Analysis Of The Movie The Clansman - 1720 Words

The media often paints a picture of certain groups that may not be accurate for example, African Americans in the media are portrayed as criminals, drug addicts, or misogynist which also includes African American women are viewed as abrasive and promiscuous. While there are millions of responsible and respectable African Americans. They are not celebrated in the media. What the community sees are instead are thing in movies and on TV. This changes the general perception of African Americans and cause people to assume they are violent and are a burdened to society. During the pinnacle of segregation through the 1900s, African Americans were rarely portrayed on screen and when they were portrayed in satirical ways, it was with white actors in blackface. This is a great example of the misrepresentation of an entire community by those in power. In February 1915, a movie was released called birth of a nation which was based on Thomas Dixon Jr. novel the clansman. The film depicts the Ku K lux Klan as heroes and the villains were portrayed by white actors in black face. The film was basically trying to justify racism and imply that the white hooded, figures where protecting the white race because African males were trying to sexually ravage the white women this portrayal of African American male was known as a bucks. Despite the very clear prejudice in the film it was a major success and was the first ever major motion picture shown in the White House toShow MoreRelatedHow Birth Of A Nation Reinforced Antebellum Stereotypes About African Americans1564 Words   |  7 PagesHow Birth of a Nation reinforced Antebellum Stereotypes about African-Americans In the early 1900s, the movie industry in America developed the atmosphere filled with racial and political medium, which later became a propaganda tool for selling of brute caricature. Many will recognize the films titled Birth of a Nation by D.W. Griffith, which was very historical since its technological innovation embraced or portrayed all the anti-Black caricatures, and other brutes. Sing Griffin was a Kentuckian

Racial Segregation, By Booker T. Washington Essay - 945 Words

When the topic of race relations is brought up, there are many different views. There are three men who are most commonly known for their relations with racial segregation. All three men had different views concerning this topic ranging from segregation to sending them back to Africa. Each man thought his perspective on ending the African American discrimination would be the â€Å". . . best to achieve equality. . .† (African-Americans). The perceptions of Booker T. Washington, W. E. B. DuBois, and Marcus Garvey are going to be compared and contrasted in regards to their individual approach to race relations of the African-American people. Educator and founder of the Tuskegee Institute, Booker T. Washington, is one of the most influential civil rights activists to this day. Washington believed â€Å"no race can prosper till it learns that there is as much dignity in tilling a field as in writing a poem (Washington, Booker T.). By this statement he meant that everyone should have to work their way up to the top. He believed that it took effort to prosper, but it also required brains and skill. Washington also believed that the problems of life should not outweigh the opportunities provided. When he spoke, Washington wanted to build friendships and earn cooperation from both the white and black race. He thought the first step of change was the recognition the African American population was receiving from the Atlanta Exposition Address. He said, â€Å". . . nothing in thirtyShow MoreRelatedWilliam Edward Burgardt : African American Leading Sociologist, Writer, And Activist Essay713 Words   |  3 Pages a chair for the Peace information Center (Staff, 2009). Du Bois and Washington has quite the rivalry over the racial uplift. Furthermore, Brooker T. Washington was another leader of the African- American leaders of the 19th and the 20th Century (Brooker T. Washington, 2015). He was the founder of Tuskegee University (Brooker T. Washington, 2015). Brooker put himself through school, and became a teacher (Brooker T. Washington, 2015).. However, the Tuskegee University he founded focused on trainingRead MoreBooker T. Washington And His Critics : The Idea Of Racial Compromise1270 Words   |  6 PagesBooker T. Washington and His Critics: The Idea of Racial Compromise The era of Jim Crow began after the end of Reconstruction in 1877, in which through the rebuilding of the South, whites established laws and customs that forced freed slaves to stay marginalized and targeted by Southern whites. The purpose of these Jim Crow ideas was to keep blacks and white separated, and to also keep blacks from progressing in society. For instance, Southern whites forced blacks to take literacy testsRead MoreBooker T.Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois Essay1184 Words   |  5 Pagesleaders of this movement amongst the Black community were Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois, however they had very differing views on how to achieve this goal (PBS.org). Washington and Du Bois essentially split the Black community into two parties, radical and conservative. Du Bois, the radical, preached for a strong political and civil rights agenda, and uplift for Blacks through education. Washington pushed for Blacks to accept their racial discrimination until they had proven themselves throughRead MoreBooker T. Washington Dbq838 Words   |  4 Pagesaccept their situation but two African American leaders did not. W.E.B Dubois and Booker T. Washington saw that the situation of poverty and social inequality were bringing down their race in the late 1800s and early 1900s. They came from completely different backgrounds, one rich and one a former slave, but they had the same purpose: they sought equality in the American society for African-Americans. Washington was more for slow integration into society and working your way up where as DuboisRead MoreBooker T. Washington. B. Du Bois1138 Words   |  5 PagesNovember 2014 Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois Essay Booker T. Washington and W.E.B Du Bois had significantly different views on how blacks could move towards attaining racial equality during the late nineteenth century in the United States. Washington believed that blacks should work hard to earn economic freedom by means of striving for strong education objectives. Du Bois believed that only political empowerment and voting could end African Americans oppression. Washington had the betterRead MoreBooker T. Washington Essay1249 Words   |  5 Pagesposition that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome† –Booker T. Washing. Booker Taliaferro Washington was born in Hale’s Ford, Virginia on April 5th, 1856 to Jane Burroughs and an unknown White man. Washington was married three times. His first wife was Fannie N. Smith from Malden, West Virginia. Booker and Fannie were married in the summer of 1882 and had one child together named Portia M. Washington. Fannie died two years later in May 1884 . The second wife was Olivia A. DavidsonRead MoreEssay on Booker T. Washington629 Words   |  3 PagesBooker T. Washington 1856-1915, Educator Booker Taliaferro Washington was the foremost black educator of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He also had a major influence on southern race relations and was the dominant figure in black public affairs from 1895 until his death in 1915. Born a slave on a small farm in the Virginia backcountry, he moved with his family after emancipation to work in the salt furnaces and coal mines of West Virginia. After a secondary education at Hampton InstituteRead MoreBooker T. Washington s Philosophy And Actions1022 Words   |  5 PagesAmericans were not treated as equals because of the Jim Crow Laws, sharecropping, and segregation. Two African American leaders in the late 19th and 20th century – Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois – both longed for black equality and civil rights, yet each had a very different method to achieve this. Booker T. Washington intended for African Americans to eventually obtain equality, but his plan of racial accommodation betrayed their interests. However, W.E.B Du Bois had a better method forRead MoreBooker T. Washington And. B. Dubois1050 Words   |  5 PagesBooker T. Washington and W.E.B DuBois During the late 19th and 20th century, Booker T. Washington and W.E.B DuBois were two of the greatest leaders of the black community. They both paved the way for the modern Civil Rights movement in America. However, the two accomplished scholars had differences when it came down to the methods for black social and economic progress. Believe it or not, those differences made the way for the greatest impact in the world that we live in today. â€Å" I have learnedRead MoreBooker T Washington And W. E. B. Dubois Persuasive Essay1326 Words   |  6 Pagestwo men, Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. DuBois both attempted to fight for rights and equality for African Americans during the late 1800s and early 1900s. They both believed African Americans deserved to have rights and equality, but they had very different opinions and ideas on how to solve the problem. Thus, Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. DuBois both tried to gain rights and equality for African Americans, but they had different approaches on how to get rights and equality, and Booker T. Washington

Mass Media and Its Influence Free Essays

Mass Media and Its Influence Spoken, written, or broadcast communication whose medium may include television, radio, advertising, movies, newspapers, magazines, books, cell phones and the Internet becomes a mass media that affects our society’s perception of ourselves and others and influences the structures of our society as well as the reactions of the individual. Americans perceive the political, economic, class, educational, and other structures of American society because of, by, and through the media. The American understanding of these structures within its society as well as those structures outside of the United States are manipulated and directed by the media. We will write a custom essay sample on Mass Media and Its Influence or any similar topic only for you Order Now Similarly, the media influences the perceptions of individuals within American society by what and how the media is communicating. The media communicates and influences through the key motivators of our society today: sexual, monetary, and violent images. The most widespread form of this communication media is television, followed by the Internet. With the increased use of computers and multi-media cell phones, the Internet is on the road to exceeding the television as a communication media. How these media venues affect the world in which they operate shows how far and how deep the communications can reach, the speed in which the messages are delivered and accepted, the cultural impact that is experienced. Media has converted individual communication into group communication and has allowed for wonderful advances in civilization. Through mass communication, people groups, organizations, governments, and nations have found the media for the spread of information in business and industry, education, politics, technology and science, medicine and healthcare, weather and climate, and all levels of culture. It is in technology that the media’s most obvious advancements are visible. In addition, the widespread distribution of information has allowed the world to respond to natural disasters, political oppression and exploitation, and in mass multi-national cultural events. In the area of culture, sex is not only a physical motivation in individuals, both male and female; it is also psychological motivation of people. Although, people express it in different cultures differently, the basic human need for sexual expression is one of basics of marketing and advertisement. It motivates sales and sales are best motivated in mass fashion for mass return on investment in massive profits via mass media. All forms of media use the basic instinct to identify a product for sale and manipulate the individual’s perception to cause him or her to identify their individual sexuality with the product. Everyone wants to be sexy, attractive, wanted, desirable, in demand, and therefore, powerful. People will buy whatever they believe or perceive will provide this to them. Similarly, another motivator of power is violence. Whether the perpetrator-the inflictor, or the violated-the victim, there is no doubt about how powerful violence is. It also motivates sales indirectly through the marketing and advertisement of products supporting violent venues such as horror and R-rated films and television shows, sporting events such as boxing, wrestling, and football, war coverage, and the 11 o’clock news shows. The mass media clearly shows that violence motivates power and power motivates violence. The most vulnerable segment of society to the images and messages of mass media are America’s youth. Young people are in a stage of life where they want acceptance by their peers, they want to be desired and loved, and they hope to be successful and powerful. They also seek to explore and express some of the same human motivations as the mature citizen: sex, violence, and power. The children and teenagers of America find all of these elements on the TV. In fact, as Arthur Asa Berger states, â€Å"the amount of time young people spend â€Å"media multi-tasking† has increased from 16% to 26% of media time, the actual amount of time devoted to media use has remained steady, at under just 6 1/2 hours per day (going from 6:19 to 6:21) 0r 44 1/2 hours per week (http://kff. org/entmedia/entmedia030509nr. cfm) (Berger, 12). Television and its self-directed version, cable, allow for the mass influence of these elements in both positive and negative ways. The positive aspects of violence and competition within the socially accepted structures of competitive youth sports and athletics promoted on TV and in video games and equally, in the fashion, dance, and young love seen in sitcoms, movies, and MTV music videos. Conversely, the use of junk foods, cigarettes, drugs, and alcohol combined with irresponsible, casual sex, excessive and explicit violence dominate much of the negative influence of media on America’s youth. Joseph Dominic concludes, â€Å"that youngsters that are heavy TV viewers would display a pattern of beliefs and perceptions consistent with media portrayals (Dominick, 446). Regarding violence in mass media, again the young are exposed to a culture of violence reflected in the media. How the media sells or promotes those perceptions is the â€Å"reality† of the media. From a war somewhere in the world to the wars in someone’s home, the media directs the interpretation of what is necessary, correct, moral, and immoral. From what is happening, is not happening, should happen, might and will happen, and what is and is not the cost the media influences our realities and reactions. This has resulted in Saturday morning cartoons that are as full of shootings, stabbings, explosions, and other forms of violence as is CSI or the nightly news; it has resulted in video games like Grand Theft Auto that allow children to be pretend drug lords, gang members, and pimps; it has promoted murder and abuse as entertainment for the masses. In the case of American youth, the effects of media violence on the developing mind and values of children and the personalities and beliefs of those children are increasingly negative. Aggressive behavior, lawlessness, and distorted views of reality are becoming commonplace among the children of today and mass media is one of the greatest influences. As these children mature into teenagers and young adults, the media blurs the realities of war in their minds and makes entertainment out of both virtual war games and actual wars on this earth. â€Å"More speci? ally, research provides strong evidence that in the short term, exposure to media violence causes increases in children’s, adolescents’, and young adults’ physically and verbally aggressive behavior, as well as in aggression-related variables (such as aggressive thoughts and emotions) that are theoretically linked to aggressive and violent behavior (Anderson et al, 104). The young people of the United Stat es are an identified and targeted demographic of the advertisement industry due to their large discretionary income from family and employment and due to their lack of experience and nowledge combined with an almost insatiable need to experiment and acquire. The use of sex and violence to market to America’s youth, epitomized in the overwhelming success of the book and television series about teenage vampires, Twilight, has become a multi-billion dollar, multi-media industry. The media creates and promotes the ideal image of what is beautiful, desirable and sexy and what are the characteristics of a successful and power person, usually psychological and/or physical violence. Because these two instincts are so universal, primal, and strong, they are almost irresistible advertising vehicles. However, if sex and violence are the vehicles, money is the fuel. Consequently, the purpose of marketing and advertisement is to sell and make money. Mass media sells the belief to a person, young or old, that he or she can attain the characteristics of power, if they can buy the products that the powerful and violent own. It sells them on the belief that they can attain the characteristics of the sexy, if they can buy the products that makes one attractive and desirable–all as they are presented in the movies, TV, Internet or other media. The estimated revenue of all forms of mass media is in the 100’s of billions of dollars. The cost of reality in relation to these perceptions is often much more expensive. An example of some of the more costly areas of influence is in the area of politics. In this area, political offices and careers both are promoted and destroyed. The media has a great influence over public opinion. The media has a huge influence over public opinion as can be seen by the use of opinion polls that it controls and manipulates. The use of polls and news coverage by the media can affect, positively or negatively, candidates and their ideas that, in turn, can change the political control of the nation. In addition, media control shapes the way people see their realities and it has a tremendous impact on our society. The War on Terrorism is a clear example of media influence on American society that resulted in the war in Iraq to stop weapons of mass destruction that did not exist in reality. This example shows how media can use information that is not real to create another reality it chooses. Because media is so powerful, it is owned by the powerful. In the United States, six corporations own 95% of all media nd the money they make are proof of their power: 2009 revenues of General Electric, $157 billion; Walt Disney, $36. 1 billion; News Corp. , $30. 4 billion; Time Warner, $25. 8 billion; Viacom, $13. 6 billion; and CBS, $13 billion (Freepress. net). â€Å"We find that media firms nearly universally have ownership structures with large controlling shareholders and that these shareholders are either families or governments. This evidence is broadly consistent with the ideas that there is large amenity potential (control benefits) associated with owning media–be it political influence or fame† (Djankov et al, 373). What this control costs American citizens in their freedoms and democracy cannot be calculated. In conclusion, the control of the media and its impact on American society, both positively and negatively, is important to the quality of our lives and to the freedoms we believe in. The media appears to be some huge, uncontrollable monster, but in reality, it is made of people just like our government is made of people and our country is made of people. Corporations, companies, governments, media are all people. Therefore, if the negative impacts and influences of media are to be controlled and limited, these people need to be challenged. In order to challenge these people’s influence and control through the media, we must challenge what the media is selling, be it sexual, violent, moneymaking or otherwise. We must begin with ourselves and exercise our control over what we are buying. References Anderson, Craig A. , Leonard Berkowitz, Edward Donnerstein, L. Rowell Huesmann, James D. Johnson, Daniel Linz, Neil M. Malamuth, and Ellen Wartella. â€Å"The Influence of Media Violence on Youth†. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, Vol. 4, No. 3, Dec. 2003. 81-110. Berger, Arthur Asa. 2007. Media and Society: a critical perspective, 2nd ed. (Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield Publishing Inc. ) Djankov, Simon, Caralee McLiesh, Tatiana Nenova, and Andrew Shleifer. 2003. â€Å"Who Owns the Media? † The Journal of Law and Economics. (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. ) 27 Dec. 2010. Dominick, Joseph R. 2010. The Dynamics of Mass Communication: media in transition, 11th ed. (New York, NY: McGraw -Hill) Freepress. net. 2009. (Florence, MA: Free Press and the Free Press How to cite Mass Media and Its Influence, Papers