Binary Representation

In Barker's article, "Ethnicity, Race, and Nation", he discusses the contradictory nature of representation of race. In media, minorities are often "characterized as at the poles of criminality and middle-class success." Images we see are usually opposing and confusing...their identities are usually either "good/bad, civilized/primitive, ugle/excessively attractive, repelling-because-different/compelling-because-strange-and-exotic."

After reading that section I immediately thought of the binary messages on TV news stations, where there are two extremes: the clean cut, very attractive African-American anchor (who is usually very fair-skinned) while the actual news coverage is often laced with subtle racist themes. Black subjects in the news are usually criminal or deviant, but are often simultaneously juxtaposed with the image of the successful Black newscaster.

Perhaps this conveys the message that the majority of African Americans have the ability to be as successful and assimilated as the one or two black newscasters, but instead choose to be involved in unacceptable criminal activity. It completely ignores the complications of economic and social hindrances to financial success.