Positive and Negative portrayals of Race, Ethnicity and Colour in the media.

Dear White People

Dear White People can be argued to be both a positive and negative representation on race and colour in the media.

Dear White People is a film made in 2014 about the stereotypes made of black people in America. As seen in Trailer One the group of black people are questioning a cinema employee as to why films shown only show "Black people dying in the past and black people dying in the present". The language the characters use and the slang are that of what is stereotyped to be used by black americans like at 00:40 - 00:47 when the group reacts to Two Chainz being in a film. This bring humour to the film as the film explores racial identity in acutely-not-post-racial America while weaving a universal story of forging ones unique path in the world. I think this film is a positive representation of race etc to an extent because of the comedy used and the blatant intent of stereotyping. I know this because I went and saw this film in cinema with a friend and being one of the five/six white people in the cinema i noticed that the films intent and stereotyping was seen as comical to everyone in the theatre thus proving its intent was not to be racist but to make fun of white people for stereotyping certain words or body gestures to black people not only in America but in England too.

In Trailer Two the first half shows a young girl speaking over a radio intercom with a show called 'Dear White People' and she lists off the different things that white people do that she deems racist. These include:

1. "The minimum requirement of black friends in order to not look racist has been raised to two. Sorry but your weed man Tyrone doesn't count"
2. "Touching guys affro is annoying. This isn't a petting zoo"
3. "Dating a black guy to p*ss off your parents is a form of racism"

These assumptions and accusations can be seen as humorous as they're clearly intended to be humorous. The assumption that white people immediately touch a black persons affro is a stereotype as well s the stereotype of a persons dealer being black and called Tyrone.

There is also the quote "Black people can't be racist. Prejudice yes, but not racist. Racism describes a system of disadvantage based on race. Black people can't be racist since we don't stand to benefit from such a system."