As a kid, I soaked up
television like a sponge. I
spent a lot of time watching
Nickelodeon,
(“Spongebob”
is the best show, don’t @ me),
but don’t worry — I watched
the educational PBS shows
too. All media geared toward
children is very fun and
friendly, but as I got older
and transitioned away from
cartoons, the media started
to feel more like it wanted to
be my enemy instead of my
friend. For the new target
audience that I joined as I
got older, the media’s focus
on
educational
television
was seemingly replaced by a
hidden curriculum that I then
learned and internalized.
The hidden curriculum of
the media teaches you what
it means to be any race in
America. It is hidden because
these racial lessons are not
explicitly taught; but they are
eventually perceived when you
notice that the hero is often
portrayed by a white man
(Captain America, Superman,
Iron Man, Spiderman) but the
villain is usually darker (Scar
from “The Lion King,” Ursula
from “The Little Mermaid,”
Shan Yu from “Mulan”). Or
when you notice that the
news tells us that when white
people riot in the streets
after a football game, they’re
just wild college kids doing
what college kids do, but
when Black people riot after
the shooting of yet another
unarmed Black person, they
are called thugs, and savages.
In television shows, in movies,
in magazines, white is often
synonymous with wealth and
power. It is synonymous with
being smart, being the main
character (“Friends,” “How I
Met Your Mother,” “Hannah
Montana”),
being
nice,
liking indie and alternative
music, being good, getting
good
grades,
success
and
happiness. It is associated
with pretty, popular and fun.
In the media, white people
are doctors, lawyers, cops,
teachers, CEOs and heroes.
But, in the same shows, white
people can also play the
villains and drug addicts, they
play people with mental and
physical disabilities, liberal
and conservative mentalities.
On TV, white people are
often
shown
liking
indie,
alternative, or rock music,
but there are also white
characters who like rap, hip
hop, and jazz. White people
are generally portrayed as
multidimensional,
dynamic
people,
glaringly
positive
but also with the potential
to be negative. This in itself
is
a
privilege
that
many
people may not even notice,
because it is so ingrained into
our society. White people
can walk through life with
the belief that they can be
anything that they want to be
because of these portrayals.
They can be the doctor or the
lawyer, they can be interested
in anything, they can be
smart. But they can also be
the villain or the drug addict,
they can be anything and still
be praised for it, and gain
sympathy. There is nothing
in the media stopping white
people from being whoever
or whatever they want to be,
because the media has told
them that as long as their skin
is white, anything goes. If you
don’t believe me, take a look at
our current president/reality
TV star; I wonder how he got
the job?
For minorities, the media
portrayal
is
often
a
bit
different.
Minorities
are
often presented in one way
— usually a stereotype — and
those stereotypes can have
a big influence on the way
that they move through this
world. Being a Black girl, I
cannot speak for my fellow
minorities on how the media’s
representation of them makes
them feel; however, I do know
how the media has made me
feel. The media has not always
portrayed Black people in a
positive light. I, like many
other
Black
people,
have
learned from the media that
“white is right”.
I have learned that my
brown skin has doomed me to
be the antithesis of my white
classmates. If they are smart, I
am dumb; if they are wealthy,
I am poor; if they are the
standard of beauty, and I am
missing the slender nose, the
straight blonde hair and the
blue eyes, what does that make
me? Why is a movie with a
white lead fit for all audiences,
but a movie with a Black lead
is just a “Black movie”? Why
do I see so many of my fellow
Black people portrayed as
violent gang members, thugs
and killers on television? Why
is every interracial couple that
I see on television a Black man
and a white girl? Are Black
girls undesirable? Why is it
that the physical features that
naturally occur on people who
look like me are repulsive,
but the tan skin, full lips, and
big butt are praised on Kylie
Jenner? Why is it okay for
Connor to listen to Vampire
Weekend, Blake Shelton and
Fall Out Boy, but it’s a surprise
or not “Black enough” when
Jerrell does it? Why is it that
Black people are portrayed as
“loud and ghetto”? Why has
ghetto become a synonym for
Black?
Why is it a surprise that I go
to the University of Michigan
but no one is shocked that
Sarah goes here? Why is it
that George Zimmerman shot
and killed Trayvon Martin
for walking while Black? How
was Darren Wilson able to
shoot Michael Brown without
being found guilty? Why do
they hate Barack Obama but
adore Donald Trump? Why
is it that I have to go out in
the streets and scream to the
world that my life matters,
but white people have never
needed to do that — unless of
course, you’re one of the Nazis
that unnecessarily gathered in
Charlottesville? You get the
picture.
The media’s portrayal of
Black people has led me to
all of these questions. It has
led me to question my own
identity as a Black person.
If Black people are these
negative things, how could
I ever be anything great? If
Black people aren’t smart,
only speak one way, only like
rap music and are inherently
violent, does that mean I’m
not Black enough? The media’s
perception of Black people
needs to change; only then
can we create a more positive
environment for Black people
to grow up in. Black people
should not have to feel like
they are not as good as white
people, they should not have
to feel like they need to fit
the media’s stereotypes to be
considered Black, and they
should not have to be slain in
the streets because the media
causes people to associate
blackness with violence.
Only in recent years
have I learned that I am Black
enough. The media tells us
that there is only one way to
be Black, and that that one
way is never as good as all the
ways that white people are,
but I’d call that fake news.
Black people can be anything
that they want to be, there is
no one definition of Black.
Anything that I am is as Black
as my beautiful skin that is
dripping in melanin. I am
not the Black person that the
media created; I am the real
thing.
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Michigan in Color
Thursday, September 28, 2017— 3A
Know your place in history
The First Amendment:
An Exclusive Right to
White Americans?
The media and me
JASON ROWLAND
Managing MiC Editor
MICHAEL HEYWARD
MiC Columnist
AAREL CALHOUN
MiC Columnist
Imagine this: It’s a Sunday
afternoon and you’re on your
way home for the evening. To
your annoyance, the route you
normally take has more traffic
than
normal.
Initially,
the
bumper-to-bumper backup is
inching along, but it quickly
grinds to a complete halt. After
a while, you turn on the radio
to find out what’s causing the
holdup. Surprisingly, you learn
it’s not due to an accident or
overturned truck; it’s due to a
protest organized against racism
and discrimination. How would
you respond?
Now,
how
would
your
response change if this were on
March 7, 1965, and the road you
were stuck on was Route 80, just
outside of Selma, Ala.? The day
is “Bloody Sunday,” and activist
John Lewis is marching with
about 600 protesters from Selma
to Montgomery. Regardless of
how you claim to feel about the
civil rights movement, chances
are that your current reaction
to anti-racism demonstrations
(from
Black
Lives
Matter
protests to NFL players taking
a knee during the national
anthem) would be identical to
how you would have reacted
during the civil rights movement
50 years ago.
Don’t believe me? According
to a Gallup poll conducted in
October of 1964, almost three-
fourths of Americans believed
civil
rights
demonstrators
should stop protesting, despite
many of their demands being
unfulfilled. Additionally, a New
York Times poll conducted
during the same year found
that
a
majority
of
white
New Yorkers felt civil rights
protesters had gone too far,
with common complaints about
“negroes receiving ‘everything
on a silver platter’” and the
growth of perceived “reverse
discrimination” against whites.
These sentiments are still cited
by Americans who denounce
efforts
to
create
a
more
inclusive country, from critics
of kneeling to people against
affirmative action. Ironically,
while these people probably
would have been against the
civil rights movement had they
been alive at the time, they are
the first to wistfully compare
today’s
demonstrations
to
demonstrations of the past, as
if their attitudes would be any
different.
In addition to those who
are
seemingly
against
any
form of protest, there are even
more people who support the
cause of racial equality but
do little to support it. In fact,
they’re often more critical of
the methods demonstrators use
to achieve equality than about
the issues being protested in the
first place. Usually, you can spot
this happening when someone
wishes
protesters
used
less
obstructive means. While they
may explicitly say something
along the lines of “I get where
they’re coming from, I just wish
they didn’t protest like that,”
what
they’re
really
saying
is “I acknowledge an issue
exists, but I’m not willing to do
anything to solve it because it
doesn’t affect me.” As a result,
demonstrators are forced to
use “obstructive” methods —
blocking roads, holding sit-ins
and interrupting the status
quo — to ensure people actually
listen
to
them.
Otherwise,
their message would likely be
ignored by the apathetic masses
who prioritize their day-to-
day convenience above the
issues affecting marginalized
communities.
Martin
Luther
King
Jr.
famously
wrote
about
this
in his 1963 “Letter from a
Birmingham
Jail.”
In
the
essay, King argued moderates
who sit idly by and allow
oppression to happen (despite
being ostensibly against racism
and discrimination), are more
dangerous
than
Klansmen.
Those “more devoted to ‘order’
than to justice; who (prefer)
a negative peace which is the
absence of tension to a positive
peace which is the presence of
justice; who constantly say, ‘I
agree with you in the goal you
seek, but I cannot agree with
your methods of direct action’”
present the greatest danger to
those seeking equality. This is
just as true today as it was half
a century ago.
All of this begs an important
question: How will you be
remembered
by
history?
While it was acceptable to
be
against
the
civil rights
movement in the 1960s, pictures
of
counterprotesters
standing
outside of integrated schools
draw disgust today. Anybody
who currently thinks the civil
rights activists were out of line is
rightfully seen as bigoted — and I
firmly believe 50 years from now,
critics of today’s campaigns for
racial equality will be seen in the
same light. Now is your chance to
stand on the right side of history,
even if you have to stand alone.
Over two centuries ago, the
United States’ Founding Fathers
convened in Philadelphia to
lay out a framework for the
budding nation. The result
was the construction of our
Constitution — the brainchild
of many men, all with different
philosophies and visions for the
future of the nation. However,
they shared a reservation for
unrestrained
dominion
like
that of the British monarch that
once reigned over them. The
Declaration of Independence
asserted “that all men are
created equal, that they are
endowed by their Creator with
certain
unalienable
rights,”
and
the
Anti-Federalists,
those wary of executive power,
insisted that a Bill of Rights
be added to the Constitution
following
its
ratification
that
ensured
the
certain
liberties of the people would
not be infringed upon by the
government.
In contemporary political
discourse,
there
exists
a
debate regarding one of the
most sacred rights enshrined
in the Constitution. The First
Amendment states, “Congress
shall make no law… abridging
the
freedom
of
speech.”
Although these words have
protected the rights of white
men since its inception, the
Bill of Rights has not always
protected those of minorities.
Enslaved Americans were not
viewed as human beings with
God-given autonomy like their
White
counterparts.
They
were considered property, and
the law, whether it be in spirit
or in practice, affirmed their
objectification. Only within the
past century has the Supreme
Court (arguably) fully avouched
the equal rights of minorities.
Still, the right of Black
people
to
express
disdain
for a government they see as
repressive
is
under
attack.
Ex-49ers
quarterback
Colin
Kaepernick’s national anthem
protest has incensed masses
of white Americans. “I am
not going to stand up to show
pride in a flag for a country
that oppresses black people and
people of color,” Kaepernick
declared. “To me, this is bigger
than football and it would be
selfish on my part to look the
other way. There are bodies in
the street and people getting
paid leave and getting away
with
murder.”
The
United
States clearly has an issue
with the unjust murder of
Black people by the police, and
Kaepernick is using his voice
and his Constitutional right to
do so, to shed light on it. But
apparently Black people that
take a stand on Black issues do
not have the same rights.
Our
president,
in
an
unhinged tirade this past week,
asked his crowd of adoring
fans if they would, “love to
see one of these NFL owners,
when
somebody
disrespects
our flag… say, ‘Get that son
of a bitch off the field right
now ... He’s fired. He’s fired!’”
Coincidentally, Kaepernick is
unemployed despite, in many
people’s opinion, possessing
the necessary skills to remain
competitive
in
the
league.
Though some dispute this and
argue that he is not the player he
once was, many are questioning
whether he would be on the
field now had he not stuck
to his protest. One of those
people is ESPN host Jemele
Hill, who also came under fire
from the White House for her
words. In a series of tweets,
Hill professed that, “Donald
Trump is a white supremacist
who has largely surrounded
himself
w/
other
white
supremacists.”
In
response,
White House Press Secretary
Sarah Huckabee Sanders went
out and suggested that ESPN
should fire Hill. The president
also took to Twitter to demand
an apology. Conservatives all
over the country have vowed to
protest ESPN for its decision to
keep Hill.
This is the president that
doubled down on his support
for the white supremacists and
neo-Nazis that wreaked havoc
at a Klan rally in Charlottesville,
Va., this summer that led to the
death of an innocent counter-
protester. In defiance of his
own
advisers’
advice,
the
condemnation of racism from
leaders of his own party and
decades-old political norms,
he suggested that there were,
“some very fine people on both
sides.” Far-right commentators
also
rushed
condemn
the
violence, but insinuated that
white supremacists, too, have
First Amendment rights to
speech and assembly.
Are you sensing a pattern?
It
wouldn’t
matter
that
Hill, Kaepernick or any of the
many other Black dissenters
villainized in today’s society
are chastised, if those that
spout hatred and racism were
chastised too, specifically from
the President of the United
States. However, this isn’t the
case. The Constitution grants
freedom of speech as a right for
all, and the days of Black rights
being second-class rights are
over. Agree with our positions
or not, Black people still have
the right to have them — and
take a stand, or a knee.
To me, this is
bigger than
football and
it would be
selfish on my
part to look
the other
way. There
are bodies
in the street
and people
getting paid
leave and
getting away
with murder.
2017: Wake up, Michigan
SILAN FADLALLAH
MiC Contributor
The year is 1619. Colonists
in
Jamestown
referred
to
African slaves as n*****s.
The year is 2017. A white
male
refers
to
a
Black
University
of
Michigan
student as a n*****.
On
Sunday,
the
door
decorations of three Black
students
in
a
residential
hall were vandalized with
the
N-word
and
other
derogatory
racial
slurs.
The
administration
did
nothing but send out a vague
letter
acknowledging
what
happened and stating that
racism is not tolerated at
the
University.
Supposedly
a
police
investigation
is
being conducted, but almost
one
week
later
we
still
have nothing. No response.
No
concrete
information.
Nothing. The University has
done nothing but attempt
to calm us down and assure
us
that
they
are
“doing
everything possible” to find
out who vandalized the signs
in
West
Quad
Residence
Hall. Actions speak louder
than words, University of
Michigan. We want action. We
want names. We want change.
In
response
to
the
University’s lack of response,
students held a protest in
the
Michigan
Union
on
Thursday, starting at 7:30
p.m. Students rallied in the
Rogel Ballroom along with
CSG members and members of
the administration, Schlissel
included.
Black
students
shared their demands and
concerns
with
Schlissel
but, ultimately, nothing was
resolved.
Schlissel
had
to
leave for familial reasons that
seemed unclear.
Students
then
gathered
outside of the Union and
marched to Schlissel’s house.
White allies were used to
block
off
the
crosswalks
so
protesters
could
pass
through. A white male, who
clearly felt that his driving
through State Street was more
important than the safety of
our students, got out of his
car and started shouting at
the protesters. A Black male
argued back at him to which
the white male retorted and
called the student a n*****.
A fight broke out and the
police so kindly and too gently
escorted the white male away
from the scene.
The year is 2017.
When
will
our
society
understand that present time
is not 1619? That racism was
and will never be OK? That
the University of Michigan
should refrain from accepting
students
that
possess
the
audacity and ignorance that
allow them to make another
student feel unsafe in their
own home? Racism is not just
a Black people problem, nor
is it strictly a POC problem —
racism is everyone’s problem.
The privileges granted to an
individual as a result of their
identity should not mean that
they are permitted to turn
a blind eye to the countless
issues that plague our society.
Our student body can only
do so much. It is time for the
University
administration
to step up and give us the
justice we deserve. What the
University’s values deserve.
Stop
the
hate.
End
the
violence. Wake up, University
of Michigan.
If they are smart,
I am dumb; if
they are wealthy,
I am poor; if they
are the standard
of beauty, and I
am missing the
slender nose, the
straight blone hair
and the blue eyes,
what does it make
me?