Present society in the United States is witness to extensive social
inequality. Television, a medium of profound social implications,
contributes to this social injustice by portraying African Americans in a
negative light. Since its introduction into the society of the 1950s,
television has misrepresented an entire population, limiting the roles and
opportunities for black entertainers. While white television is balanced
with sophisticated programs, black television remains confined to slapstick
humor, symbolizing the black race univocally. Despite Civil Rights
revolutions and entertainment reforms, African American stereotypes continue
not only to exist, but actively perpetuate racism in the American television
industry.

The existence of stereotypes on television has become blatantly obvious.
African Americans are depicted in limited roles, with little variation. A
1985 ABC survey concluded that "blacks are generally stereotyped, with 49
percent of all blacks playing roles of criminals, servants, entertainers, or
athletes" (Staples 10). Unfortunately, this problem plagues each of the "Big
Three" networks, with few exceptions to the unwritten rule. Rarely are
African Americans represented as intelligent, loving, thoughtful persons.
Rather, "television presents African Americans to the viewing public as
deviant, threatening, and unintelligent subhumans" (Perry 195). General
stereotypes are extremely prevalent, with common themes emerging,
perpetuating racial division.

                                   TOPICS
                              
The Stereotypes

*Maternal Dominance

The notion of maternal dominance within the black family is one of the most
common of the stereotypical television themes. "When a black married couple
is shown, it is the most persistent, and damaging of all black stereotypes:
the weak man-strong woman concept" (Staples 18). Era after era, program
after program, this theme has emerged. The belief that "black family
structure is essentially matriarchal and/or single-parent headed by a female
is epedemic" (Baptiste 45). This theme displays the woman of the household
belittling all black males and handling all of the responsibilities. This
stereotype provides America with an inaccurate view of the black family.
While African American women do have some power within the family, "black
female dominance is a cultural illusion" (Baptiste 48). There is no
statistical evidence to support that a matriarchal family structure is most
charachteristic of African American families.

*Black Male Negligence

Along with the theme of female dominance in the family comes the concept of
black male negligence. Unlike their white counterparts, African fathers are
usually characterized as "untrustworthy, undependable and uncaring for their
families" (Baptiste 48). Husbands and fathers are rarely shown as
dependable, loving, mature family members. Even worse, these males are often
completely left out of the family picture. This trend has been a continuous
thret to the African American community since the beginning of the
television industry. Because this theme is so widespread, television viewers
are adopting a false cultural ideology at the expense of the African
American family institution.

*Young black males as unintelligent clowns

African American males, more than any other group, are the victims of
television's hideous stereotypes. In almost every portrayal, these men are
not regarded with the humanity of their fellow entertainers. Their
intelligence, sexuality, success, and attitudes are all mocked by the
television industry. The notion of "educated black males as losers in the
intellectual battle with the dominant society" is continually reinforced by
television programming (Baptiste 54). Instead of intelligent black males,
the television screen bombards Americans with images of foolish, irrational,
and sexually driven African Americans. These characters are made out to be
"sex-crazed idiots," without any aspirations at all (Bianco 1E). Even when
African American males are shown as economically or educationally successful
(i.e. George Jefferson), "such black men are usually depicted as either
obnoxious, pompous, uncouth or all three" (Baptiste 52). Regardless of the
particular program, African American male roles have negative connotations,
complete with the stereotypes that have haunted audiences for over five
decades.

*Sitcom restriction

The most obvious of the racial stereotypes is the sitcom restriction African
Americans face. "In TV's history, there's never been a breakout
African-American show without a laugh track" (Jacobs 16). This trend signals
America's desire to laugh at African Americans rather than take them
seriously. "The medium remains more comfortable with black characters who
make us laugh than with those who make us feel" (Pitts 17). Because of the
limitation to sitcoms, audiences are fed misrepresentations of African
American life. Although television does not recognize it, African Americans
do have the same emotional spectrum as Americans of other racial and ethnic
backgrounds. The "sitcom syndrome" conceals the stereotype of blacks as
clowns, bafoons, and ghetto comedians.
 

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The Television Shows

              An Accurate Representation of American Diversity?

                        The 90's: Colorless Networks?

The most significant problem with television programs in the 1990s is the
complete lack of color during prime time. In the past two years, less than
six African American themed television shows have premiered at the beginning
of the television season, and even less than that have remained on the air.
In addition to the lack of black programs, networks are also guilty of
producing "white-only" television shows. An African American presence is
missing from all of the top-rated programs, leaving viewers with a
misrepresentation of the nation's demographics. "TV's best and most
sophisticated comedies - Murphy Brown, Frasier, Friends, and Seinfeld - all
seem to take place in some sort of Whiteland, a place that looks like the
United States, except that there are no minorities in it" (Pitts). With no
programs to identify with, African Americans are forced to look beyond the
three major networks for entertainment. Fortunately, not all of the air
waves have a limited color spectrum. Most of the color is being broadcast by
the two new networks - United Paramount Network (UPN) and the Warner
Brothers Network (the WB) (Whetstone 54). Yet even with the offerings these
networks provide, the portrayal of African Americans of television remains
stereotypical and demeaning.

                                 References

     Baptiste, David A. "The Image of the Black Family Portrayed by
     Television: A Critical Comment." Marriage and the Family
     Review, April 1986, p. 41.

     Bianco, Robert. "A Challenge: Which UPN 'black' show is worst?"
     Star Tribune, August 27, 1996: 1E.

     Dougherty, Robin. "Living with less color: Big 3 networks have cut
     back on black shows." Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service,
     August 26, 1996.

     Duffy, Mike. "Seeing life in black and white: Sitcoms stay divided
     between the races." Knight-Ridder/Tribune News Service,
     August 26, 1996.

     Gray, Herman. Watching Race: Television and the Struggle for
     "Blackness". University of Minnesota Press: Minneapolis,
     1995.

     Jacobs, A.J. "Black to the Future." BIZ. June 14, 1996, p. 15-16.

     Perry, Robert L/ and Alice A. Tait. "African Americans in Television:
     An Afrocentric Analysis." The Western Journal of Black Studies ,
     Winter, 1994, p. 195.

     Pitts, Leonard. "The Changing Face of Race on TV." TV Guide,
     July 6, 1996, p. 16.

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Attention this material is derived from a web page created for Professor Bruce Robert's Psychology 121 class at St. Olaf College

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