Depictions of Race in the Media (03:39)

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Overtly racial stereotypes are less prevalent today, though people still engage in actions that are racially motivated. In the post-911 world, images associated with culture, religion, and race can be potentially explosive.

Post WWII Advertisements Aimed at White Middle-Class Consumers (02:46)

Early magazines provided reading audiences with an "ideal American family" in which the man worked while the woman tended to home and children. This "family" did not mirror poor, ethnic families, or single-parent families.

The Godly Elite vs. the Primitive "Other" (02:39)

As Europeans began economic expansion into the Western hemisphere, depictions of indigenous peoples were often exaggerated and one-dimensional. Did this help justify the inhuman behavior perpetrated on these people by Western imperialists?

Racially Biased Images in the Media (02:34)

Racial bias in American media often took the form of negative, exaggerated, stereotypical words and images. Archival film footage depicts a representative sample of racial cartoons and images.

Media-Enhanced Isolationism and Cultural Pollution (03:01)

In the U.S., Asians, Latinos, and African Americans account for more than $1.5 trillion in discretionary income. Marketers and advertisers soon discovered the potential in these markets. Ads and products have changed to appeal to specific markets.

African Americans in Local News and Other Media (02:54)

Journalism often resorts to stereotyping as a kind of shortcut to getting ideas across. A local news station catering to white audiences devotes more time to white victims, and shows more black mug shots on the evening news.

Biased News Coverage and Economic Reality (03:07)

Local news offers a common subtext of "success stories" that suggest people can overcome their culture (poor or culturally deprived) through hard work and perseverance. Rarely reported are stories about police brutality or racial inequalities.

African Americans in Entertainment Industry (01:57)

Many African-American athletes, comedians, and musicians appeal to white audiences, and they are used to gather a large market share in the media. However, their popularity does not translate into equality in society.

Exploitation of Stereotypes in Movies (00:42)

In the mid-60s and 70s, a telling phenomena in cinema were "blaxploitation" films that portrayed urban blacks taking revenge against whites. The plot lines were violent and supercharged with sexuality, drugs, and crime.

Negative Ethnic Stereotyping in Films (03:49)

Images of Latinos, Asians, and "others" in the cinema range from demeaning to admirable, yet the negative effects of stereotyping are dehumanizing to ethnic groups. This segment features negative Asian stereotypes.

Native American Stereotypes in American Cinema (01:31)

Media representation of Native Americans has a long and troubled history. Films and television promoted only the "bad Indian and the good Indian," irrespective of tribal affiliations.

Latin American Stereotypes in American Cinema (01:11)

For most people who live in mainstream white society, Spanish-speaking people constitute a kind of background noise to everyday life.

Race and Media in the Post 9/11 World (03:07)

Arabs in American media are often portrayed as bombers, belly dances, or billionaires. In the post- Cold War era, Arab males are the villain of choice in film and television. The defining conflict in American media is Islam vs. Christianity.

Media Ownership and the Effects of Stereotyping (03:26)

The power to create and control stories and messages lies with the privileged few: publishers, producers, and broadcasters. The more time people spend in the world of television, the more people will give "television answers."

Stereotype Threat: Self-Identification With a Particular Group (02:25)

Many ethnics fear their behavior will confirm with an existing stereotype of a group with which they identify. The effects of this threat can impact all ethnic groups, including whites, in a kind of cultural anxiety.

Digital World and Ghettoization (01:27)

Access to the digital world will ultimately determine who becomes ghettoized in a way no one has been ghettoized in history. The degree of separation from the culture at large is "indescribable."