Deck 4: Racism in the Media: the Spread of Ideology

Question 1

Current depictions of non-Whites in film, television, and other media show no trace of the stereotypes that existed in the early twentieth century.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

Although nuanced stereotypical depictions of non-Whites still exist in modern media, they are not harmful.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

Whites are over-represented on television shows.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

Blacks and Latinxs are more likely to be incarcerated than Whites because they commit more crimes.

Question 5

African Americans, on average, are paid less than Whites.

Question 6

Athletics represent one arena where Blacks and Whites are represented relatively equally in the media.

Question 7

Media portrayals of non-Whites may partly explain why so little is being done about racial disparities in a nation that values equality and democracy.

Question 8

Prime-time television shows starring Latinxs, such as Jane the Virgin, have become common.

Question 9

Most Arabs on television are portrayed as foreign, instead of Arab American.

Question 10

When people of color are the creators of popular media, non-Whites are always depicted in less stereotypical ways.

Question 11

Television shows starring successful African Americans, such as the Cosby Show,
helped to reduce stereotypes about other African Americans.

Question 12

In recent years, television portrayals of African Americans have improved considerably thanks to shows like Insecure and black-ish.

Question 13

Asian men tend to be presented in U.S. media as asexual or effeminate while Asian women are often portrayed as hypersexual.

Question 14

Americans spend more time, on average, watching TV than they do using forms of "new media."

Question 15

There is evidence that social media has the potential to counter stereotypes in positive ways.

Question 16

The stereotypical portrayals of racial groups on television are harmful in that they:

A) normalize racial segregation
B) maintain racial disparities
C) justify racial inequalities
D) All of the above

Question 17

The idea that the United States is a land of opportunity and that African Americans could do better if they only tried harder is known as:

A) new racism
B) color-blind racism
C) enlightened racism
D) traditional racism

Question 18

The depiction of successful Blacks in television shows, such as the Cosby Show, helped to:

A) reduce stereotypes about African Americans
B) make White Americans feel less racist because they liked the Black characters
C) show that successful Blacks do not experience discrimination
D) All of the above

Question 19

When Christian Peter, a White football player and Lawrence Phillips, a Black football player, both were accused of assault, only Phillips' case received national media coverage. This example demonstrates how:

A) the media portrays Black and White athletes differently
B) Black men are more likely to be incarcerated than White men
C) news media are more likely to sensationalize violent crime
D) Americans criminalize athletes

Question 20

__________ is a name with Biblical origins that has come to signify an oversexed or hypersexual Black woman.

A) Sapphire
B) Jezebel
C) Vamp
D) Mammy

Question 21

Tyler Perry is known for creating and performing as a character named "Madea." Madea is often portrayed as an angry Black woman, which according to Melissa Harris-Perry, would classify her as a:

A) Sapphire
B) Jezebel
C) Vamp
D) Mammy

Question 22

Latinos on television are most often portrayed as:

A) pimps and thugs
B) gardeners and laundry men
C) law enforcement officers and criminals
D) domestic workers and clerks

Question 23

Portrayals of people of color on television vary by:

A) race, class, and gender
B) class, socioeconomic status, and age
C) gender, religion, and sexual orientation
D) race, ethnicity, and nationality

Question 24

According to Monk-Turner, __________ are the most likely group to be portrayed negatively in film and television.

A) Blacks
B) Asians
C) Latinxs
D) Whites

Question 25

Chapter 4 describes stereotypes about Asian, Latina, and Black women. For each group, there is a stereotype of the:

A) hypersexual woman
B) damsel in distress
C) docile spouse
D) vengeful female

Question 26

Controlling images in the media:

A) define what Whites are not.
B) usually portray Native Americans as either savages or wise elders.
C) portray Arab men as the perpetrators, not the victims, of gendered violence.
D) All of the above.

Question 27

What conflicting findings did Kopacz and Lawton find in their study of online YouTube videos?

A) users preferred to watch videos which countered stereotypes of African American males, yet they also played video games in which African Americans were depicted negatively
B) users preferred both videos portraying stereotyped depictions of racial groups and videos that countered racial stereotypes
C) users preferred videos which portrayed stereotypical depictions of non-White women, but disliked videos portraying stereotypical depictions of non-White men
D) women preferred videos portraying stereotyped depictions of non-White men, whereas men preferred videos portraying stereotyped depictions of non-White women

Question 28

An example of social media being used in a way to create positive change is:

A) The OscarsSoWhite campaign
B) The HYPERLINK "http://www.martinlutherking.org" www.martinlutherking.org website
C) Twitter reactions to Black actors being cast in the film The Hunger Games
D) All of the above

Question 29

Patricia Hill Collins defines _______ as current reflections of racial formations from prior historical periods.

A) enlightened racism
B) color-blind racism
C) new racism
D) traditional racism

Question 30

When an African American male is portrayed as a thug, it is an example of what Patricia Hill Collins calls:

A) a meme
B) controlling images
C) racial caricature
D) regressive discrimination

Question 31

The media often portray Arab cultures as backward, barbaric, patriarchal, and in need of Western civilization. This portrayal works to:

A) undermine support for U.S. foreign aid in Arab countries
B) prevent Americans from helping oppressed Arab women
C) challenge previous understandings of Arab-American relations
D) justify foreign interventions

Question 32

Portrayals of Native American men in contemporary popular culture show them as:

A) Serving Whites
B) Violent
C) Family men
D) All of the above

Question 33

Which racial/ethnic group has been largely absent from meaningful roles on prime time television?

A) Latinxs
B) Arabs
C) Native Americans
D) Blacks

Question 34

Which of the following is NOT a common stereotype featured in videogames?

A) Arab characters as targets of violence
B) Black men as thugs and athletes
C) Black women as politicians
D) Asians in fighting games

Question 35

Which of the following "controlling images" are used to justify institutional inequalities in the United States?

A) Representations of Latinos as criminals to justify the disproportionate incarceration of imprisonment for Latinos
B) Representations of Latinas as hypersexual to justify cuts in welfare
C) Representations of Latinxs in jobs serving Whites to justify their position in low-wage occupations
D) All of the above

Question 36

What do racially-stereotyped media portrayals of people of color tend to indicate about White people?

A) That Whites are racist
B) That Whites are morally superior
C) That Whites are violent
D) All of the above

Question 37

Which group is largely absent among portrayals of characters in video games?

A) Latinos
B) Arabs
C) Black women
D) All of the above

Question 38

What is one negative aspect of social media that allows people tends to perpetuate racial stereotypes?

A) It affords people anonymity and allows people to avoid consequences for their words/actions
B) It is highly censored
C) Relatively few people of color use social media
D) All of the above

Question 39

We typically think of watching popular television shows such as Girls and Sex and the City as a harmless use of our leisure time. Discuss one way in which viewing these shows can harm non-White Americans.

Question 40

Identify and discuss a specific example where an African American athlete's behavior is depicted differently than her or his White counterpart who engaged in the same behavior. Explain how this different depiction shapes the U.S. racial order.

Question 41

Explain the racial logic of the once popular television show Amos 'n' Andy. Support your explanation by identifying three ways in which African Americans were represented in the show.

Question 42

The Cosby Show, the top American sitcom for eight years in the 1980s, depicted a middle class Black family that consisted of a father who was a doctor, a mother who was a lawyer, and five children. Do the show's positive depictions of an African American family provide an example how racist ideology, at least in some television programs, has disappeared in the media? Why or why not?

Question 43

Define enlightened racism and provide a concrete example. Your example may be a television show, a movie, or some other contemporary media depiction of people of color you have seen or have read.

Question 44

Describe the three stereotypical portrayals of African American women identified by Harris-Perry in her study of racial depictions in the media: Mammy, Sapphire, and Jezebel. Provide one current example, from either the readings or real life, of one of these stereotypical portrayals.

Question 45

Is it correct to assert that African Americans are the most under-represented and negatively represented racial group in the U.S. media? Why or why not?

Question 46

Compare and contrast media stereotypes of African American women as Mammy, Sapphire, and Jezebel with stereotypes of both Latina women as hot-blooded, subservient, and dependent, and Asian women as dragon lady and butterfly.

Question 47

Identify and discuss two specific ways in which racial stereotypes justify and reinforce the unequal treatment of non-White Americans.

Question 48

Describe the "sidekick" character played by Black men in American film and television. Identify and discuss a film or television show that depicts such a character. What parallel can you draw between this character and the "wise man" character played by Native American men?

Question 49

Identify and discuss how user-generated videos, such as YouTube videos, hold the potential to counteract stereotypes of people of color. How can these user-generated videos also amplify racist stereotypes?

Question 50

Define controlling images. Select a common racial stereotype promoted by the media and use the concept of controlling images to explain how the stereotype justifies and reinforces inequality.

Question 51

Identify and discuss three ways in which controlling images influence everyone who encounters them.

Question 52

Define the concept of new racism. How do racial stereotypes exemplify this new racism?

Question 53

Patricia Hill Collins contends that media representations of people of color vary by race, class, and gender. Discuss how African Americans' depictions in the media vary by social class and gender. How might these gendered and classed depictions shape intra-racial interactions in African American communities?