The Positive Image

It is often said that if you really want something done, then you must do it yourself. This is the case with the overall image of the black man. The black community has been repeatedly disturbed about the way black males have been viewed in the media. Therefore, they have took it upon themselves to show the true essence of the black through their own personal forms of media. Some of thes outlets consist of black newspapers and Black Enterprise. These media outlets show black men across the country that are well rounded, spiritualy grounded and have high morals and values. Although these men do not make up the majority of the race, they certainly have the potential to do so. This is accomplished through the well to do black men reaching out and helping their fellow brothers. The only issue with this form of media is that most of the time, its ownly viewed by black people. Once again , it is effort and hopefully in the near future their will be more innovative methods to restore the image of the black man back to its rightful place.

The Negative Image

For so long, black males in media have been depicted as being individuals who are in jail, materialistic, unloving, no appreciation for family, have no economic security, dont have the right to vote and have no voice at the table of understanding. Much of this is due to music video, the news, radio stations, press releases and records that record their mishaps such as divorce rates. Although a races of males suffer from of the similar cases, the media only highlights the obstacles and shortcomings of the black man. This is a real issue. If you take away the black mans image then you take away from what he has to offer. If he ever seeks employment, the boss will already have a formalized perception of him in some instances without really getiing to know who he is. As a result, he may not receive the job. This happens in many situations dealing with perception. For people that are from out of the country who have never interacted with a black man , except for seeing him on BET or the 5 pm news, they will automatically label a black man at first contact and then treat him accordingly. Image influences perception.

Black Men In Media

This blog was created to voice the opinions and concerns of those who are highly concerned about the overall plight of the black man. It is clearly understood that media shapes the way people think and is also a persuasion tool used to influence perception. For many years, there has been an upstanding and controversial argument over if these images presented ,reflect the black man in a positive or negative manner. There are many highly successful black men in America and throughout the world, however due to media influence, that same image has been tainted and black men are automatically stereotyped.It is the primary goal that this blog would explore the different ways in which the black man has contributed to society, how his image is presented and how his image can be restored.