Chiamaka Korie

Dr. Wynne
ENG102
30 January 2016
Racial Stereotypes: Genre Analysis of a Photograph and Song
Racial stereotypes are looked upon as beliefs based off of someones race or culture.
Some of these beliefs may actually be fitting to who they are, but it can also be very
discomforting to many people. Nowadays, people still tend to promote these beliefs and
conclude that certain races fit the generalization. Thus, this can cause many people to feel
offended or feel low about themselves. For this reason, it is best to not generalize anybody to
allow all races to at least feel equal from racial stereotyping. This can reduce the distress that
different races and cultures feel from being stereotyped.
There are many genres that could support this topic. The two genres that strongly suited
the views on racial stereotypes are Racial Stereotypes, which are photographs taken by a blogger
on Tumblr, and Nigger Hatin Me, a song created by Johnny Rebel. Through these genres it is
likely to view how racial stereotypes are ignorant and can have an effect on different races and
cultures.
Audience and Purpose
The destined audience for the photographs are to people who believe that the specific
stereotypes illustrated in the photographs are true, and also to the specific races and cultures who
are affected by the stereotypes. The purpose of the photographs are to gain awareness from
people who may have had similar generalizations said to them. Another purpose is to get people
to understand that these racial stereotypes are hurtful and may be affecting the people being

generalized. The audience is more likely to know that some of these racial stereotypes are not
completely true, and may want to know how these generalizations may affect people. From this
genre, it would take approximately one minute to view the photographs and read the signs in
each of persons hands to understand the information being portrayed.
When it comes to the song, the destined audience is to people who hate African
Americans and also was intended for the African Americans to hear as well. The purpose of the
song is to entertain people who hate blacks and to get those people to continue to go against the
race based off of the lyrics that intentionally was stated for whites. The audience is more likely to
know that the song is disrespectful and full of harsh generalizations towards blacks. Through this
type of genre, it would take about three minutes to listen to the song and understand the message
being put out.
By viewing the photograph and/or listening to the song, the audience will learn that racial
stereotypes are very common and many people actually belief that they are true. The audience
may also learn that even though some of the generalizations may in fact be somewhat fitting, it
can still make those different races and cultures to feel uncomfortable or low about themselves
based off of the category they are put into.
Rhetorical Issues: Ethos, Logos and Pathos
The photographs helped establish the informations ethos by collaging photos of nine
different people from different races and cultures holding signs that illustrated what they have
been generalized with. The different types of races and cultures in the photograph showed
Mexicans, African Americans, Muslims, Caucasians, and Asians. Also, each sign used a pronoun
to show each persons personal view. The photographs portray pathos by having people with sad

faces and signs stating the racial stereotype that people believe are true about them, which
evokes sadness but fits the purpose of the photographs because racial stereotypes arent
something to smile about. For example, one of the individuals in the photograph is holding a sign
that states Muslims are not all terrorists, he also has a frown on his face. This shows how
people generalize all Muslims to be seen as terrorists.
The song helped establish the informations ethos through Johnny Rebel singing the song.
Johnny Rebel is an actual KKK member, which signifies that he specifically has a hate towards
blacks. The song illustrates pathos by having a few hurtful lyrics that would make black people
angry, which fits the purpose since it was meant to be a racial song. For example, A man named
King, and there ain't no doubt That he's causin' lots of trouble with his baboon mouth were one
of the hurtful lyrics from the song. Another example from the song lyrics stated Stick your
black head out and Ill blow it, which would evoke fear or anger from African Americans.
The similarities between the song and the photographs are that they both lack logos. The
difference between the two genres is that the song had a credible person who sung it, while the
photos were taken by an unknown tumblr blogger. The lack of logos affects both the song and
photographs because it will basically show that the stereotypes have no truth in them, which may
be a reason why it was left out of the photos.
Structure
The information in the photographs was shaped to make it easy for people to view the
photos and understand what the purpose of it was. The photographs had pictures of people of
different races and cultures with signs in their hands that stated the racial stereotype that
pertained to them. For example, one of the Mexicans in the photograph held a sign that said I

will not cut your grass. The photographs were in black in white which resembled equality for
races and skin color, also capital letters were used to emphasize on the meaning.
The information in the song were shaped to exaggerate the hate towards blacks. The song
had mentioned how the NAACP couldnt protect African Americans if white men sticked with
him. The song also used slang (i.e brewin or hatin), which contributed because it showed
how white men used to speak during the time period. These elements contribute to the
photographs and song because it is simplified in a way to allow the information to be easier to
understand and interpret. They are both similar with hurtful stereotypes, but the difference was
that the song was crueler.
Style/Language
The language in the song was very informal and only appropriate to viewers who hate
blacks. Despite the language being informal, the message being portrayed is very easy to
understand. Throughout the song, the language used were terms to disrespect black people. A few
of the harsh terms used in the song was spook and jig-a-boo, which would be very
aggravating to the black viewers.
The language in the photographs were formal and appropriate to the viewers. Each
person held signs that started with pronouns. For example, the variety of terms used in the signs
was I, Were, My, and Ill, which showed how each of the signs was personally stated. The
similarities between the song and the photographs are that they both illustrate racial stereotypes.
The difference is that, the song only has its racial stereotype towards black people.
Conclusion

In conclusion, both of the genres lack evidence to prove that the information is in fact
reliable. The photographs provided pictures of people from different races and cultures holding
signs that portrayed their personal view on what they have been generalized with. The song
provided lyrics that were very rude and blunt that would aggravate African Americans if they
listened it, but would entertain people who have hate towards them. Even though both genres
lacked evidence, the song was the most effective in conveying its message on how racial
stereotype beliefs can be very rude and hurtful to African Americans. The song contained many
rude names and sayings that were used towards blacks back in the day, and some of the sayings
are still used til this day. The impact of the photographs and song were mainly to portray how
racial stereotypes can be hurtful to people of different races and cultures.

Works Cited
Racial Stereotypes (n.d.) [Photograph]. Retrieved from http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/racialstereotypes
Rebel, J. (1966). Nigger Hatin Me. On For Segregationists Only [CD]. Moss Bluff, LA: Flyright
Records.