Race in television

Ethnic groups have lacked in original television content that truly reflects their culture. In Color Adjustment, Marlon Riggs takes us through 40 years of race through television. When African Americans first appeared in television, they were portrayed as minstrel characters—stupid and good for nothing but a laugh (as demonstrated in “Amos and Andy”). Over the years, more characters were introduced, but shows were primarily made up of white families—the husband went to work, the wife was the homemaker, and they had their perfect little picket fence lifestyle. Occasionally, shows with white characters would have a black character as a special guest. “The Nat King Cole Show” was the first show that featured a black person. He was loved for his sophistication, elegance, and class, and he appealed to many people, not just the black population. On his show, he had white guests and everyone got along. However, in reality, there were images on the news of blacks being beaten and arrested; it was the first time black people were seen as real people. There were shows like “Julia”, “I Spy”, and “The Cosby Show” which attempted to show alternate views of black people and black families, but they often played it safe and showed them reaching the ideals set by the white, patriarchal society that we live in. “Frank’s Place” was the first show to truly show different views of black people, but it was cancelled for being “too real”. Producers were only making television that was appealing to the white masses, while incorporating a biased view of black culture so that white people wouldn’t feel uncomfortable or offended. They didn’t care if it was offensive to black people.
Black people are often portrayed as the slave/maid, native, clown/minstrel, athlete, or hypersexual and violent. Most ethnic groups are stereotyped into working class people who live in the ghetto, and they are often mostly portrayed as thugs. (Color Adjustment)

“Whether any of us likes it or not, this medium is the most powerful communication device in the world”—Steve Bochco, TV producer/writer (Color Adjustment)

“I don’t think the producers and writers took into consideration the social effects of stereotypes.”—Hal Kanter, TV producer/writer (Color Adjustment)

These quotes speak leaps and bounds about the importance of understanding media messages and for producers to realize that their messages can have a great effect on how people view the world around them. Stereotyping may make for good entertainment, but it’s not a responsible choice. This often leads to misconceptions about who people are based on their race or ethnicity, and often times perpetuates hate on both sides.

If there is one thing that we can do to help even out the playing field so that white people aren’t the “supreme beings”, what would it be?

Source: Color Adjustment. Dir. Marlon Riggs. Perf. Vivian Kleiman. California NewsReel, 1992. Film.