The Issue Of Stereotypes In Film Industry

Table of Contents

Stereotypes: Their Causes and Consequences

What is a Stereotype?

Stereotypes In Film

Stereotypes and their Consequences

Native Americans, African Americans and Stereotypes

Fighting Stereotypes

Stereotypes and their Denial

Challenging Stereotypes

Stereotypes and their impact

To sum up,

Films are a great way to learn about culture. Stories on screen help us understand how society works, both in theory and in practice. Filmmakers create “masterpieces” by presenting ideas and concepts through dialogue and plot. Since the dawn of film, stereotypical and inaccurate representations have plagued it. Throughout the history and development of film, stereotypes, misrepresentations, and ideas have been a part of it. This is especially true for minorities. African-American and Native American filmmakers are working to eliminate this problem by presenting accurate images and stories in films.

Stereotypes and Their ConsequencesWhat are Stereotypes?Stereotypes are generalized statements or ideas about a group of people. These stereotypes can be based on race, gender or religion. They could also include sexual orientation. Stereotypes can be based on appearance, behavior or any other factor. One stereotype is that Asians have bad driving habits. Stereotypes, which are generalizations of a group, are not always accurate. How Stereotypes Arise in FilmThe filmmaker’s desire will influence the way characters speak, dress, and behave. Stereotypes in film are often incorporated, both deliberately and accidentally, because a filmmaker’s interpretation of a particular character could be a loosely based representation of certain cultural elements. A movie about basketball, for example, may have several African American characters because athletics is a major part of Black American Culture.

Stereotypes: ConsequencesBecause all media (including film) present ideas that are common concepts of society, they have the effect of turning characters into reality. These ideas, which are the product of a filmmaker’s imagination, are unfortunately often misrepresented. A filmmaker may add traits to a character that are in line with his or her personal vision of how the character should act or look. The public accepts these representations as truths when they’re shown in films. Stereotypes are perpetuated.

Native Americans and StereotypesHistorically, Native Americans and African Americans have been portrayed in films inaccurately and with stereotypes. Stereotypes about Native and African Americans have led to a generalized view of both cultures that is negative. Native Americans tend to be stereotyped for being untrusting of strangers and as alcoholics. African American stereotypes are often that they’re criminals, dumb, and have a long list of negative traits.

These aren’t the only representations of these races, but these are often the ones that are used in modern films. In Hollywood’s mainstream films today, it’s common to find African American characters that are meant to be heroic but who actually act in a nefarious, unethical manner. Ice Cube plays the lead character of Fist Fight who engages in unethical and aggressive behavior toward others, echoing “black Rambo’ stereotype. & Keen, 2017). Native Americans, as depicted in contemporary films like The Twilight Saga, are shown to be closed off and distrustful toward outsiders. These modern representations tell the audience “this is what this group does”.

History is often inaccurate because it’s viewed from a different perspective. Native Americans are portrayed as either gullible, stoic or hostile. African Americans were portrayed in comical and joyful slaves, such as the’sambos’ and mammys’. In addition to the stereotype of a promiscuous and/or sexually over-excited woman called ‘jezebel,’ other representations African American women have been through the years. Birth of A Nation (1992) is one of the films that shows this ‘jezebel-like’ stereotype. Modern viewers may know that many of these depictions were inaccurate but some have had a significant impact on their current views.

Combating StereotypesAfrican and Native American Filmmakers have been a key force in the fight against stereotypes. They are changing attitudes by exposing and confronting stereotyping.

By confronting stereotypes, African and Native American directors are able to challenge stereotypical film. Spike Lee’s 2000 movie Bamboozled provides an excellent example. The film revolves around a black TV producer and his production of an overly racist show, which is essentially a minstrel act with characters from plantation times. The film highlights not only how ridiculous and offensive these representations were, but also the success of this show. The film ends with the message that selling out or misrepresenting cultures for entertainment can have a number of negative effects.

A second way to confront stereotypes is to show that a certain behavior is present in some members of a group but not all. In Smoke Signals it is shown that the father of one of the main characters (Victor), is an alcoholic who abuses his family (Eyre et.al., 1998). The stereotype of Native American males is often used in films, but the film shows that it is not a common behavior. This type confronting dispels the stereotype by giving an accurate picture of the vast majority of this group.

Challenging StereotypesChallenging stereotypes is arguably one of the most effective ways of combating stereotypes. This is because not only does it negate the inaccurate stereotypes that a group has, but it also negates those positive stereotypes. In journalism as well, most media present white men in the role of protagonists or heroes (Owens, 2008). There are many benefits when minority filmmakers present their protagonists as minorities (or women or alternative genders). First, it challenges the stereotypical idea that heroes are white men. It is important to note that this introduces a new concept, namely, anyone can be a “hero”, regardless of their race or gender. This creates positive role-models for women and minorities. The second way to stop stereotypes is by proving that they are not true. In the past, black females were often portrayed as business women who are independent. This was a way to suggest that this behavior was not common or desired.

While the majority of attempts to challenge stereotypical beliefs are positive, others can be counterproductive. In some situations, the method of challenging stereotypes can reinforce other stereotypes. Blaxploitation movies were originally intended to empower African Americans by showcasing strong male protagonists. In contrast, some of the characters in these films were not people that one would look up to, for example, Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song, Gross, Van Peebles & Van Peebles, a 1971 film. Sweet Sweetback in this movie was meant to be the strong black man that everyone could look up to. In reality, Sweet Sweetback was a murderous pimp. In addition, the portrayal of women in the film helped to create the stereotype “jezebel”, which was eventually adopted as the’standard for black woman’ (Pilgrim 2012). In challenging stereotypes, modern filmmakers should be careful not to commit the same mistakes. The goal is to dismantle stereotypes and not legitimize them.

Exposing stereotypicalsExposing stereotypicals is an easier way to get people to stop using and accepting stereotypes. The stereotype is presented in the movie dialogue and then a response is given. Jordan Peele’s film Get Out (2017) shows this very clearly. In the movie there is a discussion about “why it’s so popular to be Black”. Christopher, the main character, contradicts these statements by stating that he dislikes sports and many current fashion trends. This exchange was meant to emphasize that one’s race is not always indicative of their tastes, and people should not make assumptions solely based on appearance.

There is an old saying: “Don’t Judge a Book by Its Cover”. Stereotypes are essentially generalizing based on outward appearances. Stereotypes are a result of our media, including film. They become popular ideas when they are presented as generalizations. Minority film makers help to combat this by confronting stereotypes and challenging them in films. Modern viewers need to be on guard against being influenced by such thinking.