The
media’s attempts to discuss issues of race have become more and more subtle.
Instead of using the negative terminology or offensive words of the past, the
media now relies on coded words in order to discuss race without arousing anger
from the public. A prime example of this was the controversy surrounding
Richard Sherman. The media used words such as “thug” and “gangster” to talk
about him as a black man rather than directly referring to his race. This is a
problem in the media that needs to be addressed. While this is a method of
tiptoeing around the race issue, it still refers to it in a negative way. By
using these words to discuss race, it provides a discriminatory view on the
race as a whole.
I
was watching First Take on ESPN the other day and one of the guests pointed
something out that caused me to really think about how black athletes are
portrayed in the media. Discussing the issue of fighting in sports, he talked
about how it was acceptable in a sport like hockey but that the players are
criticized heavily in the more African-American dominated sports like football and
basketball. He also discussed how players have to watch themselves when they
are on camera so that they do not seem volatile or violent. The main point that
really stood out to me was when he talked about getting compliments for being
eloquent and intelligent. He stated that these were backhanded compliments because
they imply that he is doing something special as opposed to African-Americans
being seen as not being intelligent or eloquent.
This
raises concern that African-Americans are being discriminated by the media. The
predominantly white sport of hockey allows physical confrontations while if a
black player were to do the same in a sport like football or basketball, they
would be labeled a thug or a gangster and his character would be questioned.
This is unfair and has to stop. How big of an issue do you think the media’s
reliance on code words for race is?
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