How does the portrayal and representation of minorities in film influence our society?

Sociologists and many scientific data backup the concept of stereotypes, and show that many of the generalizations may lead to an idea known as self fulfilling prophecies. The concept is built around the fact that when certain behavior or situation correlate to making a person believe that a stereotype or a preconditioned idea is reinforced by very anecdotal evidence, when in reality the empirical data points otherwise. This is why I believe that Film is so important, especially impacting to younger ages where kids can't yet differentiate between fantasy and reality. This is why It is very important to keep in mind the impact of cinema and media in general, as if we portray a certain minority or group of people in a certain way it can reinforce their preconditioned ideas of this group and cause discrimination in mass. Such is the case in D.W Griffith's, birth of a nation 1912. Where the film portrayed african americans as rapists and with a very negative connotation, and presenting the then abandoned KKK. This movie caused so much patriotism that it actually revived the klu Klux Klan, and was accused of not only depicting the black race as savage but also ingraining that Idea in society, creating new societal standards. However this idea can also go both ways. As film is a reflection of our society, and how we portray groups and situations directly correlate with the moral and ethical societal standards that we have all come to accept as normal.

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