Native Stereotype

Racism affects all colors, sizes, and shapes. Yet, while many people are stereotyped blacks seem to be the biggest group affected. Black males are stereotyped before they walk into the room: they are angry, aggressive human beings who see violence as the answer. But that is not the case. There are angry people in every race and every color. It is just a stereotype such as that the Jewish faith is cheap, that the Asian race is smart. Racism has caused this stereotype. Blacks are hit constantly with racism and they see no other answer than gangs and violence. If there was equal opportunity blacks would not fulfill the white person's prophecy. 

That is no different than in Native Son. Racism against blacks causes them to be self-doubting and self-loathing just as Bigger is in Native Son. Before Bigger's death for killing Mary, the son of his employer, Max his lawyer tells him that "they made you live in bad conditions, when a man hears that over and over...and sees his life is bad, he begins to doubt his own mind (390). The white man creates their own enemy with racism. No wonder the blacks kill and steal. In that time period racism was on a high. Black people saw no other answer ... violence was the only way they knew. They weren't educated, they weren't living in conditions suitable for human life, they weren't getting equal rights with the white people, especially on the Black Belt where Bigger lived.  When Bigger was around white people "he was very conscious of his black skin" (67) and the way that other white people looked at him. He was not comfortable in his skin which caused him to murder and steal acts he knew were wrong.

Who causes the racism? The media is the cause for the racism. They cause Bigger to feel like a lower class citizen in his city, they stereotype, they assume (you know the saying), they make people hate the black citizens. The newspaper articles made Bigger a Negro object for racism. He was there black outlet. 

My Webquest: 

Read the articles about stereotypes, racism, and the effect of media. Write a blog answering these questions: How does the media affect your daily thinking today? Do you let the media influence your opinions? Does the media still affect the black race today, do you think rappers in today's society continue the stereotypes? Make sure to use quotes from the blogs/articles. 

Second Part: Take a look at this quote and relate them to the theme of stereotyping and racism and media. 
"Mr. Max, a guy gets tired of being told what ... he can do and can’t do. You get a little job here and a little job there. You shine shoes, sweep streets; anything. . . . You don’t make enough to live on. You don’t know when you going to get fired. Pretty soon you get so you can’t hope for nothing. You just keep moving all the time, doing what other folks say. You ain’t a man no more. You just work say in and day out so the world can roll on and other people can live. You know, Mr. Max, I always think of white folks. . ."

All of these links are found on my delicious site, tagged cassiewebquest. 

This paper, Mass, Media, and Racism, written by Stephen Balkaran for Yale University was about the mass media and its affect on racism. Please only read the Introduction, Racism, the U.S. Media and Racism, the Statistics and the Conclusion. 

This is a blog about the Effect of Racism in Prison written on February 20, 2009. Twconroy details how the administration and fellow prisoners exhibit racism on a daily basis and the consequences. 

This article, Black Men Quietly Combating Stereotypes, in the Washington Post talks about the daily struggle black men have with stereotypes and how the deal with the anger towards them. 

This blog by a self proclaimed "black christian male" wrote an paper about black stereotypes for his English IV class. His blog is titled "My World". This title is very important because it says that black people live in a different world. 

If you are judgmental and also don't want to listen to explict language, go to the next podcast: Itunes Store, search Through the HAZE, podcasts, listen to: Hip Hop on the Menu Part 1, My fro is bigger than yours Part 1. You don't have to listen to the whole thing but can skip around. 

Also, Itunes Store, search racism, and then go to Podcasts, the Rise Up Radio, then listen to Black Male Empowerment. Many blacks needed empowerment because their self-esteem was so low that many blacks needed a self-esteem boost. 

Even in today's more accepting society blacks are stereotyped as chimps or monkeys to demote their intelligent. See this political cartoon about Obama. 

For a more intensive look at the Native Son see:

Rachel Rosenthal's blog at rachelrosenblog.blogspot.com