Why are black people always sterotyped to be muggers or drug dealers?

Answer 1

Because we live in a racist society.

Answer 2

statistics, institutionalized racism; whatever - the reality is that the majority of blacks live in areas of such econimc depression that they have little choice. It has happened to other ethnic groups before the jews, irish and the italians.

After the emergence of Blacks from behind the curtain of racism that had covered and blanked out their place/position in US society for so long; they were a readymade bogieman for the mainstream media and holywood.

The only problem as I see it now is the gradual ghettoization (my word) of Afro-American where you see kids openly idolizing and worshipping thugs and dealers. It's no longer cool or safe to want to go to school and learn, now you join a gang or else. THat's the easiest and quickest way to make that paper. I've got friends/family who live and work adn also grew up in the ghetto. Talking to them and the choices facing them and their kids - their aren't too many positive ones available.

It's a very complex problem that can't be adequately tackled here. It's a deep societal problem that even now may be too late to curb.

Answer 3

Stereotypes are often use to excuse or justify discriminatory behaviour. Authors have used them for centuries, to easily and quickly connect an audience with their story. Shakespeare's Shylock is such a character, playing on the prejudice against Jews during Elizabethan times.
Stereotypes are instantly recognizable and that means that they are very useful in producing effective advertising and situation comedy. That also means they won't be going away any time soon.
You need to take charge of the media and by doing that, the images portrayed. Don't like how your group is portrayed in a series or film? Organize a boycott.

Answer 4

they shouldn't be this is just racist prejudiced - i am sure there is a pretty equal amount of blacks and whites that are muggers and drug dealers - but I also agree with another poster lets see some positive black role models - not just athletes and musicians but real people.
Lets start listening to people not looking at their skin or their body, but at the person within.

Answer 5

there not,that is what you want you want to believe,it is a negative thought,a question like that will only fuel your believe,get over it no one is against the blacks,just keeping it real wake up and smell the coffee it aint like that,yes there a lot of black drug dealers and muggers but probabley just as many whites,so who sterotypes them?

Answer 6

It really shocks me how some people use this site to express views that they probably would not dare to express in front of a person (of differing ethnic origin).

I personally don't think there is a general stereotyping, but I do think in areas where there are large communities of any ethnic group, which "generally" do fall in the poorer socio-economic groups then this is often synonomous with poverty driven crime. But poverty is across all groups.

Other stereotyping shows black people as athletes, singers etc, that all asians work all hours running cornershops; that all jewish communities have lots of money...none of which is substantiated.

I think you have to set out on a path to be the person you want to be and not let any form of stereotyping stop you from achieving. Just being a woman means fighting stereotyping all your life....but you can do it positively.

Answer 7

I've suffered three attempted muggings and all were by black people. I know many people that have been mugged by black people. I know one who was mugged by a white person. In Jamaca 50 white tourists are mugged a day and that's just in the Montego Bay area and Negril. Almost a hundred thousand black people a day are in the courts of USA for muggings. My black girlfriend was scared of black muggers, she tells me of areas in London where you are certain to get mugged by blacks at night. Perhaps there is some truth here.

Answer 8

Sterotypes don't just come out of no where, majority of the time it is true, for example: Indians stink, which they do they need to wear deodorant, and Asian people don't know how to drive which is also true, and the whole black people being muggers and drug dealers that is also true, not all but majority...

Answer 9

It depends what type of film it is. If it's an action movie, you'll see a lot of that. If it's Hotel Rwanda, you will see the reality of the atrocities juxtaposed with how nice black people can be. Don't complain too much about stereotyping, you don't want to put black actors out of a job, do you?

Answer 10

If this is the case then it needs to be looked at as to the reasons why the rate of jobless ness and lack of education is high if these were addressed then they would not need to comit theese crimes .Also most frauds are committed by white people but no one goes "you don't want to trust a whitey cause defraud you of your savings" I am white by the way Im just open the fact that stereotypes affect peoples lifes in drastic ways.

Answer 11

Not nesccessarily but there are a lot of films on the marlet depicting drug dealers as black...i.e. Friday, boy in da hood, trining day etc

this may have a bit of a link. Also a lot of drug importing is from countries such as columbia etc