Media Forms The media has a significant influence not only on individuals but also on the society as a whole. Media representations are not merely an echo and emulate of society but rather they are highly discerning and fabricated portrayals. It is the capability of these representations to form and structure our awareness of the world, which is taken into account in this paper. One important aspect that can be shed light on, is the representation of the minority groups or disadvantaged groups in the media (Sanson et al., 2000). This is particularly of great importance since the issues of discrimination and racism have historically and even today been deemed high-profile subject matters. It is imperative to point out that the roles in which these minority groups are portrayed and represented in the media have a tendency of emphasizing stereotypes about them (Sanson et al., 2000). The focus on this particular paper is that of racial representation and stereotypes from the perspective of a black male living in America.

Media Depiction- Bias

Criminality

In a comprehensive context, the general representation of black males in the media can be perceived to be misleading and biased as it is overstressed in a number of aspects while neglecting others. Despite the fact that several aspects of black males' actual lived experience have a tendency to be omitted from the combined media portrayal, a number of aspects dominantly prevalent and are, in fact, embellished and blown up. Conceivably, the most discoursed arrangement is the relationship between black males and criminality, predominantly in the news which are portrayed in the television screens. In the news, the media portrays black males as criminals or at least with an inclination towards crime, but are portrayed in ways that make the black male population to appear threatening for the most part, compared, for example to criminals who are white males (Moore et al.2011). When keenly observed and examined, black males are overrepresented as perpetrators and culprits of violent crime when news reporting is paralleled with the rates of apprehension and arrest. On the other hand, the black males are underrepresented in the more considerate, normative and generous roles and as victims or enforcers of the law. This is an aspect that has been portrayed historically and has continued into present times, increasingly so. For instance, according to an analysis undertaken by 'The Opportunity Agenda' (2011), statistics from a sample of news reported on Chicago Television in the years 1993 and 1994 indicated that news coverage stories on black males were four times more likely to consist of mug shots in comparison to new coverage stories of white males who were indicted of crime (The Opportunity Agenda 2011).

Poverty and Lower Social Class

In addition, black males are excessively and inexplicably represented in the media with respect to poverty and these reporting and portrayals have a habit of painting a picture that is for the most part likely to reinforce stereotypes and make it challenging and difficult to identify or sympathize with black males. For instance, one major disproportionate media representation is the manner in which blacks who are low income earners are portrayed to live in slums or urban regions contrasted with rural regions, than real-life averages would recommend. In the same manner, the black males are portrayed as being dominantly unemployed and lacking a steady job. However, this is not the case and this offers a false impression of who the black males are in the United States. It is imperative to note that the indolent black make at the corner of the street is not the real face of poverty in the United States, however he is the prevailing one in media representations (Punyanunt-Carter 2008).

Inferiority in Computer and Video Games' roles

Another negative representation of black males in the media can be perceived in terms of entertainment. These aspects as well as other such portrayals are carried out and disseminated methodically by the media. There has been detailed analysis on the manner in which disparaging and damaging images of black males continue to be employed and utilized for the purposes of entertainment, public consumption, and stereotyping. This is irrespective of whether it is done through the customary descriptions and images of black inferiority or whether it is by making use of black male characters in an explicable manner to portray both the victims and culprits of violence. For instance, black males are portrayed to be associated with music videos and films that are filled with violence. In comparison to the demographics of the United States, black males were overrepresented and exaggeratedly portrayed as victims and belligerent while...

On the other hand, in most of the instances, the media portrays the white females to be the ones who are being victimized. It is imperative to take note that music videos may be emphasizing fabricated and untruthful stereotypes of violent black males and oppressed white females (Dubriel 2006).
Occupational Roles

Research undertaken by Punyanunt-Carter (2008) showed that another poor media representation by the media of black males is with regard to occupational roles. In majority of the television shows displayed by the media since decades, it is seen that black males who are characterized in these TV programs were commonly portrayed in service or blue-collar professions, for instance a house cleaner or a postal worker. In the same way, in a wide-ranging evaluation of black males in the media, Punyanunt-Carter (2008) established that the media repeatedly depicted African-American males in work-related roles, for example a help, a criminal, a cook, a performer, a conductor, a play-actor, an athlete, or a crooked person emphasizing lower social strata . In addition, Punyanunt-Carter (2008) acknowledged that most stereotypes and typecasts concerning black males are exaggerated by television representations. By analyzing most of the shows displayed from historic periods until the present period, it can be seen that male African-Americans on television were hardly ever portrayed as partaking in an exceedingly identifiable occupation or an expert or managerial position in contrast to white male television characters (Punyanunt-Carter 2008).

Misleading Portrayals

There are numerous terms (derogatory, racial and demeaning, if not always offensive) that are employed in the media to represent black males. Terms such as thugs and dangerous individuals from the black ghetto are some of the vocabulary adversely used. From the historical times of colonialism up until the present periods, black males and African-Americans as a whole have to some extent perceived as immigrants in the United States. In turn, there has been systemic racism in the United States for a long time up until the present period. For instance, the rate of suspensions for black children in U.S. public schools is approximately thrice the rate of white children. This systemic racism has brought about the aspect that black children have a twice likelihood of dropping out of school compared to the white children (Fields, 2014). In addition, the one-size-fits-all nil lenience school discipline guidelines that unreasonably affect school children of color are converting U.S. schools into a key entry point into the juvenile system and more so for black male children (Children's Defense Fund, 2015).

Black male media representations also encompasses the manner in which media black-washes welfare programs to illicit feelings against non-whites for utilization of government programs. According to Carnell (2013), white individuals in the United States make up about forty two percent of the poor population, yet account for about sixty nine percent of the government welfare benefits. This sort of black-washing by the media has resulted in the distribution of welfare benefits that are not factual depiction of the demography of poverty in the United States. For instance, African-American population who include the black males make up twenty two percent of the poor, yet only attain fourteen percent of the welfare benefits provided by the government. In addition, the government spends more on corporations and provides them with the biggest proportion of the welfare. Despite the fact that the media portrays that most of the welfare goes to the blacks and other minority communities, actually it goes to corporations. For instance, according to Think By Numbers (2015), in the year 2006, the government spent fifty nine billion on the traditional social welfare programs. In contrast, a much larger amount of ninety two billion was spent on subsidies and contracts for corporations. This indicates that the government spending was fifty percent more on corporate welfare compared to the government sending on housing assistance and food stamps.

Discussion

One major aspect to take into consideration with regard to media representation and especially with black males is where they appear and where they do not in the media. Patterns have arisen which have shown that black males and even African-Americans as a whole are underrepresented in different aspects of the portrayal of the world by the media. One good example is that despite the fact that in video games, the characters who have color, have been rising increasingly and black characters have been underrepresented habitually, particularly as active characters even in…