Contemporary depictions of race and ethnicity

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Contemporary depictions of race and ethnicity

• What role in modern society?

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Continuing differences

• The economic fortunes of African Americans
  continue to fall far below those of Caucasian
  Americans despite the removal of formal, legal
  barriers to black advancement

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Changes in societal attitudes

• Clearly, social attitudes have become more
  liberal in terms of race and ethnicity
• The younger generation is far more accepting of
  interracial contact of all sorts than earlier
  generations
• Less stereotypical view of racial and ethnic
  minorities
• with the potential exception of Arabs, a few
  others

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Do depictions matter?

• The evidence points to a relationship among
  whites between exposure to stereotypic racial
  depictions and stereotyping
• However, the relationship between minority
  exposure to depictions and lowered self-esteem is
  mixed. When parents co-watch the exposure can
  enhance self-esteem. Effects on Latino/Hispanic
  children are unclear.

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Contemporary depictions of race, ethnicity

• Certain groups continue to be underrepresented
• Latino/Hispanic groups
• Native American/Aleut

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Inclusion of racial and ethnic characters

• Simple exclusion of characters from an ethnic or
  race group has been common in the past, and
  continues for certain groups in the present.
• African Americans have reached a position of
  greater onscreen representation than their actual
  percentage in the U.S. population
• Latino/Hispanics continue to be significantly
  underrepresented
• Native Americans are almost invisible

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Source Gerbner et al.
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Trend in ethnic casting
Source Screen Actors Guild compilation of
information provided by producers
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The nature of depictions

• While invisibility of a group may be the worst
  fate, some argue that a demeaning representation
  is even worse
• Personality features
• Occupational roles/status
• Behavior, especially with regard to the law and
  crime
• Drug dealers/criminals
• Police officers

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Source Children Now Fall Colors report, 2003-2004
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New, more subtle forms of racial and ethnic
representation

• Overt racism, stereotyping is unacceptable to
  most audiences, members of media professions
• With the possible exception of Arabs
• More subtle, unexamined presumptions may remain
• Implied racial cues
• Tying race to violence
• Typecasting/cultural presumptions

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Subtle treatment

• Black male leads dont kiss white women (or any
  women, for that matter)
• Continued overrepresentation of minority/ethnic
  law enforcement
• Depiction of subculture tied to characters
• Asian characters all know martial arts
• Black men as inherently athletic, Asians as
  scientists, Native Americans in historic roles
  only

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Source Children Now, 2003
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Source Children Now, 2003
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Source Children Now
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Adoption of subcultures

• Subcultures that grew up outside the mainstream
  often draw attention from youth or less central
  groups within the society
• May provide a sense of belonging, enhanced self
  image
• R B
• Rock and roll
• Rap
• Resistant subcultures draw opposition, criticism
  from more conservative/traditional groups

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Concerns over representation

• There is a greater concern among both Caucasian
  and African Americans about representation of
  African Americans in rap and hip-hop than in
  mainstream television, film, or other forms of
  music

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Critique

• Are characters of a given ethnic or race origin
  cast in numbers that reflect their population
  percentage?
• Depends on the group
• Do characters differ based on their race or
  ethnicity?
• What characteristics are attached to what
  races/ethnic groups?
• Occupational/power group
• Attitudinal
• Behavioral
• Do differences in thought and behavior have a
  legitimate basis?
• Are they treated as somehow genetic or are they
  tied to cultural or social structures?
• Are they based on myths or actual, real-world
  example?

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• Do characterizations that are reasonable for a
  single story/film, etc. become unreasonable when
  they are repeated across a wide range of films/TV
  shows, etc.?
• One silly Asian probably isnt any big deal but a
  whole slew of silly Asians is.
• Do groups become type-cast?
• Do minority characters have the opportunity to
  play the entire gamut of roles?
• Can they be lead characters? Well-rounded
  characters?

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In 1969, Cedric Clark outlined four stages of
ethnic minority portrayal

• Stage 1 Non-recognition
• Stage 2 Ridicule
• Stage 3 Regulation
• Stage 4 Respect

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Non-recognition

• In this stage, the group is treated as if it does
  not even exist. It is neither seen nor heard in
  mainstream popular culture
• Exclusion of African Americans from major league
  sports
• Early TV
• Mainstream movies of the 1930s and 1940s
• Popular music of the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s
• More recently, Latino/Hispanic population has
  been severely underrepresented in mainstream
  culture

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Ridicule

• In this stage, the group is portrayed but in a
  contemptuous manner
• As somehow inferior to the dominant group
• Evil, lawless or unethical
• Unintelligent, childlike or juvenile
• The groups inferior social status is connected
  to the characteristics of its members in a way
  that explains the status
• Others have noted that the other is treated as
  exotic
• May be part of this stage of representation

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Ridicule
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Regulation

• In this stage, members of the minority group are
  shown in positive as well as negative roles,
  especially in terms of support for the system
• Many minority characters are depicted in police,
  system support positions
• Others receive the brunt of social control
• Criminals
• Stories and characterizations revolve around
  minority acceptance of the social structure and
  power system

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Regulation

• Minority characters in this stage are likely to
  be part of multiracial ensemble casts
• Usually are not lead characters, though
• Although Clark did not really speak to this too
  much, there appears to also be a tendency to
  generate shows, etc. that are clearly targeted to
  the minority
• Often played in less attractive time slots, etc.
• Content of the shows tends to speak to group
  attitudes, beliefs and concerns

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Regulation
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Respect

• In this stage, race relations have reached a
  point where the minority member is treated with
  respect, and can be portrayed in a wide variety
  of settings and in a variety of roles.
• Portrayals are often overly positive for minority
  characters, tending to ignore negative or
  demeaning presentations

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Respect
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Normalization

• Though not really part of Clarks original model,
  some have added another stage, that of
  maintenance
• I think what we see is normalization
• In this stage, the race or ethnicity of the
  character becomes somewhat less important. A
  characters race only is a significant issue if
  race is significant to the plot. An Asian or
  Latino character does not need to act according
  to ethnicity nor to speak for a minority, but
  simply take on the character role and act as
  anyone would in the circumstances.

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Normalization
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What stage would each of the following groups be
in?

• African Americans
• Native Americans
• Arabs
• Latinos
• Asians

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So whats the big deal?

• Isnt this a case of hyper-sensitivity?
• Arent white males now the oppressed minority?
• For those who have always been in the majority,
  it is hard to understand what the feeling and the
  impact of demeaning representations might be
• Even the discussion of race and ethnicity as a
  topic keeps the issue alive
• It may be necessary to do so, but it means that
  the construction of race and ethnicity will
  continue
• Cannot become color-blind under such
  circumstances

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Not all media are the same

• A 2001 study of popular video games found that
• most protagonists (86 per cent) were white males
• non-white males were portrayed in stereotypical
  waysseven out of ten Asian characters as
  fighters, and eight out of ten African-Americans
  as sports competitors
• nearly nine out of ten African-American females
  were victims of violence (twice the rate of white
  females)
• 79 per cent of African-American males were shown
  as verbally and physically aggressive, compared
  to 57 per cent of white males
• Source Children Now study Fair PlayViolence,
  Gender and Race in Video Games

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Race and ethnic impact on management and ownership

• In 2002, a UCLA study concluded that "minorities
  are even more underrepresented in key
  behind-the-scenes creative and decision-making
  positions than they are on the television
  screen." Many analysts are concerned that the
  dearth of minority executives, producers,
  directors and screenwriters is fuelling the
  tendency to ignore or misrepresent ethnic groups.

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• The NAACPs 2000 survey of Hollywood and Beverly
  Hills screen writers found that only 7 per cent
  of the 839 respondents were members of minority
  groups.
• Furthermore, says the NAACP, ethnic writers in
  the television industry are ghettoized83 per
  cent of the black writers surveyed in 2000 wrote
  for shows starring primarily black people.

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• The dearth of multicultural movie writers and
  producers can also directly affect how minorities
  are portrayed on the big screen. Actor Garret
  Wang reports that a casting director once told
  him he wasnt doing a correct Japanese accent
  until he began using a Cantonese-Chinese
  accent"you know 'I give you two free egg roll
  if you bring laundry into my store.' And she
  said, 'Thats it. Thats the one.'"