Black Stereotypes

            A few days ago in American Studies class, we were discussing the topic of racial discrimination in politics. One of the most shocking statistics to me was the fact there have only been four black senators, three of whom were from Illinois. More popularly known is the fact that Barack Obama was the only black man to ever be elected president. But why is this? Why are black politicians rarely elected into office? Is it merely their race that prevents them from being voted for? I was watching a show on Comedy Central, when the comedian, Gabriel Iglesias, began talking about the issue of race in politics…

(sorry for the inconvenience but the video wouldn't load properly onto the blog... here's the link: http://www.tubechop.com/watch/283689 )

            I found it very interesting when he mentioned, “he’s not Snoop Dogg.” I think in that statement, Iglesias brought to light the idea of stereotyping black people. Although we think racism is over, it clearly isn’t because people still have their stereotypes of black people today. In fact, in class today, we were discussing the concept of racial stereotypes in television in the past and present. I find it very interesting that even today, blacks are put under this umbrella of stereotypes by the media. For instance, on clip today that caught my eye was of black men eating fried chicken and watermelon. Although people think that blacks love fried chicken and watermelon, race has nothing to do with taste buds or food preference. All of these ideas leave me very confused about the identity society has given black people. We don’t really know who they are.

            Why do people in society stereotype black people the way they do? Why does the media portray black people the way it does?