Bisexuality is hardly treated at all, because it does not fit into neatly defined categories like "gay" and "straight." Occasionally this theme is discussed in films and television, as with one episode of Six Feet Under. Stereotypes can constrain real-life behavior as film and television offer visual cues for modeling. This is why it is important to feature more diverse characters and diversity of experiences. Not all black men are highly sexed, aggressive, and dominant in their sexuality, and not all black men abandon women as is sometimes suggested by the media. Likewise, not all Asian men are nerdy and asexual and not all Asian women are detached vixens.

When stereotypes do capture a general truth, they can be...

If there is any good to come from frequent media stereotyping, it is that it can raise awareness about issues and promote change. For example, it is possible that black men are consciously working to prove wrong the stereotype that they will leave a woman after having sex with her -- and yet this is a behavior not at all linked to race but to gender and individual differences anyway. Stereotyping in the media is certainly not the best way to promote social change, but it can be used to make fun of general truths and create gentle social prodding. However, the media should be portraying all racial groups with as much diversity as whites rather than making people into caricatures.