Stereotype reinforced by legislative measure
This Monday, one of the speaker’s at King Day at the Dome brought up a controversial issue for the state of South Carolina. The issue lies in a voter identification law that the state tried to pass, only to be denied by the Justice Department. The law has been rejected because the indirect poll tax is discriminatory towards minority voters.
Attorney General Eric Holder promised to protect the voting rights of minorities during his speech on Martin Luther King Jr. Day at the South Carolina Statehouse. Holder also gave his reasoning behind the rejection of the proposal.
Holder’s words to South Carolina hit the media nationally and locally. The majority of South Carolina media has linked the legislation to race, making the state appear to be focused on race and racial issues in a negative light. Aside from the voter ID law, South Carolina has also been sued by the Justice Department for its new immigration policy.
These types of legislation give off the appearance that South Carolina is a racially unjust state. The rule that “all press is good press” does not apply to South Carolina in this case. The negative media coming from the state gives us a bad reputation.
The press also adds to stereotypes and the prominence of racism in the South. The image of the state reflects on the people of South Carolina, including students who attend the state’s public universities.
As students of this university, we will now be stuck with the stereotype of backward racial thinking based on this state’s legislation and the undesirable reputation it gains from pursuing such mandates.