How Modern Media Images Challenge Racial Stereotypes and Redefine Black Identity Term Paper

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When white explorers first encountered the Great Zimbabwe, they were convinced that the massive stone structures were built by a vanished race of white people since Africans were widely regarded as being incapable of creating these impressive buildings. More recent scholarship, however, has dispelled these misperceptions but the harsh reality remains that the African American community is still widely regarded by many people of other races as somehow inferior, and these misperceptions have sustained and even exacerbated longstanding racially based animosities. The recent motion picture, “Black Panther,” though, challenges these stereotypes and recasts the black protagonist as a legitimate superhero on the same caliber as other notable comic figures such as Batman and the Green Arrow, two other major characters that did not have superpowers but rather relied upon their own natural abilities. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the manner in which an exclusively black kingdom that is both technologically modern as well as aesthetically African to extrapolate how the future can be reimaged from an African-centered perspective. Finally, a summary of the research and important findings concerning these issues are provided in the paper’s conclusion.

Review and Analysis

Black Panther is the first mega-budget fictional superhero movie with a predominantly black cast, causing it to fill a lacuna in international cinema--the absence or stereotyped portrayal of Africans and their continent in international cinema. According to one media analyst, “[Black Panther] was te eighteenth movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe released on February 16, 2018, as the entertainment industry is wrestling with its toxic treatment of women and persons of color and it was regarded as overdue" (Aiyesimoju, 2018, p. 96). In sum, “Black Panther” depicts an African kingdom that is not only scientifically progressive, it is also generous and willing to share its knowledge with the rest of the world for the betterment of all humankind. To their credit, the cast and director of “Black Panther” succeeded in creating this alternative yet completely feasible scenario by drawing on what Aiyesimoju (2018) describes as “elements of a variety of deep African heroic cultures” that “climax with the Afro-complementary gesture of T'Challa sharing the resources and technology of Wakanda with the rest of the world” (p. 97).

In other words, “Black Panther” is effective in helping both black and white people re-imagine a future that is fundamentally different but far better because of it. In this regard, Aiyesimoju (2018) concludes that in the movie, “The action symbolizes healthy global interaction without undermining national and continental sovereignty and individuality . . . emphasizing Africa's uniqueness” (p. 97). By placing the action in an exclusively African kingdom that enjoys the same level of modernity and scientific achievements as developed nations around the world, “Black Panther” forces viewers to re-imagine a future in which equality is the status quo and where longstanding negative stereotypes no longer influence the manner in which blacks are regarded by others as well as by black people themselves. Notwithstanding the growing body of research that has discredited even the concept of race as a myth (Shea, 2018), it is reasonable to suggest that most laypersons understand race of relating to the continent where an individual’s parents were born (Shea, 2018).

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Since race has long been used as a way to distinguish the majority from the minority in most civilizations, it is little wonder that these factors have also affected how people view others and themselves as well as their behaviors. For instance, according to Markus, “Race and ethnicity influence identity and behavior in a wide range of ways, and this influence depends on the majority or minority status of the group with which one is associated, and how others see this group, and with…

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…the years, most white Americans can probably only cite Booker T. Washington’s seminal work as a prominent example.

Nevertheless, African Americans have become increasingly visible in STEM-related fields, with astrophysicist and television personality Neil deGrasse Tyson representing just one among a growing number. In fact, there have been 14 African American astronauts, including women and those who died in the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster in 2003. In essence, times are changing slowly but surely, and increasing numbers of African Americans are pursuing professional careers, many of them in STEM-related fields. The pace of change, however, is painfully slow when compared to the rapidly growing numbers of whites and Asians employed in these career fields.

By helping all Americans re-imagine the future from an African/black-centered perspective, motion pictures such as “Black Panther” can help raise awareness of the rich cultural aspects of the African continent as well as empowering young black people to pursue careers in STEM fields that have traditionally been dominated by whites. In other words, “Black Panther” has helped continue a self-fulfilling prophecy concerning a better future for black people everywhere, an outcome that would benefit all humankind in the process.

Conclusion

Although the “city of the future” that is depicted in “Black Panther” may not be just around the corner, many of the other innovations used in the movie had their basis in real-world existing technologies that will continue to improve in the future. Creating a better world through technology is certainly not a new idea, but the need has become far greater than in the past when the globe’s very survival depending on humankind’s ability to respond to the peak oil crisis and global warming which threatens countries around the world. For most fans of “Black Panther,” it is reasonable to conclude that they hope that the world of the future is a meritocracy….....

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