Ellen HaProfessor Ellen ScottMEDST 145April 10, 2014Negative impact of African American stereotypical portrayals on televisionIntroductionHow has media portrayal of African Americans affected the way society views them perceive as a whole? “…negative exposure to African American portrayals in the media significantly influences the evaluation of African Americans in general” (Punyanunt-Carter 242). My research question focuses on the general public's view of African Americans as individuals and as a minority. Mass media is a vital source of information that contributes to the public's perception of African Americans, their roles and personalities. According to several scholars and my own perspective, I believe that the representation of African Americans has been one-dimensional, negative, and distorted; undoubtedly, the stereotypical portrayal of African Americans has contributed to racial prejudice and assumptions. In my opinion, I feel like the negative portrayals outweigh the positive portrayals. My father was a Korean citizen who immigrated to New York in 1983. He moved to New York to start a business. The company he started was mostly staffed by other Koreans and their contacts were also all of Korean descent. He rarely had direct contact with African Americans. I thought it would be interesting to know his views on African Americans when he first arrived in the United States and how they were portrayed on television. This interview took place at a coffee shop located in Bayside, Queens. The interview began at 7:51 p.m. EST and ended at 8:07 p.m. EST on April 3, 2014. Transcript of Interview with Joseph HaInterviewer: Ellen Ha (EH)Interviewee: Joseph Ha (JH)EH: Hello dad. Are you reading... middle of paper ...... knowledge is not accessible to an individual, like the language barrier or the rare interactions with each other, television provides to the society of images that influence and shape their perceptions. The higher the exposure, the more likely people are to remember what they saw and apply it to their lives and daily scenarios. Bill Cosby said in 1994 that black people in the media tended to be "threatening, disorderly, rebellious, disrespectful, buffoonish, sexual, immoral, desperate, untrained, uneducated, and loud" (Punyanunt-Carter 243). He concluded that most black roles were negative and stereotypical. These harmful portrayals that do not shed a positive light on African Americans often focus on reaffirming harmful racial stereotypes. When the interviewee was asked which famous African Americans she remembered from television, she mentioned Michael Jackson and Eddie Murphy..