Racism's Continuance in Modern Culture

Martin Luther King Jr. began his renowned “I Have a Dream” speech exactly fifty-two years ago from today, dictating, “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” King’s abolitionist actions greatly increased the stride toward total racial equality, yet racism is still existent today. The continuance of racism is clearly portrayed in modern media. Scrubs, a modern television show which centers on an emerging doctor dubbed J.D. and his life inside and out of Sacred Heart Hospital, where he learns of both medicine and life itself, is erupting with racism. Episode eight of season one, titled “My Fifteen Minutes,” specifically exhibits racism at its core. Although predominant steps have been taken to the elimination of racism, media clearly supports the continuance of racism today.

In “My Fifteen Minutes,” mostly all of the racism that exists is targeted at blacks. After J.D. and Turk, a surgeon friend to J.D., rescue a cameraman, an interviewer asks Turk about the challenges that he faces as a result of him being a black doctor. The interviewer automatically assumes that Turk is discriminated as a doctor because of his race. Additionally after the rescue, Sacred Heart Hospital uses Turk’s face to advertise diversity of the hospital. The hospital is filled with posters of Turk with words such as “Our MD’s have mad skills” as well as “time to get an EKG, G” and also “Wazzzupp?” This is an instance of racism because it is enforcing the stereotype that black people use slang and improper english. Turk states that even as a kid, he was used as a “face” because of his race. In a school Science Fair, Turk is announced the winner, even though he didn’t enter the competition. The school’s goal was to have Turk posted in the newspaper as winner of the Science Fair, proving that the school has diversity. Clearly, racism is still existent in the modern media, specifically Scrubs.

Turk is not the only one who experiences racism. Laverne, a nurse at Sacred Heart, also proves racism’s continuance. In “My Fifteen Minutes,” Laverne reinforces the black stereotype of the Mammy. The Mammy is characterized as a strong, large black women that acts as a motherly figure, stripped of sexual allure. This defines Laverne perfectly. In the episode, Laverne is constantly checking up on workers of Sacred Heart. She even offers hot chocolate to one of the doctors who is in distress. Laverne is furthermore characterized as a powerful woman, as she exclaims “excuse me” whenever any aggression is targeted at her. Scrubs enforcement of the racist stereotype referred to as the Mammy proves racism’s continuance.

Scrubs’ episode “My Fifteen Minutes” proves that racism remains intact today as the media of today enforces racism as well as racist stereotypes. In the episode, surgeon Turk is defined by his race and not for his actions or thoughts. Turk is characterized by countless black stereotypes. Additionally, “My Fifteen Minutes” enforces the ethnic notion called the Manny through motherly, intimidating Laverne. Furthermore, in the episode, Turk explains that he wants to be acknowledged because of his skills and successes, but never gets the opportunity because of his race. This proves that Scrubs defines race as a permanent, determining characteristic of people. The incredible popularity of Scrubs supports that racism is known throughout the entire modern world. It is evident that predominantly through media, racism is still an existing part of culture as we know it.

Short clip from "My Fifteen Minutes"