Stuart Hall (1981) - Stereotypes of Black People

• Stuart Hall (1981) supports the Neo-Marxist View of how social groups who are are seen as threatening to white middle-class males are marginalised
• Stuart Hall supports the Neo-Marxist View of how social groups who are are seen as threatening to white middle-class males are marginalised in 1981
• Stuart Hall (1981) argued that the media operated with what he defined as 3 overriding stereotypes of Black people:

  • The Native
  • The Clown or Entertainer
  • The Slave
• Stuart Hall (1981) argued the 1st Stereotype of Black People in the media was 'The Native':

  • The Native is seen as offering dignity & savagery and always appear in anonymous masses, contrasting with the solitary white hero (Indian Jones and the Temple of Doom, where the Indian villagers are portrayed as a homogenous, anonymous group - either in need of rescue or depicted as exotic
• Stuart Hall (1981) argued the 2nd Stereotype of Black People in the media was 'The Clown or Entertainer':

  • The Clown or Entertainer is seen as expressive, emotional and stupid (Kevin Hart's characters in Central Intelligence)
• Stuart Hall (1981) argued the 3rd Stereotype of Black People in the media was 'The Slave':

  • The Slave figure is seen as devoted & childlike but also cunning, untrustworthy and maybe mocking (Stephen in Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained (2012) - Stephen, played by Samuel L. Jackson, is a Black house slave who is fiercely loyal to his white master, often acting in a childlike and submissive manner but at the same time, he is portrayed as manipulative, cunning, and untrustworthy, working behind the scenes to maintain his own position of power in the household)
• Stuart Hall (1981) argued that the stereotypes are evident in contemporary representations of black people & other ethnic minority groups which creates an unconscious racism in that they typically portray black people as the 'source' of the problems that politicians and others seek to resolve
• Stuart Hall (1981) argued that representations of conflicts between members of ethnic minority groups and the police reflect the dominant ideology - For example, 1981 Brixton Riots were sparked by long-standing tensions between the Black community in Brixton and the Metropolitan Police - A key factor was the use of 'Stop and Search' powers under the Sus Laws, which disproportionately targeted Black people, leading to feelings of oppression and discrimination (but the media targeted the black community, reinforcing the hegemony)