Are We There Yet?

Seeing our history take such dramatic turns such as electing our first African American President into office, observing many of our top political leaders like Colon Powell, Condoleezza Rice, and our new Attorney general can give us a false sense of assurance concerning racial equality when the media chooses to spin this topic. Nonetheless, this does beg the question, "Are We There Yet?" Moreover, seeing more African Americans on TV sitcoms, series, or dramas, and the news, can hinder society in estimating how our nation is doing in racial equality. It is not the hiring of such individuals that causes us to think racial equality is near; nor is it the TV shows themselves; it is the media in how they portray African Americans and how often we see them on TV. The success ratio of this minority seen on TV does not reflect the same-minority success in mainstream America. The media exaggerates their true measure of success and failure, which both can set us backwards. That of course is one viewpoint; many other scholars believe that this is better than seeing African Americans depicted on our mass media as criminals in a stereotypical way.

Crime rates between whites and African Americans are not as the TV news tells us. This issue broadens and becomes more complex with our advanced technology. Today it is journalism merging with tabloid and ratings competing on news channels as if they were The Sopranos. There are several views on media's role in racial equality and there is more than one relationship between media and racial equality where they are both effective. The media causes harm in racial equality progress using both overt and covert tactics to send out their message. One view asserts that Non- Hispanic- Whites feel less guilt when they see African Americans doing well on TV. They propose that the more African Americans are seen as successful individuals, the less guilt non-Hispanic Whites will feel. Even if non-Hispanic Whites do not work with, know, or encounter any African Americans that are successful, they will still adopt the Medias view thereby lessening their guilt, which can impede the progress of racial equality.

Work Cited

Balkaran, Stephen. "Mass Media and Racism" Unknown Volume 21, Number 1. October 1999. 25 February 2009. http://www.yale.edu/ypq/articles/oct99/oct99b.html>

Senghas, Sarah. "Racial Stereotypes in the Media" Associated Content. 23 May 2006. 25 February 2009. http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/33262/racial_stereotypes_in_the_media.html?cat=9>

The Entman-Rojecki Index of Race and Media

Diggs-Brown, Barbara and Leonard Stinhorn. "By the Color of Our Skin: The Illusion of Integration and the Reality of Race.(Review)". Highbeam Research. 1 December 1999. 25 February 2009.

Diggs-Brown, Barbara and Leonard Stinhorn. "The Illusion of Intergration and the Reality of Race" By the Color of our Skin. New York. Dutton. 1999

Diggs-Brown, Barbara and Leonard Stinhorn. "By the Color of Our Skin: The Illusion of Integration and the Reality of Race.(Review)". Penguin,ca. 25 February, 2009. http://www.penguin.ca/nf/Book/BookDisplay/0,,9780452278738,00.html>

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Entman, Robert and Andrew Rojecki. "The Black Image in the White Mind". About.com: Race Relations. 25 February 2009.