Black Ratings Advisory (BRA) was designed specifically for evaluating Hollywood movies and television shows. For years, the media’s constant negative stories involving drug abuse, gang activity, crime, unwed pregnancies, .
and an increasing high school dropout rate in African-American inner city communities all over the country has contributed to negative stereotypes about African-Americans. Statistics are created, manipulated, and thrown around to fit negative stereotypes and perceptions of young African-American males in particular. The BRA wants to document and point out how the stereotypes are created by the media outlets. The BRA seeks to point out the importance of the media when it comes to the socialization of young African-Americans. African-Americans have always had concerns with stereotypes, yet the media has mismanaged and twisted these stereotypes into a ghetto mentality and pushed it to the forefront of the African-American community. The BRA consists of 4 descriptors that focus on the work’s implications for African -Americans, their cultural identity, and their image.
GL-(GREEN LIGHT): The majority of programming has positive images and characters throughout the whole movie or show. These are so named because all Black characters are smart and affectionate and in no way offensive to Black people. The Black characters are appropriate for all Blacks, especially Black children. These images and characters can be deemed as positive role models for Black youth. They are valuable members and contributors to society: doctors, lawyers, educators, business people, etc. who use formal speech patterns and avoid common ghetto slang. These shows do not contain stereotypical Black characters, such as criminals, and it avoids debased attempts at entertainment such as coonery, buffoonery, exhibiting sex, nudity, crude humor, bad language and/or references to drug use. “GL” rated movies may contain one or two negative Black characters, but theirs’ are minor roles with no significance. There may also be some off-the-wall humor, so as to keep adults interested in the movie. Although this rating does not signify a program designed specifically for children, most parents may let younger children watch this program unattended. It contains little or no violence, no strong language and little or no sexual dialogue or situations. It does contain positive characters. This indicates that the characters are well developed professional characters with many dimensions. In addition to having a reputable social status, they are intelligent, hard working, educated, honest, caring, attractive, and exude qualities of honesty and dignity. The environment as well is positive—meaning the house or neighborhood the characters live in is a positive environment. No urban decay present. Some popular characters would be a show like the Cosby Show and the Huxtable family.
Y-(WHY): Blacks beware and question everything. This type of movie generally has non-threatening stereotypical Black characters. The movie intent is positive, but it promotes stereotypical attributes. Characters may have some positive qualities, jobs, home life, but the negative traits outweigh positive qualities. May have characters that are not that demeaning in job status or position but they perpetuate stereotypes in actions, or vice versa. And characters can have tremendous affect on kids. Examples would be a drug dealer who is seen as caring and giving, or even father figures who don’t spend time with their kids, the conniving lawyer, the inept doctor, police chief who cannot control the employees under their management. Other cautionary characters are single moms, sports stars, care takers and/or service providers such as maids or butlers. These are all characters that can be positive in their status or actions, but they are stereotyped nonchalantly. These will contain some adult material and situations, including bad language, brief nudity, sexual references or overtones, and could also contain some drug usage or moderate violence. The violence is minimal or done out of necessity and the violence may be prototypical, but it fits the story line. Some popular characters would be Under Cover Brother, JJ Evans (or any other character) from Good Times, or the Fat Boys in Disorderlies. Movies include some of the black gangster movies, such as Lawrence Fishburne in Hoodlum, as well as some of the Lethal Weapon movies.
X-(X-RATED): Much of the material is very degrading to Blacks; characters exhibit little or no positive traits; actions are inappropriate for young Blacks or impressionable minds. Most of the material has STEREOTYPICAL & PROTOTYPICAL characters or events. Mammies, Jezebels, criminals, gangsters, thugs, uneducated, obnoxious loud and rude athlete or secretary, greedy entertainment mogul, money-hungry rapper or singer, putting down each other, short tempered, defensive demeanor, womanizer, money and fame hungry, goofy, lazy, ignorant, domestic workers, pimps, maids, victims, complaining race baiters, crooked politicians, crooked cops, non-supportive spouse, comedian, dancing, overweight, single mother, absent father.
Some of the deviate behavior is Blacks treating other Blacks badly. Eg: DEGRADING BLACK WOMEN —much of rap music portrays Black women in negative images. The hip-hop culture views all women, but mostly Black women, as sex objects. Most hip-hop videos show women dancing or displayed in explicit sexual poses, clothed in bikinis (or less), with the focus on their body parts. The images go hand in hand with the explicit language that suggests women are nothing more than sex objects or money-generating commodities. Since racial jokes exist to minimize racism, this rating may include crude, suggestive humor, mild fantasy violence, or content considered too scary or controversial to be shown to children under ten.
Many of these movies are billed as “Black” movies and present a sub-conscious message such as the Barber Shop movies, where the “coolest” or the “sexiest” characters are thugs or convicts and the “obnoxious” characters are the “educated”.
D-(DANGER): Danger rating is the extreme. Nothing is hidden; all characters and the theme of the movie are very negative toward Blacks. The only Blacks in the movie are negative and many characters are unnecessary, only to serve the purpose of stereotyping Blacks, eg.: the movie Road. The first Black speaking character in this movie steals everything from the main characters. And the second and last Black speaking character shoots the main character for no reason, and the main character shoots and kills the second Black character while his white woman holds him. Two stereotypes are shown: that Blacks are criminals and Black men only want white women. Also D rated movies have noticeably ghetto-theme characters, whether speaking or acting or an entire movie dedicated to a ghetto-theme, with elements in this program or movie specifically designed to portray Blacks as having a ghetto mentality. These shows may or may not be appropriate for some children under the age of 17.
Danger rated content: uneducated, excessive use of broken English or ‘Ebonics’, extreme violence, crazy African dictators, irresponsible, lewd-sexual characters, lusting over the opposite sex, playing loud rap music, from exceedingly ‘tricked out’ cars featuring large rims and hydraulics, abusive, mentally ill, poverty stricken, urban decay, unemployment, drug addicted, verbally abusive mother, gang activity, pathological liar, crack head ,absentee parent, inhumane, selfish, greedy, ignorant mentality, emotionally unstable, chip on the shoulder, in power position of authority but can’t do the job or think own his or her own. They have no manners and no ethics. Examples of these types of movies are Menace to Society, Boys in the Hood, etc., characters such Flava Flav, Little Kim, etc. Examples of women characters that act a certain way are Mrs. Barrett, from Lean On Me, the mother of Daddy’s Little Girls and anything else that particular actress does. This is not limited to having a “Black Attitude.” Consider the two star characters of BAPS. There is nothing positive about Blacks from the characters to the environment. Even beyond the Black characters, the theme of such a program may contain extreme graphic violence, strong profanity, overtly sexual dialogue, very coarse language, nudity and/or strong sexual content.
NO BLACK CHARACTER AT ALL.
Popularity: 1% [?]
