The Glorification of White Crime

5 Comments

1. Michael Serene October 13, 2012

   I’d say that crime of all races is glorified. Plenty of movies and TV shows portray black criminals in a more positive and nuanced light, some the best being “Homicide” and “The Wire.” Snoop Dog has made a career of being a “likable thug.” Exibit makes routine jokes about criminal past and drug use in “Pimp My Ride” (I love that show!). Americans love violence and crime stories– now, if you go back to 50s and 60s, you won’t see this. But times have changed, and crooks of all races are celebrated. Hmm– now is that good or not, is a different discussion!

   I'd say that crime of all races is glorified. Plenty of movies and TV shows portray black criminals in a more positive and nuanced light, some the best being "Homicide" and "The Wire." Snoop Dog has made a career of being a "likable thug." Exibit makes routine jokes about criminal past and drug use in "Pimp My Ride" (I love that show!). Americans love violence and crime stories-- now, if you go back to 50s and 60s, you won't see this. But times have changed, and crooks of all races are celebrated. Hmm-- now is that good or not, is a different discussion!

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• Relando Thompkins, MSW October 14, 2012

  Hey Michael,

  Thanks for your comment. I think there’s a lot of truth to your statement about criminality being glorified and celebrated widely, noting a couple of examples such as snoop dog or exibit, or even noting a couple of shows such as the wire and homicide.

  I think the point of this post is to highlight that the differences in portrayals of crime on-screen looking through the lens of race has definite implications on how justice is played out in our society everyday.

  One aspect of White Privilege is to be able to turn on the television or open to the front page of the paper and see other white people widely represented. Check out “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack by Peggy McIntosh http://www.amptoons.com/blog/files/mcintosh.html

  You might see an actor who is white play a role as a doctor one day, a thief the next, a teacher another day, a banker the next.

  However the ways in which people of color are represented in the media is still quite narrow, more often than not POC are depicted as thieves, criminals, ignorant, uneducated, etc.

  Powerful stereotypical narratives have been created as a result that can lead to racist discrimination and prejudice against people of color because of some belief that these negative depictions are true.

  You mentioned the wire, as did the author of the article I shared, however, when people of color are seen committing crimes in movies or tv shows, the audience very rarely gets the background story or rationalization of why they are committing the crime. The audience is rarely given any reason to humanize their behavior in the way and detail that white characters who are committing crimes on television can receive.

  For instance, in responding to this comment one of my readers shared this video called “Planet of the Arabs” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mi1ZNEjEarw

  This video highlights negative depictions about people from the middle east. The reader noted that most people think only of terrorism when they think of people from the middle east because that is basically the only way they are portrayed.

  If you were able to watch the video, it’s buying into one-sided, negative propaganda like that which can cause people to justify hate crimes and other forms of discrimination.

  I can see your point that as a society as a whole, crime can be glorified, but the consequences of that glorification show up differently between people who are white and people of color.

  There is a tendency to judge people of color as an entire group because of the actions of one person of color, while people who are white are judged as individuals. I can see the connections between the wide variety of roles that are available to people who are white vs. the limited amount of depictions of people of color. It is easier to see a person as an individual, or a behavior as an anomaly when there are a wide variety of other examples to compare it to. That same goal is much harder to accomplish however when that variety is rare or non-existent.

  I think if we were to look back into the 50’s and 60’s as you mentioned, the same pattern would be present with people of color being depicted in mostly ignorant, subservient, criminal roles, etc with little insight into their humanity.

  Hey Michael, Thanks for your comment. I think there's a lot of truth to your statement about criminality being glorified and celebrated widely, noting a couple of examples such as snoop dog or exibit, or even noting a couple of shows such as the wire and homicide. I think the point of this post is to highlight that the differences in portrayals of crime on-screen looking through the lens of race has definite implications on how justice is played out in our society everyday. One aspect of White Privilege is to be able to turn on the television or open to the front page of the paper and see other white people widely represented. Check out "White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack by Peggy McIntosh http://www.amptoons.com/blog/files/mcintosh.html You might see an actor who is white play a role as a doctor one day, a thief the next, a teacher another day, a banker the next. However the ways in which people of color are represented in the media is still quite narrow, more often than not POC are depicted as thieves, criminals, ignorant, uneducated, etc. Powerful stereotypical narratives have been created as a result that can lead to racist discrimination and prejudice against people of color because of some belief that these negative depictions are true. You mentioned the wire, as did the author of the article I shared, however, when people of color are seen committing crimes in movies or tv shows, the audience very rarely gets the background story or rationalization of why they are committing the crime. The audience is rarely given any reason to humanize their behavior in the way and detail that white characters who are committing crimes on television can receive. For instance, in responding to this comment one of my readers shared this video called "Planet of the Arabs" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mi1ZNEjEarw This video highlights negative depictions about people from the middle east. The reader noted that most people think only of terrorism when they think of people from the middle east because that is basically the only way they are portrayed. If you were able to watch the video, it's buying into one-sided, negative propaganda like that which can cause people to justify hate crimes and other forms of discrimination. I can see your point that as a society as a whole, crime can be glorified, but the consequences of that glorification show up differently between people who are white and people of color. There is a tendency to judge people of color as an entire group because of the actions of one person of color, while people who are white are judged as individuals. I can see the connections between the wide variety of roles that are available to people who are white vs. the limited amount of depictions of people of color. It is easier to see a person as an individual, or a behavior as an anomaly when there are a wide variety of other examples to compare it to. That same goal is much harder to accomplish however when that variety is rare or non-existent. I think if we were to look back into the 50's and 60's as you mentioned, the same pattern would be present with people of color being depicted in mostly ignorant, subservient, criminal roles, etc with little insight into their humanity.

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2. Michael Serene October 14, 2012

   I think there is a differentiation between entertainment media and news media in racial portrayals. Entertainment we get Will Smith cast as hero, the TV police commander is frequently black, often female, Eddie Murphy plays roles from crook to cop; Tyler Perry shows folks in a wide variety of roles (if only he could write better!!! Madea? please…); Cleveland Brown is portrayed a bit more favorably than Peter Smith in their shows; Movies and tv shows are often more notable for the absence of black people in roles, period (Seinfeld, Friends pop into mind) than in portraying people negatively. HGTV has folks of all races and orientations buying and renoing houses.
   TV also exploits poor folks of all races– Honey Boo-boo, Wonderful Whites of West Virginia, Jerry Springer feature plenty of white people you’d never want to run into in a dark alley…
   News, however, is so frequently shallow that you often get a black face, a report of a shooting, and you’re done. They do the same with all stories, but the lack of depth simply reinforces stereotypes.
   I agree that as a whole in American culture black people are frquently lumped together without thought that folks are individuals. Entertainment media seems to be doing a better job than news. But even in news, if one reads the paper blacks are mayors, police officers attorneys, council members, bankers, etc. as well as crooks. Yet folks will stiil see what they want to see. They ignore the big picture and focus on things that reinforce their stereotypes. Sadly, it doesn’t matter when the news quotes the black police cheif, the black mayor, and the black pastors as outraged at crime- some folks will only notice that the perpetrator was black.
   As for changing that– while some people will never change, the main way to change pereceptions- end the War on Drugs. That “war” is a fiasco used to target black communties. And until it ends, poor black communities will continually be tied to crime and violence in the news media- and with truth behind it, sad to say.

   I think there is a differentiation between entertainment media and news media in racial portrayals. Entertainment we get Will Smith cast as hero, the TV police commander is frequently black, often female, Eddie Murphy plays roles from crook to cop; Tyler Perry shows folks in a wide variety of roles (if only he could write better!!! Madea? please...); Cleveland Brown is portrayed a bit more favorably than Peter Smith in their shows; Movies and tv shows are often more notable for the absence of black people in roles, period (Seinfeld, Friends pop into mind) than in portraying people negatively. HGTV has folks of all races and orientations buying and renoing houses. TV also exploits poor folks of all races-- Honey Boo-boo, Wonderful Whites of West Virginia, Jerry Springer feature plenty of white people you'd never want to run into in a dark alley... News, however, is so frequently shallow that you often get a black face, a report of a shooting, and you're done. They do the same with all stories, but the lack of depth simply reinforces stereotypes. I agree that as a whole in American culture black people are frquently lumped together without thought that folks are individuals. Entertainment media seems to be doing a better job than news. But even in news, if one reads the paper blacks are mayors, police officers attorneys, council members, bankers, etc. as well as crooks. Yet folks will stiil see what they want to see. They ignore the big picture and focus on things that reinforce their stereotypes. Sadly, it doesn't matter when the news quotes the black police cheif, the black mayor, and the black pastors as outraged at crime- some folks will only notice that the perpetrator was black. As for changing that-- while some people will never change, the main way to change pereceptions- end the War on Drugs. That "war" is a fiasco used to target black communties. And until it ends, poor black communities will continually be tied to crime and violence in the news media- and with truth behind it, sad to say.

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• Relando Thompkins, MSW October 14, 2012

  I hear you on the “War on Drugs” that has been used to largely target black communities. But there’s “truth” behind the fact that people from all racial groups commit crimes. But there are disparities in consequences on who’s convicted for what, even if it’s the same crime. There are also disparities in consequences for who’s searched, pulled over, and stopped for what, etc. I think those differences largely depend on what kind of stories are told and accepted about a person, or group of people as a whole.

  Honeybooboo, wonderful whites of west virginia, and jerry springer are among a handful of shows that take away from depicting actors or people who are white as being “normal”, just as Will Smith, and Tyler Perry are among a handful of black actors who’ve been able to have a variety of roles outside of the common depictions of black people as criminals, ignorant, etc. And these messages have implications for how justice is served (or not served) in real life.

  Check out the documentary Ethnic Notions: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHMo64KSApQ That clip is just an intro, but It should be broken into parts on youtube if you’re interested in watching it. The film basically tracks negative representations and stereotypical caricatures of black people throughout history that have given people social and moral justification for racist discrimination. Elements of the stereotypes featured in the Ethnic Notions film can still be seen in how black people are portrayed today.

  It also goes beyond the black & white binary, as people from the middle east, people in the Latino communities and other racial groups are often seen in narrowly defined, stereotypical roles in entertainment news, as well as news media.

  I think having experiences with people that contradict those negative messages can definitely help change perceptions, but as you’ve said, some people will believe what they want.

  I also really agree with your point about how shallow the news coverage is, noting that the lack of depth often reinforces the stereotype.

  As a whole though, I do not think that people who are white and people of color are depicted in the same way, at the same rate, with the same consequences. I also think that negative depictions on-screen and in news media have more negative effects and consequences for people of color in their everyday lives that can impact employment, housing, treatment and outcomes in healthcare, and on and on.

  I hear you on the "War on Drugs" that has been used to largely target black communities. But there's "truth" behind the fact that people from all racial groups commit crimes. But there are disparities in consequences on who's convicted for what, even if it's the same crime. There are also disparities in consequences for who's searched, pulled over, and stopped for what, etc. I think those differences largely depend on what kind of stories are told and accepted about a person, or group of people as a whole. Honeybooboo, wonderful whites of west virginia, and jerry springer are among a handful of shows that take away from depicting actors or people who are white as being "normal", just as Will Smith, and Tyler Perry are among a handful of black actors who've been able to have a variety of roles outside of the common depictions of black people as criminals, ignorant, etc. And these messages have implications for how justice is served (or not served) in real life. Check out the documentary Ethnic Notions: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHMo64KSApQ That clip is just an intro, but It should be broken into parts on youtube if you're interested in watching it. The film basically tracks negative representations and stereotypical caricatures of black people throughout history that have given people social and moral justification for racist discrimination. Elements of the stereotypes featured in the Ethnic Notions film can still be seen in how black people are portrayed today. It also goes beyond the black & white binary, as people from the middle east, people in the Latino communities and other racial groups are often seen in narrowly defined, stereotypical roles in entertainment news, as well as news media. I think having experiences with people that contradict those negative messages can definitely help change perceptions, but as you've said, some people will believe what they want. I also really agree with your point about how shallow the news coverage is, noting that the lack of depth often reinforces the stereotype. As a whole though, I do not think that people who are white and people of color are depicted in the same way, at the same rate, with the same consequences. I also think that negative depictions on-screen and in news media have more negative effects and consequences for people of color in their everyday lives that can impact employment, housing, treatment and outcomes in healthcare, and on and on.

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3. Michael Serene October 14, 2012

   Media distorts EVERYTHING- and perceptions of minorities are no different. Though I mostly see positive portrayals of people of color in media, it may be the media I choose to consume. I have no appetite for racism, and I really don’t watch much TV outside Adult Swim cartoons, (Venture Brothers rock!)….so I may not have the best pulse of general media. I think the stupdification (yes, I made that word up) of our pop media encourages stereotypes- of blacks, Latinos, poor whites, etc. That doesn’t lessen the impact it may have- and I have no doubt the impact is greater on communties that have been historically discriminated against.

   Media distorts EVERYTHING- and perceptions of minorities are no different. Though I mostly see positive portrayals of people of color in media, it may be the media I choose to consume. I have no appetite for racism, and I really don't watch much TV outside Adult Swim cartoons, (Venture Brothers rock!)....so I may not have the best pulse of general media. I think the stupdification (yes, I made that word up) of our pop media encourages stereotypes- of blacks, Latinos, poor whites, etc. That doesn't lessen the impact it may have- and I have no doubt the impact is greater on communties that have been historically discriminated against.

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