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African American Stereotypes

754 Words4 Pages

There is a group that is frequently misrepresented and discriminated within American society. That group is the black community. African Americans, though having more rights than ever before, are still greatly stereotyped through media, in a negative and an undesirable manner. When I say the words African American most people think of crime, violence, drugs and watermelon, to name a few. “Straight Outta Compton” by the N.W.A. enforces the negative stereotype of African Americans through promoting narcotics, guns, and murder. Though within recent times, some media has begun to counter these negative portrayals of African Americans such as the hit T.V show “Empire” that effectively captures the success of the people within the black community.
The first piece to be examined is a song written and sung by the N.W.A. “Straight Outta Compton” in 1988 details the struggles of being an African American on the streets within downtown Los Angeles. (Sample song plays). The song is an exaggerated and loose representation of the reality of living in everyday Compton and seeing African Americans commit crimes and kill others. Within creating this song the NWA has established a negative connotation and narrow stereotype of African Americans being in relation to violence, drugs, murder and rape. The song links all African Americans to an “American gangster” lifestyle which creates and contributes to the undesirable marginalization of an African …show more content…

“Straight Outta Compton” strengthens the typical stereotype of crime, violence and drugs that the black community is often portrayed as doing. Though Empire is seen as challenging the distinctive stereotype in favour of an alternative and more progressive stereotype. African Americans should not be stereotyped by the media as it generalises the minority as the

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