The Propaganda of Media Influencing Racism Essay Example

The topic of racism has been very prevalent in the media for centuries. Stamped: Racism, Anti Racism, and You, a nonfiction book written by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi, exposes the media’s propaganda throughout history. The media shapes racism, sways people’s opinions, and these actions are shown throughout the history of racism. Although many people believe the media does not make propaganda or promote racism.

First, the media has been intensely shaping racism in recent years. As a response to the government’s mismanagement in aid to the victims of Hurricane Katrina, “A poor Black community would be flooded and destroyed. No one did anything” (Reynolds, 237). The author expresses that the journalists and scientists knew about a major storm hitting that area but, they did nothing to stop it because it was a “poor black community” (Reynolds, 237). It was a racist decision and action and no one thought anything of it. This occurred in 2005, and ‘color-blind racists’ were prevalent throughout America and one of the biggest was the media. “Spinning tales of looting and gruesome,” these were children and families the media was talking about, which were ripped from their homes and put into a shelter. The media took advantage of the weakness created by the hurricanes. The media held nothing back to take the opportunity to describe the victims as savages, ironically their response was savage.

Nearing toward the later 2000s, people are speaking out about the police brutality on the black community. This subject also sheds negative and positive light on the issue. With raging political views, comes different narratives people put out to the world. Bias opinions and news outlets show their from perspective, meaning they can twist any story to work to their advantage. “Anything to smear Black people in the media” (Reynolds, 242). This also means that the media will take any opportunity to put the black community in a tight corner, with no options to have the advantage to speak out. 

Secondly, the media has been influencing the population on the topic of racism, especially since the creation of the internet. Influencing can be a great tool, BLM is an example of it. BLM is a group that is a direct response to police brutality and hate crimes towards the black community. Different groups such as BLM helped people in need and with the peak of the internet, information gets around quickly. That also means that any type of information, from either political side, gets its light. No groups of people are restricted when it comes to the internet. But, even though the antiracists took any opportunity to represent the black community, “they were enraptured by the pride of the victory for black spoke...shown all those disbelievers, who said that electing a Black president was impossible, to be wrong” (Reynolds 241). The black community kept showing the world and America their progress. They showed that they could elect a Black president and that he was the symbol of hope and progress. Even though this was huge progress people continued to die; children, men, and women. The police and vigilantes were getting away easily with killings and BLM finally rose up. It continues even today with a long list of innocent killings of the Black community.

Furthermore, the media has a history of speaking on the topic of racism intensively. From the time when information was carried by horse to letters to newspapers to the internet, racist ideas were and are easily excisable to anyone. When the printed paper was booming, racists took advantage to write about their racist propaganda and ideas. “They’d always printed poison, narratives about Black inferiority and White superiority” (Reynolds, 87). During the 1800s when the most accessible news source was newspapers, racists could easily spread hate to others. These articles would keep carrying on false information, such as African-American’s not being fully human, not being smart enough, and not being white enough for society. However, antiracist groups also have an advantage at this time to promote their superior principles and beliefs of race. Garrison, an antiracist at the time, pushed a newspaper that “changed perspectives from gradual abolition to immediately abolition” (Reynolds, 87). Life stories, such as Fredrick Douglas, publishing a book at this time about life as a slave and being a black man in America, sparked many others to rise and make a change. However, this change was slow during the 1900s when African Americans were free but not entirely to society. Segregation and the media were the most superior to the black community. Movies, shows, and music were being filtered by racist ideals. Movies such as Planet of the Apes “stroked the racist fear fire by showing the dark world rising against the White conquered” (Reynolds, 186). This movie helped propagate racism by making African Americans seem inhumane, rapid, and more superior. But hope came soon after in 1964 the Civil Rights Act prohibited discrimination against race was illegal. This also didn’t mean that racists were no more. More change needed to occur and it wasn’t all of the media that was spreading information. “Black people started to move away from colorism and reversed,” (Reynolds, 187). Activists and groups such as Black Power and the NAACP all around were protesting and fighting for equal rights and opportunities. The change was happening in music, like hip-hop, change was happening in films, and change was happening in schools with segregation. Change, that is the whole point of the book. From the beginning to the end racist people and ideas were modifying. But even still today black people were still being targeted the most because of racist thoughts. These thoughts were also in politics and during the late 1900s War on drugs was a war on the black neighborhoods and families. “War on drugs...was really one on Black people.” (Reynolds, 204). During this time black neighborhoods were being targeted, meaning families were being torn apart and being put into jail unjustly compared to White dealers who had less time. This same pattern of injustice continues even today with false accusations and targeted police brutality. 

Although the media does not always spread propaganda or promote racism it has helped give a voice to the unheard. The unheard Black community and antiracist that have and still work on fighting for equal rights. From the newspapers to the internet the antiracists have always been pushing righteous and humane perspectives against society and racists. The media and internet are the biggest help to the unheard, even though it is also the biggest help to the oppressors. 

Even though the media does not always spread propaganda or promote racism, it has and still will shape racism and sway people’s opinions. The author indicates that people are the ones that determine if racist ideas will keep being projected over and over again throughout time. Anyone can change ideologies and perspectives by listening and looking for trustworthy sources and good media outlets that do not have a trend of bias and racist ideas.