Joshua Kornegay Music and Films Final paper “African Americans have had a long and rather complex history in the American motion picture industry. Early depictions of African American men and women were confined to demeaning stereotypical images of people of color. During the first decades of the 20th century, many films depicted a nostalgic and idealized vision of life in the antebellum South. Memories of the Civil War were still fresh, and these films served as a means for creating some measure…
Words 1609 - Pages 7
Long Live Southern Stereotypes Ever since Scarlett O’Hara struggled to find love and Andy Taylor was elected Mayberry’s Sheriff, filmmakers and television producers have yet to lose any fondness for stereotyping the southern culture. There are many who despise any form of labeling or stereotyping within the media, fearing false characterizations or inaccurate portrayals of southern customs, traditions, and people. Exposure to southern stereotypes through media is an appealing element in the American…
Words 1351 - Pages 6
Stereotyping on Television Throughout the history of this country, all Americans and even immigrants have endured stereotypes. Whether it be race, gender, sexual preference, social class, or even our regional background, someone has decided that we do not belong and should not have the same rights because we are different. Are these behaviors innate to human nature, or are they taught to us through the world around us? From an early age we have many different ways of learning things. We learn…
Words 1339 - Pages 6
In the film American Tongues, many different aspects of dialects are addressed. Whether it is the advantages or drawbacks of noticeable dialects or the stereotypes ascribed to them, all those interviewed had an opinion. Throughout this film, it is repeatedly noted that everyone has a dialect, no matter how prominent. The film concludes with the overarching message that dialects should not be used segregate others, only to supplement their existing personality, The film begins with a montage of people…
Words 663 - Pages 3
Spike Lee's film Bamboozled (2000), cinematically stages American mass entertainment's history of discrimination with humiliating minstrel stereotypes which was first brought to film in 1915 by D.W. Griffith's The Birth of a Nation. Blackface' minstrelsy is a disturbing legacy that began as a tradition in the early 1800s on stage, with white actors using burnt corks to darken their skin and "allowing them to portray African-American slaves, usually as lazy, child-like providers of comic relief"…
Words 3022 - Pages 13
pictures, especially in animated films, since the main audience is children. According to Allan Bell’s model, language speakers evaluate the social status of their audience and accommodate, converge with them accodrdingly. In that model, there are several different roles of the members of the audience: the addressee, the auditors, the overhearers and the eavesdroppers (Bell, 1984). This model becomes even more complex when we consider the linguistic choices in films because the audiences include the…
Words 580 - Pages 3
Diversity has been the talk of the nation. Growing up feeling excluded from the world based on one's race and gender, has become the norm in the media industry. Author, Raul A. Reyes, wrote “Coco is the movie Latinos have been waiting for,” published in 2017 on the CNN Opinion, and she argues that the Disney movie, Coco, creates an authentic representation of Mexican art, music, and culture. Hearing clay pottery clatter as it is moved about the folk art store on the corner in Apodaca, shots of tequila…
Words 1079 - Pages 5
The first being Oscar wanted to assist Katie while in the store, initially she quickly inspected him and stepped away from him. I believe in her mind, he posed a threat to her. Oscar, in turn, suggests her friend is black due to the fact he likes "southern style" food, this is stereotypical and not racist, and he does the opposite of her initial perception and helps her out by allowing her to speak to his grandmother. The other issue was racism by the police officers after Oscar and his friends were…
Words 548 - Pages 3
The Great Debaters The Great Debaters is based on a real story about the 1935 Wiley College debate team. Under the tutelage of their dynamic coach, Melvin B. Tolson, three young debaters from a small black college in the Jim Crow South managed, against all odds, to defeat the all-white reigning national championship team. Their stunning achievement shattered racial stereotypes and earned them the lasting respect of their peers and the nation. Influenced by their coach Melvin B. Tolson, the…
Words 1058 - Pages 5
Bone is the submissive and ridged, traditional gender roles women adhere to throughout the film. Men are always portrayed as being in the authoritative position, and only two examples of women standing up to this authority come to mind. Class plays a major role in the movie as well. If ree were from a high-class family her house likely would not be up for her father’s bail. Racially, this is not a diverse film. All the major characters are white, and that tells us a lot about the community that this…
Words 1515 - Pages 7