Examining Portrayals of Race in the Media

Assignment

1. Find any media message, a printed message, a news episode, a television show, an image of a protest sign, a billboard, a speech, a song, a book... literally ANY public message that is out in the world that you feel is commen!ng on, or making a statement about, or has to do, in any way, with race and our current moment.
2. In the Discussion below post an image or provide a link to the media message you have chosen along with your deconstruc!on of the media message you have chosen to deconstruct.
3. Use the 5 Key Ques!ons to frame your deconstruc!on, however, please include the following ques!ons in your analysis:
   • Who is the “target audience”? What is their age, ethnicity, class, profession, interests, etc.? What words, images or sounds suggest this?
   • What is the “text” of the message? (What we actually see and/or hear: wri"en or spoken words, photos, drawings, logos, design, music, sounds, etc.)
   • What is the “subtext” of the message? (What do you think is the hidden or unstated meaning?) What kind of lifestyle is presented? Is it glamorized? How?
   • What values are expressed?
   • What posi!ve messages are presented? What nega!ve messages are presented?
   • What groups of people does this message empower? What groups does it disempower? How does this serve the media maker's interests?
   • What part of the story is not being told? How and where could you get more informa!on about the untold stories?

Media Deconstruction

Keef Knight is a black cartoonist living a life that is aware of racial inequities but held a naive belief "that it just wouldn't happen to him." The first 10 minutes of the episode show Keef moving through life, encountering many forms of unconscious bias. This comes to a head while hanging a flyer for an upcoming comic book release. Keef is knocked to the ground by police and arrested at gunpoint for matching a mugger's profile, a six-foot black male. This trauma awakens and challenges Keef to fully acknowledge and choices surrounding the racial disparities he lives with daily.

1. Who created this message?

   Woke is an American comedy television series co-created by Keith Knight and Marshall Todd and starring Lamorne Morris. The series premiered on Hulu on September 9, 2020. On November 17, 2020, Hulu renewed the series for a second season (Wikipedia).

2. Which techniques are used to attract my attention?

   A colorful modern episode poster draws viewers into the TV-Series. The show is also labeled as a comedy, so those liking comedies might be enticed to watch.

   From Hulu

   TVMA • Comedy • Animation • Black Stories • TV Series • 2020

   Inspired by the life and work of artist Keith Knight, the comedy series WOKE takes an absurdly irreverent look at identity and culture as it follows Keef, an African-American cartoonist finally on the verge of mainstream success when an unexpected incident changes everything. With a fresh outlook on the world around him, Keef must now navigate the new voices and ideas that confront and challenge him, all without setting aflame everything he’s already built.

3. How might different people interpret this message?

   Reviewing the comments thread on IMDB reveals the target audience is up for question. If the intended audience is those unfamiliar with the issues addressed in the first episode, then it is heavy-handed, biased, and out of touch with reality. Then a split happens amongst those familiar with the topics. It either saddens viewers or meets them with a sense of agreement with the issues.

   As I was rewatching Season 1, Episode 1, I felt the "text" of the message was not hidden and was presented on the surface level; such as these are the issues.

   Some issues raised:

   • Unconscious bias (02:21)
     In a conversation on public transit about Keef's comic strip, a passengers states, "You know, it's funny, I didn't think you'd be... tall." It was implied the passenger wanted to say black.
   • Police brutality (08:52)
     While Keef is hanging a bill for an upcoming comic convention, the SFPD knock his headphones off at gunpoint, force Keef to the ground, arrest him, then release him (no apology) for mistaken identity (6-foot black male). I find this very relatable as I was falsely arrested in my home while sleeping because the police arrived at the wrong address!
   • Social inequities (09:13)
     One of many, but while Keef is being falsely arrested at gunpoint, his white friend, Gunther, runs up to the police yelling, and poking at the SFPD, with zero consequence.
   • Stereotypes (10:24, 15:52, 18:36, 28:33... )
     Following the assault incurred by the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD), Keef enters into a PTSD-induced state. He sees and hears inanimate objects (40oz of beer, trashcans, a pen) talking to him in African-American Vernacular English (AAVE). This occurs throughout the episode(s). Many more stereotypes are layered into each character, including false identities placed on Keef's friend Clovis. Keef later states this during a mental breakdown, "Just because my friend is African-American and wears Jordans does not make him a pro-athlete." We then see Clovis's date stand up and leave.
   • Whitewashing (1:06, 12:23)
     Begining early in a meeting with white advertising executives, and later picks up during the syndication of Keef's comic book. When looking through the marketing materials, Keef notices his image for the book jacket and speaking tour had been lightened. Keef says, "Am I too black for my own comic book?" The ad executives stumble on the question and bring up a 95% "cross-over" index, referring to white relatedness. The first executive says, "We don't see color..." while the second executive says, "No one's gonna ever accuse you of being too black, okay..." followed by, "Racial stuff, huh?" in an uncomfortable tone.
   • Gentrification & Appropriation (13:55)
     After the ad exec meeting Keef is looking for comfort and heads to a friend... Darnells' Barbershop. When arriving Keef enters finds the shop remains the same but Darnell has been replaced by white-bearded hipsters. The shopkeeper explains how they kept all aspects of black culture, Ebony & Jet magazines, memorabilia, Hennessy, and even the name, but got rid of Darnell.

   That's a lot to raise in the first episode, and there are probably more, and why it has such varied reviews in the threads. The episode is showing lived experiences of some and is not relatable to all or even uncomfortable for those who have lived similar experiences. The opening Headline of the episode states:

   "Inspired by one experience... shared by many."

   The subtext of the message was challenging assumptions. The main character, Keef Knight, does not conform to media stereotypes of a black male. Other characters also blend and defy media stereotypes. The sets are intentionally set, with what seems to be the ever-present dominant white cultural influences that Keef lives in. The soundtrack represented several musical styles, filling the moods of the script.

4. Which lifestyles, values, and points of view are represented -- or missing?

   Many lifestyles are represented in the episode, it is not singularly focused. The setting is urban. The main character, Keef Knight, is portrayed as a successful black cartoonist in their 30s. Other characters include a successful "hustler", a "hippy" entrepreneur, a "BLM" activist, community organizers, advertising executives, the list can continue.

   It's a creative take on raising/challenging systemic issues. Early on (3:25), Keef Knight has a conversation in a comic book store where a fan explains how they really like how Keef's comics talk about race and color in America. Keef's response is, "Wow, that's the first time I heard that one." In a sense getting at the heart of Media Literacy and Media Deconstruction - a message is perceived differently by different viewers.

   Later in the episode (21:00), Keef is talking with friends and they are discussing the idea of "woke." As they break things down, Keef says, "I know this type of stuff happens all the time and I know this is gonna sound fucked up, but I just didn't think it would happen to me."

   Conversation then diverges into two points of view, what to do? Should Keef set it aside and continue living a successful life, allowing these newly realized inequalities to dominate and conform as usual; or should Keef speak up about the injustices felt. Both views will land on the viewing audience's ears differently and could be viewed in a positive light or negative light. Hence, America's current conversation.

   SPOILERS: More viewpoints are incorporated in later episodes, including the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD). This early interaction drives the storyline, as well as legal inequalities.

5. Why is this message being sent?

   Lamorne Morris - Eliminating Black Stereotypes Through “Woke”

   This message is being sent to directly raise the systemic issues in America, created before the events of 2020. Lamorne says, "You can't change something unless you're faced with it". The whole series is based in experiences of black, indigenous, and other people of color (BIPOC), and this point of view will seem foreign or inaccurate to those who have not experienced or choose not to validate these experiences.

   Trever Noah explains, "one of the major experiences of being a Black person is that even when you choose not to engage in the conversation around how Black people are treated, at some point you will be treated like a Black person... And at some point, the very Black nature of your skin means you are involved in something that you didn't choose to be involved in." Summarizing the base storyline of "Woke".