Throughout the years, many civil rights movements have sparked political action amongst many communities that have unequivocally changed how we view society as a whole. But recently, the media focus has been drawn towards racial violence within the African-American community. With media highlighting the unfortunate aspects of life as a POC, like white on black violence or police brutality, this is a very common storyline that is constantly portrayed. Martin A. Berger explains how this is solely because many newspaper and magazine editors noticed that targeting the graphic realities of such communities had appealed more to the white reader, therefore lessening their anxieties. I strongly agree with Berger’s theory, mainly because of how big of a problem it is today. These communities have gone through years of oppression and were able to withstand some of the most difficult issues in history, just to be downplayed by media and seen as a marketing ploy. This constant narrative portrays these communities as weak and helpless, drawing the sympathy of millions, failing to highlight all the empowering and positive advancements within them. This is controversial because such images appeal more to white readers, which in turn results in heightened racial tensions because of how such touchy subjects are perceived by the black community. 

For society to continue advancing, we need to have a clear balance between the positive and negative. I believe mainstream media should highlight more positivity within minorities. By portraying only the negative, it sets a certain stigma around POC, that’s not necessarily appreciated.