Disney's First Black Princess

Ever since Disney announced they were producing a film starring a black princess, the film has been plagued with racial controversy. The question is whether or not the movie Princess and the Frog overcomes racial stereotypes, or does it further perpetuate them? First of all, the fact that the movie is set in New Orleans where hurricane Katrina resulted in the massive destruction of a black community is probably no coincidence. The decision to include the concept of voodoo and the stereotypical skinny, sleazy black guy who tries to sell you magic potions is most certainly perpetuating the common black stereotype that blacks are superstitious. In addition, the "princess" is originally a poor, black waitress who was born into poverty and who only attains "princess" status by marrying into it. Probably the biggest controversy in this film is the fact that the prince appears white, or at least certainly not black. Why did Disney decide not to pair the black princess with a black prince? Were they trying to show that interracial marriage was acceptable? Or was Disney avoiding portraying a black male because only white princes can save a poor black woman from poverty? It seems to be that Disney made an attempt to please the African American community, but still failed in avoiding any stereotypes.

Erykah Badu appears on Chelsea Lately

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Last night, Erykah Badu appeared as a guest on Chelsea Lately. Typically, guests on the show are relaxed and funny- it makes sense since they are appearing on a comedy talk show. However, Erykah came across very differently, and kind of oddly. She was extremely stiff, straight-faced, guarded, and rigid. She cracked very few smiles, laughed maybe once, and seemed completely uninterested in the host, Chelsea Handler.

When asked by Chelsea why the media was making such a huge deal out of her new video, “Window Seat”, Erykah claims it’s just “a way to sell tabloids” and “bring attention to the media”. What? Really? Erykah was given the perfect opportunity to express the deeper meanings behind her new controversial video, whether it be black women’s oppression, accepting a new womanly body type, or bringing attention to the faults of American society and it’s unwillingness to accept cultural change. It is not a way to sell tabloids. The image of her walking down a street buck-naked and being assassinated on the same street as JFK is going to cause controversy, and hopefully the point of the video was to inspire national conversation which is the starting point for change. I wish I could argue in Erykah’s favor, saying that her video was a social outcry reflecting the character assassination a woman would go through if she showed herself completely. There is no doubt that her video is very powerful, but maybe her intentions were to simply create sales…

Precious: Is Hollywood degrading African Americans?

The movie Precious was recently crowned with several Academy Award nominations and two Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Actress (Sidibe), Best Supporting Actress (Mo'Nique), Best Director (Daniels), Best Adapted Screenplay (Fletcher) and Best Film Editing (Klotz). Although the movie certainly has many moving moments that are both powerful and shocking, it is ultimately demeaning the idea of black American life and perpetuating the negative stereotypes already in existence. In fact, the movie portrays nearly every negative stereotype associated with blacks: poor, on welfare, stealing, obesity, pregnant, no father figure, promiscuous, fried chicken, abuse, and dysfunction in the family. This movie most certainly says that black people are messed up and dysfunctional and clearly a threat to society. Hollywood is perpetuating these perceptions of blacks that people have, causing even more discrimination against them.

People are quick to adopt these perceptions instead of thinking critically about them. The people in this movie are actors playing a character. This does not mean that all blacks live in abusive homes, have had multiple children by the time they are 16, and are obese because all they eat is fried chicken. People need to understand that Hollywood is a business, and therefore they have costs to cover and are looking to make the most money possible with each film. Sadly, a film such as Precious is going to attract more viewers and make more money because of the negative stereotypes. However, anyone could be in an abusive home, or have a child out of wedlock, or be obese, despite their race. Even the movie’s preview strongly portrays the negative stereotypes of black life as one of poverty, abuse, and neglect.

TV news Stereotypes: The Crackhead Leprechaun

Nearly 99% of households in America have a TV set, and therefore nearly 99% of American households are able to access basic TV, which usually includes some sort of news broadcast station. Therefore, TV news is clearly reaching millions of people in the US, and it is shaping the negative opinions, beliefs, and stereotypes that this nation holds towards African Americans.

When TV news reporters venture into black communities to cover stories, it seems as if the people they choose to interview are characters right out of a minstrel show of the mid 19^th century, perpetuating even the most ridiculous stereotypes that define blacks. They are either uneducated and can’t speak English properly, the neighborhood thug who postures aggressively to prove his toughness, naïve and ignorant, superstitious, or appear to be on a large amount of crack cocaine. Why is it that news reporters appear to seek out these negative characteristics in someone when conducting an interview?

If you have not seen so already, please check out this clip from a news reporter from NBC who is reporting a story on a supposed leprechaun found by members of a black community in Mobile, Alabama. Notice the stereotypes being portrayed of the black members of the Mobile community. They are portrayed as uneducated, poor, druggies, and superstitious. This story only perpetuates the label being thrust upon all African Americans in American society.

Most rational people would realize that the one person who they have chosen to interview in the story does not define all persons in a black community, however America is clearly not rational. Instead, TV news portrays an image of blacks as poor, lazy, violent, simpleminded, loud, and uneducated. The sad thing is that the majority of people buy into it. By repeatedly portraying blacks in this manner, media and TV news reporters are continuing to carry on the black stereotypes that have been around since the colonial years of slavery.

It is important for us, as Americans, to realize what is being fed to us by the media. Once we can see objectively what stereotypes are being ingrained into our heads daily, we can learn to first recognize them, and second criticize them. Only then can we begin to move beyond these ridiculous stereotypes and embrace individuals for who they really are instead of labeling an entire race for what they are not.