Stereotypes about various racial groups bombard us every day in the mass media and through our everyday social interactions. They deposit their residue deep into our minds, often without our realizing it. Even among the most well-intentioned and consciously egalitarian people, non-conscious associations about ethnic groups still have a pernicious effect on behavior and attitudes (Rigoglioso, 2008). Repetition tends to normalize stereotypes, because repeating stereotypes validates and perpetuates them. Because stereotypes often contain a "kernel of truth" (they may be characteristic of some or many members of a group) they are easily accepted and acknowledged by society, especially if it is presented from a multitude of sources.
Media & Popular CultureThe media uses stereotypes as a shorthand method of defining characters in ways that are easy for people to identify and categorize. What these stereotypes all have in common is that they reduce to a one-sided, superficial and exaggerated depiction the real variety, depth and complexity of a people. The media has a lot of power to endorse stereotypes because they get information that we don't' have, so we tend to believe them.
The perpetuation of racial and ethnic stereotypes by the media is an ongoing and real phenomenon that can be seen in children's entertainment television shows and movies and across large popular corporations such as Disney. The problematic factor in these entertainment outlets is that there is clearly an inundation of racial and ethnic scripts presented to toddlers and adolescents at an age when it is difficult to be socially critical of these stereotypes. When images of a young Black-American boy speaking "street talk" who has a niche for dancing hip-hop well, or an Asian-American toddler girl with slanted eyes wearing a traditional kimono is shown in a cartoon, these racial stereotypes will flood the children's learning schema during these delicate and very impressionable years. Stereotypical representations are also prominent in television commercials, news broadcasting, magazines, advertising, newspapers, sports, and music videos. The reality is, it's everywhere! It has been a prevalent part of society in the past and still remains an inevitable part of our society today. Stereotypes are constantly being perpetuated and fostered by even the most ambivalent participants. Examples of such stereotypical media representations include rap music videos depicting African Americans as thugs who only care about cars, women, and money, commercials and advertisements that reinforce the idea that black people love fried chicken and latinos are all violent gang members, and news networks that over-represent certain races in their choice of broadcasting, which sends a message to viewers that certain races are more likely to commit crimes than others. The media today is more sensitive to issues of culture and gender than it once was, but the creation and perpetuation of common misconceptions about groups of people continues. Oversimplified and inaccurate portrayals have profoundly affected how we perceive one another, how we relate to one another and how we value ourselves. Above image: An example of racial stereotypical advertisements/packaging used by large companies in the 20th century.
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The above video shows the representation of various racial groups across children's entertainment in very stereotypical ways.
Pop-eye's chicken advertisements have elected to use a black woman to advertise their specialty fried chicken. It shows how the company has taken the archaic “mammy” figure, and simply modernized her image to fit with today’s society, rather than featuring a woman working for a plantation in the deep south. This is Popeye’s attempt at validating the high quality of their food–after all, who can make fried chicken better than a black woman?
Many commercials, advertisements, and television shows like the one above, perpetuate the idea that all latinos are dangerous gang members involved in illegal activity.
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The perpetuation of racial stereotypes in today's society can be found not only in media and popular culture, but has also crept its way into the realm celebrating holidays. Halloween costumes were once all about witches, vampires, and ghosts; a representation of scary mythical creatures. In todays modern world plagued by stereotypical media representations, Halloween costumes have evolved into a competition of who can be the most witty and humorous in their chosen identities. Race, ethnicity, and culture have been twisted in our minds to become sources of mockery and entertainment. When did stereotypes become popular costume ideas? It is with this sort of activity happening among normal individuals such as you or your family and friends that stereotypes can't help but thrive. Even as some may view these costumes as nothing more than silly jokes, the reality is, these costumes provoke negative images of certain races, and serve to classify or label people as things they are not. As a result, many individuals are forced to live their lives with the burden of these stigmas resting heavily on their shoulders.
Challenging Ethnic Costumes: A group of students from Ohio University have challenged racial stereotyping in Halloween costumes. The group calls themselves "Students Teaching About Racism in Society" or S*T*A*R*S in a bid to stop adults and children alike from rehashing crude stereotypes. They created a poster campaign (as depicted in photos on the right) to elude to the negative realities stereotypes create for many individuals. Click on their link to find out more about their great campaign. *All images on the right retrieved from "Students Teaching About Racism in Society" website: http://www.ohio.edu/orgs/stars/Poster_Campaign.html |