robbed a nearby store. At 12:02 p.m. Officer Wilson called dispatch and informed them about the arrest. There are different accounts and recollections of the actions that followed after Officer Wilson made the call. Several witnesses say there was an altercation between the officer and Mr Brown. Some say the Brown punched Officer Wilson. In his testimony, Officer Wilson states that Mr Brown tried to reach for his sidearm forcing him to fire at him from his vehicle. One-shot grazed Mr Brown’s finger with the other missing him completely. After chasing Mr Brown down the street, Officer Wilson fired several rounds at him, six of which hit him instantly killing him. During the court proceedings, several witnesses than usual were called to take the stand. Also, as opposed to norms, Officer Wilson was called to testify and give his accounts of the event.
Regardless of the ruling, the case of Micheal Brown presents an increasing pattern of police brutality towards African Americans. These incidences reflect the growing stereotype and association of African Americans with criminality and aggression. The frequent occurrences of dehumanisation and portrayal of Black men by the media as aggressive and violent encourage the denial of their human essence. The white fear that promoted the endorsement of lynching as a tool for murder is the same to the one being use to support the killing of young Black men as “justifiable homicide.” This fear has contributed to the institutionalisation of police violence and mass incarceration. It is the consistent fear of African-American men that promotes the infliction of death on them, and gives consent to the reasons offered by law enforcement officers as their justifications for killing unarmed Black men. Additionally, the killing of young Black males is simply an extension of the logic to destroy the black beast before it fully manifests. This new form of institutionalised racism represents the growing mythology attached to Black males defining them as super-predators, thugs and criminals that are promoted by the negative depictions of African Americans in the Media.
Conclusion
The propagation of negative stereotypes, such as the association of Black people with violence and aggression by the mainstream media has over the course of history promoted use of excessive force against African Americans. Throughout history, the image of the black man has been altered to suit different narratives of the white man. When slavery was rife, African Americans were depicted as foolish, subservient and incapable of thinking for themselves. After the end of slavery, the Black man’s image was again altered to justify their lynching and mass incarceration. The impacts of the negative stereotyping of African Americans by the media are visible to date with the rising incidences of the killing of unarmed black men by law enforcement officers
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