The Representation-Production of Blacks On COPS

This major research paper is an examination of Black suspects on the crime reality television program known as COPS. This major research paper is a content analysis of COPS and the potential societal effects this may cause. The analysis shows that COPS over-represents Whites as police officers and Blacks as criminal suspects in comparison to labor and criminal statistics. The selected pieces of literature suggest that crime reality texts like COPS reinforce racist views and the so-called police racism. Citizens live in a mental environment filled with myths and understandings of the world around them. This major research paper focuses on the myth of Blacks and crime. The study is based on the idea that Blacks are overrepresented on COPS as criminal suspects perpetuating the Black Criminal stereotype, justifying controversial policing practices such as racial profiling, supports and disseminates a law and order/crime control ideology, and makes Black individuals' presence in particular spaces socially unacceptable. The Black criminal stereotype is perpetuated on COPS through the over-proportionate representation of Blacks as criminal suspects. This constructs the idea that Blacks are responsible for the majority of crime because of a supposed biological inferiority to the White race. How audiences are likely to interpret the imagery on COPS is examined through the lenses of George Gerbner (1988; 1976) and Stuart Hall (2013; 1972). The violence disseminated on COPS makes viewers believe the world is more dangerous than it actually is, experience heightened levels of racism, and support law and order/crime control policies and policing. The actuality, but as info-tainment (Information-entertainment). Along with very seamless editing, COPS footage appears very realistic. The stereotypical showcase of young Black males committing street crimes works to normalize the realistic appearing content, which acts as a tool to reproduce a racial hierarchy, social order, and white domination. This is shown through multiple content analyses of COPS. The bu This has the potential to have a number of implications of viewers supporting crime control polices such as stop and frisk and racial profiling. The constant appearance of Blacks as guilty criminal suspects, has given rise to nation wide Suspicion of Blacks males and the enacting of racist legislation designed to deal with the Black threat. The enactment of Castle Doctrines serve as an example of the racial tensions that have been amplified in the United States.¹ The case of Trayvon Martin is discussed in relation to Michel Foucault's disciplinary and biopower and criminalization of the black body and concludes with a discussion of Caucasian perceptions of Black space. ______________________ ¹ Castle Doctrines and 'stand-your-ground' laws are legal defenses for individuals charged with criminal homicide. A Castle Doctrine empowers an individual to use reasonable force, including deadly force to defend their respective person, or others. Stand-your-ground laws allow individuals to use reasonable force, including deadly force for purposes of self-defense, or where there is reasonable belief of a threat. Stand-your-ground laws do not require individuals to retreat inside of their premise thus allowing individuals to use deadly force in public environments when there is reasonable belief of threat.