Racism in Television
Beginning with the first television program ever broadcasted lasting up to the most recent program; racism has been a prevalent issue in American television. Stereotypical roles in society have been excessively exaggerated by television programs, keeping racism alive and breathing in America. The careful selections of ethnicities in role casting have had an exceptionally large impact on American society. Young television viewers are learning at an early age about race and discrimination and are witnessing the ugly impacts of these issues. The television industry is not only a competitive one, but money is priority number one. The best money making program with the best ratings will most always win out. What goes on behind the making of our favorite sitcoms is a mystery to most. "A survey by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) found that of 839 writers currently working on primetime shows, just 55 are black, 11 Latino, 3 Asian-American, and zero Native American, meaning minorities make up just 7 percent of primetime network writers ." Not only are minorities being underrepresented in lead roles of television programs, they are also discriminated throughout the entire business. The small
Even when the lead actors are people of minorities, subtle stereotypical situations are bound to occur. "The ad depicted a barefooted Kenyan runner being hunted down by running-shoes wielding, para-military types in a humvee. Sports such as Turkish cliff diving (minus the water), Russian face slapping competition, and Indian bat battles are used as quick laughs. Small parts in television series tend to be where I notice the most racism. This commercial portrays black people as savage, preferring not to wear shoes, as well as degrades them to a more primitive lifestyle, suggesting the white military men are a superior race with better and newer technology. For example, the sitcom Friends lacks diversity completely. Other cultures have taken hits from the Fox Sports network. Yet another section of everyday television in America shows another side of discrimination of minorities. Commercials of all kinds promote products to the public; however some do it at other races expenses. Aside from writers and commercials, the bulk of what people consider television is extremely racist. margin of primetime corporation writers must face racial discrimination in addition to segregation. Future generations will be strongly influenced by the choices that are made to eliminate racism in our television programs. In order to rid our society of and discrimination, we first have to prove they do not exist any longer on our beloved television screens. Once caught, the runner is drugged and outfitted in a pair of Nikes, which send him screaming in an effort to remove them .
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