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Stereotypes

Feisty. Seductive. Intelligent. Used to describe


individuals, the preceding adjectives pose no particular
problem. Used to describe groups of people, however,
these same adjectives may constitute stereotypes. What
is a stereotype? Stereotypes are qualities assigned to
groups of people related to their race, nationality and
sexual orientation, to name a few. Because they
generalize groups of people in manners that lead to
discrimination and ignore the diversity within groups,
stereotypes should be avoided.

Stereotypes vs.
Generalizations

While all stereotypes are generalizations, not all generalizations are


stereotypes. Stereotypes are oversimplifications of people groups widely
circulated in certain societies. In the United States, for example, racial
groups are linked to stereotypes such as being good at math, athletics,
dancing and so forth. So well-known are these stereotypes in the U.S. that
the average American likely wouldnt hesitate if asked to identify which
racial group in this country is known for excelling in basketball. In short,
when one stereotypes, one repeats the cultural mythology already present
in a particular society.
On the other hand, a person can make a generalization about an ethnic
group that hasnt been perpetuated in society. Say, for instance, a woman
encounters individuals from a particular ethnic group and finds them to be
excellent parents. Based on her encounters with these folks, she may
oversimplify and conclude that anyone from this ethnic group must be an
excellent parent. In this instance, she would be guilty of generalizing, but an
observer might think twice about calling her conclusion a stereotype since
no group in the U.S. has the distinction of being known as excellent parents.

Stereotypes Can Be
Complicated

While stereotypes may refer to a specific sex, race, religion or country, often
they link various aspects of identity together. A stereotype about black, gay
men, for example, would involve race, sex and sexual orientation. Although
such a stereotype targets a specific segment of African Americans rather
than blacks generally, its still problematic to insinuate that black, gay men
are all a certain way. Too many other factors make up any one black, gay
mans identity to ascribe a set list of characteristics to him.
Stereotypes are also complicated in that when they factor in race and sex,
members of the same group may be pegged very differently. Certain
stereotypes apply to Asian Americans generally, for example. But when the
Asian American population is broken down by sex, one finds that
stereotypes of Asian American men and Asian American women differ
drastically from each other. Stereotypes involving race and gender may peg
the women of a racial group as attractive and desirable and the men as the
exact opposite or vice versa.

Even stereotypes applied to a racial group


become inconsistent when members of that
group are broken down by national origin. A
case in point is that stereotypes about black
Americans differ from those about blacks from
the Caribbean or blacks from African nations.
Such discrepancies indicate that stereotypes
make little sense and arent useful tools by
which to judge others based on just a few
aspects of their identity.

Can Stereotypes Ever Be


Good?

Both negative and positive stereotypes exist, but even


the latter do harm. Thats because all stereotypes are
limiting and leave little to no room for individuality.
Perhaps a child belongs to a racial group known for
being highly intelligent. This particular child, however,
suffers from a learning disability and struggles to keep
up with his classmates in school. Because his teacher
buys into the stereotype that this child is supposed to
excel in class because his people are highly intelligent,
she might assume that his poor marks are because hes
lazy and never do the investigative work needed to
discover his learning disability, saving him from years of
struggle in school.

Is There Truth in
Stereotypes?

Its said that stereotypes are based in truth, but is this a valid statement?
People who make this argument often want to justify their use of
stereotypes. The problem with stereotypes is that they suggest that groups
of people are inherently prone to certain behaviors. Arabs are naturally one
way. Hispanics are naturally another. The fact is, science doesnt back up
these kinds of assertions. If groups of people have historically excelled at
certain activities, social factors no doubt contributed to this phenomenon.
Perhaps a society barred a group of people from practicing certain
professions but welcomed them in others. Over the years, the group
became associated with the professions in which they were allowed to
practice. This came about not because of any inherent talent in these fields
but because they were the professions that allowed them to pay for food,
housing and other necessities. In short, their survival depended on them
excelling at the professions in question. Those who spread stereotypes,
however, ignore social factors and make links between groups of people
and certain skills, activities or behaviors where none inherently exist.

Wrapping Up

The next time youre tempted to stereotype a group of


people, think about the groups to which you belong. List
the stereotypes linked to those groups. Does each of
those stereotypes apply to you? More than likely youd
disagree that all of the qualities commonly attributed to
those of your gender, racial group and sexual orientation
describe you. Thats why its important to judge specific
individuals rather than the groups of which theyre part.

In heaven, the cops are British, the


lovers are French, the food is Italian, the
cars are German, and the whole thing is
run by the Swiss.

In hell, the cops are German, the lovers


are Swissm, the food is British, the cars
are French, and the whole thing is run
by the Italian.

Canadians are often depicted as


mounties, Ice Hockeys players or wild
life hunters.
and being exceptionally polite.
Don't forget going to school/work on
polar bears.
Canadians also tend to be portrayed as
a lot less jingoistic than Americans.

Americans often make up accents for them,


then promptly mock them. see: Canada, eh?
If a character in foreign fiction is American he
is either a cowboy or wearing a cowboy hat.
People from the U.S.A. are often depicted as
rich, cigar smoking business men with too
much money to spend.
Outside the U.S. Americans are often seen as
devoutly religious and prudent evangelical
Christians, obsessed with Jesus, praying and
reacting against sex or anything progressive.

African-Americans are depicted as


being lazy, dumb, primitive or overly
submissive ("Yes s'r, no ma'm") to their
white superiors and scared of ghosts.

If a black character is joyful he is


usually an Uncle Tom or Uncle Remus
type of character.

American arrogant; assertive; openminded; materialistic; ambitious;


progressive; efficient; straight-forward;
alert; practical; US-centered world view;
egoistic; anxious; fast food eaters; war
mongers;
God is with us!

Arabs intelligent; modest; insecure;


anxious; impulsive; billionaires, belly
dancers, , men wearing beards and
are womanizers; have subservient and
repressed women who wear burka or
headscarf; play & pray attitude; love
celebrations and ceremonies; tea and
shisha are important; God is great!

Argentinians disagreeable;
megalomaniac; warm and friendly
people; can be vain & arrogant;
beautiful women; cultured society; lazy;
disrupting protesters

Austrians anxious; traditional;


wearing Lederhosen; yodel the whole
day to Volksmusik; polite; efficient
service people, but bureaucratic;
modest; not superior-minded; oldfashioned; somewhat cosmopolitan;
honest; love the little treats in life like
Sachertorte, beer and good wine

Bulgarians survive on tomato,


cucumber and goat cheese only; colorful
traditions; natural; open-minded; skiers or
sun-worshipers, catastrophic social
consciousness, curiosity and openness to
the otherness; overly suspicious

Brazilians body-centric; party animals;


impulsive; incestuous; megalomaniac;
most women are super-models, most men
are gay or machos; always late; beach
and sun-worshipers;

British (UK) drinkers; lousy food; stiff


upper-lips; ultra-traditional; steady-on,
old chaps; bulldog spirit; bad teeth and
hygiene; rude; thin; smoke cigar or pipe;
scruffy hair; fitted clothing; heavy
binge drinkers; swear all day long;
artistic; fashionable; deep thinkers;
intelligent and articulate; boastful; antiAmerican; ride bikes;
God save the Queen!

Czech agreeable; heavy beer


drinkers; bohemian lifestyle; live and let
live attitude; tolerant; Hes a Czech, he
never smiles at people he doesnt
know; easy-to-get women; introverted,
frightened and defensive attitude toward
other cultures and the outside world

Chinese stingy and noisy spitters; fastlearners; open-minded; ambitious;


progressive; efficient; materialistic; do kung fu
and other material arts; great at mathematics;
cant hold their liquor; terrible drivers;
arrogant; assertive; very short somewhere
private but bigger than Japanese; wear
glasses; pirate and copy everything; dont
value contracts; cheap labor; drink green tea;
eat everything that lives even tiger balls,
bear gall bladder, rhino horns and sea
cucumber; smoke opium; business-oriented;
money rules the world; prepare for world
domination

Dutch polite; open-minded; welltraveled; no commitments; boring, but


provoking; organized and efficient;
harmless; have a garden full of tulips
and sit on piles of yellow cheese, can
be stubborn and incurably mean,
Where a Dutchman has passed, not
even the grass grows anymore ( by
Japanese)

an English pamphlet raged: A


Dutchman is a Lusty, Fat, Two-legged
Cheese worm
Dutch comfort (Things could be
worse)

Germans mechanical; organized;


boring; no sense of humor;
conscientious; drink beer all day beerbellied; always shake hands; born with
a monkey wrench in their hands, eating
vast quantities of sausage and
sauerkraut; men have dodgy facial hair,
women are icy Teutonic beauties with
blond hair and blue eyes;

Greek are big and overweight; lazy;


eat souvlaki and olives and drink Ouzo
or red wine all day; always break their
plates after meals; cant drive
especially when its dark; disorganized;

Italians Gigolos; live with their Mamas;


even more chaotic than the French;
possessive; passionate; pizza/pasta
freaks; creative accountants; smoothtalking; manipulative; dishonest; women
have mustaches; fashion-addicted;
Casanovas; mafia or gang members;

Malaysians lazy; anxious; neurotic;


manipulative; survive by cronyism and
nepotism; introverted; have inferiority
complex; arrogant; have speed traps
everywhere; ultra-religious, but sell porn
everywhere; inhospitable, hate
Westerners; boring; have great varieties
of food; embrace multi-culturalism; wear
bright, colorful clothes;

Japanese disciplined; organized; very


techy; fearful; neurotic; extroverted;
competent; short; wealthy due to being
a running dog of the US; workaholics;
perverted; bathe in unisex public
showers; very short somewhere
private but bigger than Chinese;
women are subservient to men and
make perfect devoted wives; raw-fish
eaters; suicidal, arrive in packs

Mexicans heavy tequila drinkers;


impulsive; wear huge sombreros;
religious; family-oriented; neurotic;
modest; megalomaniac, men
overweight with golden teeth and 3-daybeard, women attractive and easy to
get; all women look like Salma Hayek;
sneaky; banditos; maids or illegal
immigrants; lazy; never finish anything
not even revolution; either sleeping,
leaning against a cactus or bored; warm
& friendly people; hospitable

Moroccans wants everything gratis;


look like Ali Baba; live in an Oasis in the
desert surrounded by palm trees;
traditional; hospitable; nomads roaming
the sands on camels; mysterious; have
exotic food; human traffickers into
Europe; poor people; lost paradise;
polygamists; Casablanca!

Romanians directly related to Dracula;


everyone owns a mystic castle in the Carpate
mountains in Transylvania, backwardsoriented; primitive; refuse to work; have to
many children; slow; ingenious; trying hard
but never succeed; mistrust police and
government; love to celebrate; women are
mothers and wives, trafficking of women,
prostitution, domestic violence and sexual
harassment is their own fault; manipulative;
nationalists; stable and value-oriented

Swiss rich; multi-lingual; brand-affine; nit pickers,


hard bargainers; watch makers; sit in the mountains,
yodel and milk their cows; play 12m long Alpine
horns; ruddy cheeked; pretty smug because of the
fresh mountain air; their trains always run on time;
their diet is chocolate and holey-cheese; women are
mostly blond, never grow old, like to help milking the
cattle and are usually called Heidi; each room has at
least one cuckoo clock; except people in Zurich:
those are sharp-suited secretive bankers hoarding
Nazi gold and helping out corrupt politicians and
gangsters; obsessed with the environment,
cleanliness and punctuality; tight on the rules; very
private .

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