Is this the Real World?

Minorities in reality television shows are either portrayed as someone perpetuating the stereotype or they debunk these notions by being perceived as a unique and cultured. It seems that more and more reality shows are made with the focus being to entertain the audience, and this may come as a sacrifice for the cast because it is up to the producer to decide how they want them to be perceived. There have been many occasions on television when African Americans are viewed as being loud, aggressive, and demanding but other times it seems that the producers focus more on the issue of race to promote a better understanding for the audience. One of the most popular reality shows is MTV’s The Real World and one of the most watched seasons was season 10: back to New York, which aired in 2001.

In this season the cast of seven strangers was one that was very diverse. It consisted of three people of mixed heritage, one African American, and two males and one female of Caucasian descent.  While in New York many of the cast members dealt with many dramatic moments including on screen romances, disagreements at their job at Arista records, and the issues that arose about race including interracial dating and the individual choices that each person made. Mike, a white male born in Parma, Ohio grew up in a predominately white middle class neighborhood and he was never really exposed to different races or ethnicities. His views about minorities were very stereotypical but this may have steamed from the portrayal of minorities in the media and influences from the people around him. His roommates saw his ignorance and some became angry while others took this opportunity to educate and try to change his perception. As the season went on, he grew a very strong bond with his cast mates and it seemed that his views changed and he no longer made these preconceived stereotypical notions about minorities; instead, he saw them in a different light.

During this season the topic of race was something that was constantly at the forefront and the center of this issue was Malik Cooper, a native to Berkley, California who is of mixed race with his mother being white and his father being African American. It seemed that because he is mixed his roommates automatically applied the one-drop rule and perceived him as being African American.  A couple of his roommates were critical of his actions because he dates white women but he is very knowledgeable and active when it comes to the black community. They were using these markers of authenticity to decide where exactly he belonged when it came to his race. He wore an Afro that connoted the idea of black power and he was interested in pursing music within the hip-hop genre, which also credited his authenticity. His roommates are constantly questioning his genuineness as a black man because his life goes beyond those stereotypical roles. He was one of the first of his friends and family to attend college and it was at the prestigious University of California Berkley, which discredited the views of his white roommate Mike who believed that blacks weren’t intelligent. Many of his roommates tried to associate his life with being an “authentic” black man but he is portrayed as being a unique person of mixed race who is intelligent and one that upholds his black and white culture.

-Danielle Hicks