The racial stereotypes and prejudices take their roots in the early American history, at the time when all the blacks were rigidly enslaved and were considered people of the third world. Gradually, numerous movements appeared to protect the human rights and freedoms of Afro-American. Nowadays, there is an assumption that the principles of human equality are accessible to all irrespective of race and gender. I believe that, despite the legal manifestation of validity and equality of the law, there are still some restrictions that hinge the normal way of living of national minorities and Afro-Americans in particular. Hence, Michael Omi displays the actual situation in America and gives evidences and explanations to these limitations.
In his article, the writer proves that a racial difference is the problem of current society due to the fact that there still exist such organizations as Ku-Klux-Klan that is also called Neo-Nazi. Evidently, the existence of racial conflicts is the outcome of the powerful heritage left by the history. Therefore, it is reasonable to suppose that racial resentments and violence is only outer evidence of more profound racial organization of society in America (Omi, 549).
Living in Color: Race and American Culture recalls in our memory many television programs and news channels that implicitly constitute the racial discrimination. Every time we watch television movies, we shape our opinion about the world that surrounds us without thinking whether it is right or not. Most of people do not even notice that the most of the television commentators are predominantly white. Initially, this fact did not grasp a considerable attention since it was the matter of the past. However, the modern society becomes aware that it is an explicit manifestation of national inferiority.
Omi also depicts numerous evidence of negligent attitude to national minority groups that can be traced in different domains of cultural life, including sport and music. Though people issued many laws that protect the different races, the fact is that racial factors are always primary in identification of personality. The constant conflict appeared because of racial divergence stipulate the concept of otherness that is invisibly despised by the white population. Therefore, the concept of race is commonly regarded as to “a way of comprehending, explaining, and acting in the world” (Omi, 551).
Talking about the popular culture, its power is rather influential in forming our attitude toward racial minorities. It is explained by the fact that television has captured all spheres of life and dictates how look at the world. The book runs that black people fit more for sport due to their biological distinctions rather than for movies or MTV clips. Though nowadays our outlooks have been altered a bit, still there observe an inferential racism arising out popular culture concepts. Television has greatly contributed to the shaping our stereotypes about Afro-Americans. From movies, we come to know that that Negroes are to be dumb and rude, they often play some bad characters.
In contrast, it is necessary to say that there is a tangible tendency for filming the stories where the main heroes are Afro- Americans. The bright examples are numerous films like Hancock with Will Smith or Fear Factor with Denzel Washington that have received many awards and acknowledgement. The movies have considerably distorted the outlook on the fact that Afro-American can play only secondary or negative roles.
Works Cited
Omni, Michael “In Living Color: Race and American Culture” The Norton Field Guide to Writing US: W. W Norton and Company, 2005.