Third+Synopsis

**A synopsis of the article “ Television and Societal Effects: An Analysis of Media Images of African -Americans in Historical Context.” **

Sherri Burr, a law professor from the University of New Mexico School of Law, wrote this article to advocate for an increase in the amount of positive Black, Asian, and Latino television characters. The idea of negative stereotypes affecting the watchers of these programs, especially children, is expressed throughout the article.

History

One of the first African Americans to appear on television was Clarence Muse in 1939. Uptown Jubilee was the first all-Black show aired in 1949 by CBS. Many African American have been portrayed in many roles such as entertainers, servants, doctors, lawyers. However the common roles reserved for African American women were servants or maids. These women "were often depicted as obese and ornery" (Burr, 2). Most images have been negative stereotypes but when images of positive Black role models are portrayed, such as in The Cosby Show, the characters are seen by the community as being fake or having an unachievable status in life. In 1999, the NAACP announced they would boycott television programming unless more minorities were included in casting. Burr states an interesting statistic from a poll conducted by the Children NOW organization: "In a 1998 study conducted on behalf of Children Now, a nonprofit children's advocacy group, interviewers asked twelve hundred American children how often and in what roles do they see their race depicted on television. ... When asked how often they see their race on television, 71% of White children said they see their race depicted very often, compared to only 42% of African -Americans and 22% of Hispanic-Americans." Producers are obviously ignoring the damage being done to the psyche of the minority child when they cannot see positive role models that look like them when they watch television.

1950s

Burr discusses the show Beulah which aired October 3, 1950. Beulah was the first show to star an African American, the character was a maid. The character was a "Black woman serving as a faithful and wisecracking maid to a White family" (Burr, 2). In her discussions with Whites who remember the show, many were fond of the character and did not see her as a negative stereotype. Burr believes since Beulah was a servant, many people regarded her as a ‘status-quo’ character for the time period. The 1950s began to open up television for African Americans. Not all Blacks were stereotyped but the majority of the influences were not positive. Some of the most common negative stereotypes even if they did not originate from television, gained popularity during this period. Burr states, "the image of Sapphire, the antagonistic Black woman in Amos ‘n’Andy, has endured as a "type" of Black woman often seen in television, as has the "Mammy" image of the large Black woman depicted in Beulah" (Burr, 2).

The Stereotypes

A few negative African American woman stereotypes have been repeatedly portrayed on television over the years. Many women are shown as overweight. The Mammy character is overweight, asexual, and religious. Her main tasks are caring for children and running the house. The Sapphire character is also usually portrayed as overweight but also is considered hateful, mean, evil, and stubborn. The Matriarch character does not properly raise her children, is very aggressive, and emasculates men. The Welfare Queen character typically has bad values and does not work. These negative stereotypes have a lasting impact on children.

Impact on Children

Burr includes more information from the Children NOW organization. According to their research, children associate more positive qualities with White characters than with African American characters. The results of some polls were astoundingly negative. Burr states, "58% of the children said that they see Whites on television as having a lot of money. Only 8% perceived minority characters as having a lot of money. As for negative qualities, 6% reported seeing White characters breaking the law or the rules compared with 47% of minority characters…71% of all children said someone who is White usually plays the role of boss, while 59% said Blacks typically play the criminal" (Burr, 8).

Conclusion

The affect of these negative stereotypes on children and adults is immense. Burr thinks the impact if felt in three ways. First, the negative African American stereotypes damage the viewers’ self-image. Second, the stereotypes negatively affect how other races view African Americans. Third and finally, the images decrease the chance for positive interactions between the races.

Burr, Sherri. "ARTICLE: Television and Societal Effects : An Analysis of Media Images of African - Americans in Historical Context." (2001)//Copyright (c) 2001 The Journal of Gender, Race & Justice The Journal of Gender, Race & Justice.// Web.