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Erin Sullivan

Dr. McLaughlin

Multimedia Writing and Rhetoric

11 December 2015

Rhetorical Elements of Media in Dear White People

Released in 2014, Dear White People follows the lives of four black students attending a

predominantly white Ivy League university and the effect that this has on the way they live their

lives. As racial tension between the small black population and the whites build, a controversy

breaks out over a black- face party hosted by the white students. Furthermore, this movie

revolves around a talk show, also called “Dear White People”, which engages these racial issues

in a polarized way and remains as the focal point for which the result of the action unfolds. In her

talk show, Sam verbally attacks the racism of white people and attempts to break down their

stereotypical view of the average black person. Instead of reducing stereotypes, Sam merely

brings to light their existence on the Ivy League’s campus from pointing out white people’s

misuse of black people's lingo to their outrage of black people in power like President Obama.

The film crafts the show as an abrasive form of media that cultivates racial tension. Yet, Sam’s

talk show is not the only source of media which causes racial tension to rise to the surface in the

movie. Much of the racial tension addressed in Dear White People is illuminated by the film's

critique of multiple sources of media which perpetuate and disrupt stereotypes through the use of

cinematic strategies and character dialogue.

In the introduction of the movie, strong cinematic strategies emerge as a technique to

reveal media's inaccurate representations of various groups and their biased reporting of events

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in the news. Following the title sequence, audio recordings of black people from television cut in

and out including Jerry Springer’s infamous “you are not the father”, a clip about Shannon’s

crystal meth addiction and even women fighting and being bleeped out on television which

depict the stereotype of the average black person as combative, promiscuous druggies. This

pertains to the rhetoric of representation which is “a process through which we construct the

world around us…and make meaning from it” (Sturken 14). These media clips are not only a

representation of how black people are portrayed in the media but they also, in turn, embody how

media builds up people’s expectations of a certain group of people based on capturing the lives

of a small yet wild minority of an ethnic group. Media sources particularly focus on the crazier

people because they are entertaining, which is one critique of media for its narrow, inaccurate

portrayal of different races. As the opening sequence concludes, the movie opens to one of the

characters staring dumbfounded at the audience with the sound of a news channel delivering its

headline story which buzzes in the background. Through this technique, the movie “positions the

spectator as an active participate in making of meaning”, taking full advantage of the rhetoric of

audience (Benson 197). While bringing the audience into the movie as a character, this also

critiques media’s ability to awkwardly shine a spotlight on a certain group of people without

much notice. This pertains to the reality that media spends too much time calling people out to

blame especially when it comes to charged affairs like racial discrimination rather than

delivering the stone- cold facts of the reported events. Thus, media not only has its downfall in

maintaining a relatively partisan opinion as it reports events but it also portrays the entirety of

each ethnic group in an imprecise manner.

Character dialogue and cinematic strategies utilizing media foster the racial tension

present in the relatively segregated Ivy League institution and confirm the stereotypes of each

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community on campus. In Sam’s first radio show in the movie, a white male calls in and asks,

“what would you say if someone started a Dear Black People”. Sam coolly responds that there is

no need because “mass media from fox news to reality tv on VH1 makes it clear what white

people think of us”. While this is just one example of Sam’s condescending comments directed

at white people, it displays the rhetoric of her psychological power, “the power to shape the

thinking of other people” (Herrick 19). In this particular situation, Sam not only verifies that

television truly shapes people’s notions of other races, but she also critiques how media

particularly talk shows can unknowingly infiltrate and reshape people's views to correlate with

the host's opinions. Similarly, this racial tension surfaces as Helmut assumes that Coco is from

the hood based on his prior involvement with reality television when in actuality, she is a

“nosejob”, as Sam pegs her, “smooth black edges and tries to blend in” with the white majority

in order to be someone that others desire. Because she wants to be what others desire, she

reluctantly embraces the stereotypical black diva and transforms her talk show into one more like

“Dear White People” in order to impress Helmut and share in Sam's success. Thus, Coco exhibits

the rhetoric of personal power, “an avenue of success and personal advancement through training

the capacity to express oneself effectively” (Herrick 19). This personal power is one critique of

media in the sense that the only apparent goal of media is profit rather than to generate pure

bliss. Because of this, Coco faces an inner tension as she must choose between fame or societal

acceptance. Both Sam and Coco’s talk shows demonstrate how talk shows can powerfully yet

destructively influence people's opinions while at the same time, transforming the host into a

detached, power- seeking being.

Yet more than just talk shows, the cinematic strategies used to portray other mediums of

media are criticized for their extension of racial stereotypes in the cyber world. For instance, in

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the scene where Kurt read the Facebook invite, it is rhetorically ironic because as he describes

the stereotypically black person adorning an oversized t-shirt and chain, the three main black

characters are getting dressed in a way that strips away their blackness. For example, Coco is

adorned in a sparkly gold dress with a blonde wig and a very ghostly complexion as she

disguises herself as a white elitist. At the same time, the movie cuts to all the white people

decked out in their black garb. All the while, the Facebook invite utilizes black slang in order to

strongly express its point. Thus, the critique of Facebook lies in the fact that it is uncensored,

allowing a person like Kurt to post such a racially charged event description on a sight that

connects millions. This, in turn, can be used as a motivation to attract hundreds of students

across campus to partake in such an event by a single click of a button. Likewise, the phone

notifications add another dimension to the story as they help to reveal Sam’s character by

providing new information without explicitly saying it. Thus, each text or phone call denotes

something literal based on its context but it also has a connotation which requires the audience to

rely on “lived, felt knowledge” to decipher to true purpose of adding this element to the movie

(Sturken 19). While the words say one thing, they always mean more. Through context, the

audience finds out that Sam was at one point not really close to her father and feels guilty and

helpless now that he is sick, and she has lost so much time with him. Thus, media here criticizes

how cell phones can enable people to hide a part of their lives from others and only through

looking at their phone can their full story be revealed. With all sources of media, the critique lies

in the fact that media exhibits either one of the two extremes where it is either overshared with

the public or withheld too personally where it distances a person from others and their

surroundings.

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Avoiding either extremes, the conclusion of the movie balances the film's critique of

media, having a rational arrangement with a somewhat radical representation. When filming a

movie, a director must consider the rhetoric of arrangement, or rather “the planned ordering of a

message to achieve the greatest effect” (Herrick 14). Herrick came to conclude that the strongest

argument will “have the greatest impact on the audience if it is the last point to hear” (14). Like

he describes, the film saves the best for last as the concluding sequence exposes how this

supposedly fictional story is based on real- life black themed parties thrown at various

institutions throughout the United States in the past few years. Rather than having the critique of

media embedded in this scenario, the critique lies in the fact that the director acts contrary to

most films which expose their realistic nature at the beginning. In the beginning, this fact can

overpower the film and create a different mindset which leads to a different interpretation of the

film and the stereotypes in it. Thus, leaving this detail for the end can cause the viewer's mind to

form its own attitudes about the film. Along with the stark reality of these parties, these

newspaper articles also express how “the power of the image derives not only from its status as

photographic evidence but from its powerful evocation of the emotions of life’s struggles”

(Sturken 19). Thus, these newspaper article snippets serve as more than just evidence of racism’s

existence today, but it also arouses emotion from the audience. The critique of media comes

from the use of emotional appeal, which in turn, exaggerates stories and sometimes drags out

their details, almost falsely recounting them in order to perpetuate the stereotypes. Both the

arrangement and representation at the end of the movie critiques the media for not only

perpetuating stereotypes but disrupting them through the use of emotional appeal and the

alternative arrangement of the film.

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Not all the media utilized through the movie perpetuates stereotypes and fosters racial

tension. For instance, Sam’s movie which she films and eventually play for her class in the end

can take down the stereotypes. This is because Sam’s invitation provoked the emotions of the

black community and stimulated them to act upon their outrage in the form of crashing the party

and breaking it up. This clash of white and black people ultimately lead to police involvement

which exposed the black people themed party to news stations. These news stations blew this up

into a national issue, finally addressing the problem of racial tension and stereotypes in society

today which was Sam’s ultimate goal. In response, society wishes to dismantle these stereotypes

because they now understand the emotional response of black people when they feel inferior to

white people. Finally inciting change, her movie differed from her other methods as it cultivated

racial awareness in a productive way. After months of her talk show, Sam realized her antagonist

way was relatively ineffective since it did not seem to exceed the campus and that in order to

generate change, she must be less confrontation. By showing the real story, Sam shows that

media can be perpetuating if utilized in a constructive way.

From the critique of media, comes the central point that black people are not only the

minority, but they also truly feel like it at this predominantly white university. With the

exception of Sam's final movie, the sources of media only provide support that racial tension is

majorly fostered through these outlets as they embellish the various stereotypes especially for

those who may not come into contact much with other ethnic groups. Although this film focuses

on a single type of community, it can be interpreted that these stereotypes are perpetuated around

the world as sources of media have no geographically limit. Thus, an analysis of the film causes

the audience to question not only the structure of their own educational institutions and these

communities but also the role that media plays within them. Dear White People helps bring to

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light the problem of racism and stereotypes through critique of media using the rhetorical

analysis of the film's cinematic strategies and character dialogue. Understanding the

overpowering effects of media in society can help people recognize its influence in cultural

problems like stereotypes in the world today.

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Works cited

Dear White People. Dir. Justin Simien. Lionsgate Roadside Attractions, 2014. Film.

Herrick, James A. "Chapter 1: An Overview of Rhetoric." The History and Theory of Rhetoric:

An Introduction. Boston: Allyn and Beacon, 2001. 1-25. Print.

Sturken, Marita, and Lisa Cartwright. Practices of Looking: An Introduction to Visual Culture.

New York: Oxford University Press, 2009. Print.