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Abstract
Research on race and media in Western societies typically emphasizes the static characterizations of ethnic minorities in light of a White majority cast (e.g. the Black coon or the asexual Asian). Through the theoretical lens of whiteness, these representations are understood to be congruent with traditional articulations of racial identity and promote an ideology of White supremacy. Contemporary scholarship, however, challenges researchers to examine whiteness in light of an ethnic majority cast. In this article, we focus on the representation of Whites in Black films. We examine three popular Black films and propose three prevailing portrayals of whiteness evident in Black-oriented films: The Wannabe, The Man, and Whitebread. Findings reveal the promulgation of essentialized notions of race and the perpetuation of White dominance through film art.
Racial ideology has always been a predominant theme in American film and therefore the subject of media criticism. Historically, research on race and the media has focused on the marginalization of nonWhites, with a significant amount examining portrayals of distinctive ethnic groups, including Asians, Latinos, Native Americans and most notably, African Americans. From these studies scholars have deduced that racial minorities are consistently subject to stereotypical depictions and/or negative portrayals in light of a dominant White cast (Harris, 1999; Mastro & Greenberg, 2000). An implication of this research is that negative portrayals of racial groups stigmatize minority groups and foster negative social attitudes primarily among the White majority. Studies have shown that exposure to stereotypical portrayals have been associated with Whites' stereotyping (Oliver, 1999), attitudes towards affirmative action policies (Tan, Fujioka & Tan, 2000), and political attitudes toward marginalized groups in general (Ramasubramanian, 2010).
Such investigations are warranted given the history of racial and institutional discrimination in the United States. A goal of these studies is to illustrate the influence of mass media on social perceptions, social attitudes, and social behavior towards marginalized groups. Another goal is to hold the media accountable for its role in creating these perceptions, fostering attitudes, and inadvertently legitimizing inappropriate social behaviors. However, while attending to the misrepresentations of historically disenfranchised groups, scholars have not given enough attention to portrayals of the White majority which also has implications for social constructions of race. Perhaps representations of dominant groups are generally ignored because...