Problem People Stories

When we look at the way that people of color are represented in the media, we often see what is referred to as ‘problem people stories”–stories that position people of color as the cause of society’s–and their own–problems.  What does this look like, Guliani, on this week’s Meet the Press is textbook:

Two fun facts: first,  most homicide is perpetrated within race–black people are most likely to kill black people and white people are most like to kill white people, and second, the unrest in Ferguson is because a white Police Officer did the killing.  no amount of focus on black on black crime would have prevented that.

Every life matters, and every killer should be held accountable.  When the killer is retained by the state to act as an authority, they deserve to be held at a higher level of accountability.

Oh, and I have an open seat in class for you, Guliani:  you clearly need to be schooled.

Author: Susan X Jane

Susan X Jane is a diversity educator, speaker, and trainer and coach. A former professor and media literacy activist, she now consults with organizations looking to make sense of our current cultural shift. She thinks a lot about media and race…a lot...and writes and speaks about media…and race... and encourages everyone she meets to think about the way our identity shapes our experiences, ideas, and beliefs about the world. If you're reading this, she wants you to think about it too. Want to talk about it? Let's go. View all posts by Susan X Jane