Television's imageable influences

by Camille O. Cosby

The worldwide influence of African-Americans as a major creative and economic force in Western popular culture is well documented. What is less understood is African-Americans' lack of participation in defining how their cultures and media images are projected. We live in an age when self-esteem is considered a prerequisite for success. How does it feel to view pervasive negative references to your culture on television? What impact would it have on your psyche to see your people constantly portrayed as "the devoted servant," "the chicken and watermelon eater," "the sexual superman," "the natural-born musician," or "the social delinquent," among many other derogatory images? Can we afford to tolerate such ignorance and indifference to the conscious denigration of African-American cultures or any other culture?