The American movie industry has had a history of treating minorities as second rate citizens in the business of film making. Up until the early 1980’s minorities were portrayed as an oddity and far from the status of white programs and actors. Blacks, Asians and Latinos did have roles in the movie business but most were playing the parts of troubled or lower classed characters. These roles were based on the stereotyping of minorities and their less respected cultures. Blacks would be associated with the inner city neighborhoods roles of gangs and involved in crime scenarios or story plots. Asians were limited to martial arts films or as servants for the rich white railroad barons in western films. Rarely did minorities hold roles that weren’t associated with their ethnic backgrounds centered on the stereotyping of certain nationalities. Since the beginning of the new millennium minorities have been better represented in more prominent roles with less stereotyping. Minorities have also reached the status of not only having their own shows and stars but by being highly accomplished directors and film makes. This transition was long overdue and the film making industry has suffered because of the racism from years past. Currently I feel there is a good representation of all minorities in the field of cinema.
I think that the Film Industry in America has helped portray different stereotypes about other races and cultures. Even though I think this has been decreased over the years, I do believe that there are still many films that are portraying different stereotypes. I think that films have helped increase racism. I firmly believe that this is where people learn how to act socially and this was a way to fit into society. I think that films have put every race in a category, putting white people on top of the chain, while treating others as second class citizens. In old movies Black people are always in service of white rich people, or as part of low class neihborhoods, and even though that has changed a great deal, there are still steretyping the behavior of such race, to the point that they generalize the behavior of a few as the behavior of everyone. In my own experience being a Latina Girl in the United States, made me realize of how big those stereotypes are. People at the University told me many times that I didnt look or talk like mexican people. I was born and raised in Mexico City, and just because I dont possess the traits of the stereotypical mexican person they did not believe I was Mexican. The film industry has contributed a great amount on the exapnsion of these stereotypes, and even though they have decreased those ideas, they are still a lot of work to get done.
The American movie industry has had a history of treating minorities as second rate citizens in the business of film making. Up until the early 1980’s minorities were portrayed as an oddity and far from the status of white programs and actors. Blacks, Asians and Latinos did have roles in the movie business but most were playing the parts of troubled or lower classed characters. These roles were based on the stereotyping of minorities and their less respected cultures. Blacks would be associated with the inner city neighborhoods roles of gangs and involved in crime scenarios or story plots. Asians were limited to martial arts films or as servants for the rich white railroad barons in western films. Rarely did minorities hold roles that weren’t associated with their ethnic backgrounds centered on the stereotyping of certain nationalities. Since the beginning of the new millennium minorities have been better represented in more prominent roles with less stereotyping. Minorities have also reached the status of not only having their own shows and stars but by being highly accomplished directors and film makes. This transition was long overdue and the film making industry has suffered because of the racism from years past. Currently I feel there is a good representation of all minorities in the field of cinema.
ReplyDeleteI think that the Film Industry in America has helped portray different stereotypes about other races and cultures. Even though I think this has been decreased over the years, I do believe that there are still many films that are portraying different stereotypes. I think that films have helped increase racism. I firmly believe that this is where people learn how to act socially and this was a way to fit into society. I think that films have put every race in a category, putting white people on top of the chain, while treating others as second class citizens. In old movies Black people are always in service of white rich people, or as part of low class neihborhoods, and even though that has changed a great deal, there are still steretyping the behavior of such race, to the point that they generalize the behavior of a few as the behavior of everyone. In my own experience being a Latina Girl in the United States, made me realize of how big those stereotypes are. People at the University told me many times that I didnt look or talk like mexican people. I was born and raised in Mexico City, and just because I dont possess the traits of the stereotypical mexican person they did not believe I was Mexican. The film industry has contributed a great amount on the exapnsion of these stereotypes, and even though they have decreased those ideas, they are still a lot of work to get done.
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