Racism in Media

Racism In Media
Since the world is being influenced more and more, racism has become not only a thing of black and white, but now it has spread multi nationally. Many people have been driven to hate crimes because of racism. Stereotyping has been identified as one of the main factors of racism. For example the reports on black people after the slave trade. People associated blacks with things like crimes and drugs. So audiences will have a negative impression on black people and that will affect their actions in the future.

Even though TV and movies proves a good source of entertainment it has an impact on racial beliefs. Media is a way for people to share information and stories but now it has become a part of some people’s lives and they have taken it too seriously. Now media has changed the way people see certain races and ethnicity. It has given different races different stereotypes.

Another thing I have noticed is the shortage of black actors and actress compared to white actors. When a colored person gets a role in a movie or TV show they usual end up in stereo typed roles that are heavily exaggerated and that really affects young viewers and how they see colored people. Something that surprises me is seeing colored people making jokes about their own race on TV just for the views.

Racism is also seen in ads a countless number of times mainly in beauty advertisements. In beauty ads they don’t show it outright though. They have many face cream products all for the same purpose. To make your skin fairer and lighter. But why are people ashamed of having dark skin? What if the situation was reversed and people were discriminating against whites. Would these commercials be the same?


From my own personal experience I have seen ads displaying these messages and pretty much saying out loud that it isn’t good to be dark. Why are there no ads for dark skin? Why does everyone envy white skin instead of just embracing their own. Because of these ads young people are being influenced to think that they need to change themselves to fit what society thinks is good. 

Source:

"Media & Racism." Media Racism. Wordpress, 02 Sept. 2012. Web. 14 Mar. 2016.

Racism in Advertising

Advertisements are constantly broadcasting (directly/indirectly) ideas about racism and stereotypes. People (especially the youth), unknowingly get influenced by these “false” ideas. Teenagers need to be aware of such ideas in advertisements are spreading such ideas, and try to spread awareness about this issue. It’s true that ads can help the youth learn new things and get to know their world better, however there are more negative impacts. One reason is ads stereotype people, trying to make teens believe that some races are better than others. Another reason is, ads have created a “fake” environment which people have started to get influenced by. People are beginning to believe what they see without knowing it. Finally, many races around the world get offended, or insulted by what they see on ads, and this has lead to many issues with ethnicity on ads.

According to the article “Racism in advertising: 50 shocking examples,” advertisements made fun of black people’s physique. This proves that ads can get away with saying insultful comments about other races. This impacts the youth by telling them information that isn’t real. They feel superior or let down just because of their skin colour. An article called “Racism no way” says that racism in ads are a form of racial hatred. In history there have been many incidents (the apartheid in South Africa, jews discriminated in Europe ect.) where racism has impacted people’s thinking. For a long time, ads have been stereotyping and this has become a tradition. From a young age, if they had learnt what to believe and not, they wouldn’t make such drastic mistakes.


“The media has created a “fake” image of how certain races are perceived to the world” says an article called “Cyber Racism explained”. The advertising business often uses a little of what people believe and exaggerate it. Their job is to make things big and bold. However, what we must remember is, this is false information. It’s true, that some things that the ads say are true, and everyone’s definition of racist is different. Some people may be offended by the slightest thing, while others wouldn’t mind at all. As teens grow, they must learn to develop a mind that is neutral, and takes in what others say, but doesn’t believe it immediately. This spread of racism in ads are really getting to the youth. Some people argue, that such information that the media spreads isn’t harmful and can be a fair game of advertising. This is only true in some cases. In most cases, this spread of false ideas causes dispute among races. It is certainly not a healthy form of thinking.


“This causes a great deal of debate when discussing whether it is ethical to use stereotypes in advertising” says an article called Racism on Wikipedia. Many people feel offended/ insulted when someone even makes a racist joke, while others don’t seem to care. We are all different, so it is only fair to give the media a break. After all, they are only after you because they want you to buy what they’re selling, not cause a war against races. Sometimes people overreact when they see even the slightest amount of racism. However, one might argue that most people aren’t like this. The youth must understand, that taking sides is not the smart way to go. You must analyse the situation before stepping into it. Advertisers, may sometimes be racist, but that doesn’t mean that they always are. If you do feel insulted though, you have no reason not to complain.


Racism in ads are constantly being broadcasted everywhere, so teens must be aware. Advertisers often exaggerate stereotypes and want to make people believe things that aren’t true. They spread these ideas on their ads, and people without realising get influenced. Everyone is different so some people get offended more than others. Overall, the youth must be aware of such ideas, not get influenced by them and spread awareness about such ideas to those around them.

Bibliography:

"Racismnoway." Cyber Racism Explained. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Mar. 2016.
"Mass Media and Racism." Mass Media and Racism. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Mar. 2016.
Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 14 Mar. 2016.
"Media & Racism." Media Racism. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Mar. 2016.
The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company, n.d. Web. 14 Mar. 2016.