Stereotypes are so omnipresent in today’s
society that we don’t even realize it’s there most of the time. For the most
part, I’ve been so exposed to them that I barely even notice them unless they’re
blatantly obvious. I don’t actually mind having stereotypes in our mass media unless
it has a negative effect on the culture they’re portraying. It can be
dangerous, however, when all a person knows about a culture is simply based on
the stereotypes they’ve been fed alone.
A stereotype can be defined as a widely
spread, oversimplified image or idea of a particular culture, person, or thing.
The first thing that comes to mind is culture stereotypes, such as the notion
of the burger-eating, loud-mouthed American, or the squinty-eyed, extremely intelligent
Chinese, or even the beret-wearing, wine-sipping French. We’ve been so exposed
to these ideas that as soon as someone mentions a race or country, we almost
instantly make up an image of how we expect their people to look like, even if
it isn’t particularly true.
Most of the time, these stereotypes aren’t
too dangerous, provided people don’t take them too seriously. Sometimes,
however, they have adverse effects on the people in question. There have been
instances of blatant racism and lack of understanding of certain cultures
because people have decided to base their opinions on stereotypes alone. I’ve
seen firsthand of perfectly nice and reasonable people disliking an entire race
simply based on a few stereotypes, and it is not pleasant at all in the
slightest.
On the other hand, stereotypes are also
highly marketable. Some stereotypes are largely harmless once we step away from
the whole cultural minefield – the notion that cats are mean, and that dogs are
dumb, but heroic. Those tropes are extremely commonplace and generally not harmful
to either cats or dogs. It’s stereotypes like these that I don’t mind, because
they’re highly exploitable, usually amusing, and don’t harm anyone.
I also admit that they are a necessary
strategy in character design and representation. People like seeing new things,
but they also like seeing how old ideas can be reinvented. By fixating on a
stereotype, creators can develop new designs and have people understand its
origins or intentions as long as they include a little of the stereotype along
with it. For example, a new character can be designed and look entirely
non-Asian, but all the creator has to do is put something associated with the
culture (a paper fan, a ninja star, etc.), and viewers will instantly see it as
being part of that culture. It’s a very simple but effective strategy and sells
very well to fans of that one particular culture or idea.
I have been affected by stereotypes,
though fortunately none too badly. A lot of people think I’m clever simply
because I’m Asian (and wearing glasses, for that matter – surely a sign that I’m
highly intelligent). They also tend to be surprised that I speak fluent English
because they had expected me to have an accent based on appearances alone. The
one I find most disgruntling is the stereotype people form of me based on my
religion. I wear a cross around my neck – just a small one, hidden most of the
time – to show what religion I belong in. Some of my friends had mentioned that
they were surprised that I was personable and open-minded because of the
general stereotype that all Christians were narrow-minded, gay-hating, and
pushy. This is, of course, not true – it only represents a small part of the
Christian population; but such an image is so widespread now that it is the
first thing people think of now.
While I do admit that most stereotypes
have at least a grain of truth to them, I don’t think that we should judge
people or things too much based on stereotype alone. It’s alright to make light
of them, to appreciate them sometimes as a joke. I personally think that as
long as we don’t cross the line, stereotypes can be perpetuated and spread
around in mainstream media.
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