American romantic period - Essay Example

Stereotypes and Critical Thinking al Affiliation: The American romantic period was hugely characterized by visual arts, literature and music which helped shape the image of the American Indians. The literature during the American romantic period had a major emphasis on exoticism, mysticism, eroticism and feeling. An Indian symbol in which these concerns could be united was found in the American romanticism. In the period before the 19th century, an image in which the Indian was perceived as an inferior being was prevalent. The Indians were imagined as dying by the romantics. However, there was a sense of nobility in that dying and disappearance from the stage of human progress (King, 2003). The creation of a single heroic Indian male who was the last of his race was a favored strategy. Death and nobility were sympathetic ideas that complemented one another during this period. Furthermore, writers and artist made use of these two ideas during the first half of the century in close association by creating a literary shroud in which to wrap the Indian and bury him (King, 2003). Additionally, the Indians were divided into two types: noble and savages. The Indian woman was viewed as either a princess or a drudge while the Indian man was either an admirable brave or a fiendish warrior. These images that date back to the romantic period were well expressed in various influential literary work by James Fennimore cooper such as his novel titled ‘the last Mohicans’ (Simon, 1996). The Indians’ savagery was concealed by the big difference between noble and ignoble savages. During the romantic period, savagery was a state of social development that was below civilization and an intermediate step below barbarism. The reasoning that a savage was naturally inferior to a civilized person was justified by the view that savagery was inferior to civilization. Moreover, the noble savage could be admired due to certain rude virtues while the ignoble savage was deplored as bloody minded and brutal, although both had a similar fate. It was believed that the Indians, both noble and ignoble, would be wiped from the world as civilization displaced savagery (Simon, 1996). Despite the widely held belief that the Indians were dying out, many of the tribes were thriving and were comfortably living (King, 2003). On the other hand, some of the tribes that lived along the coast of North America and in areas such as Lower Canada, Ohio and St. Lawrence River valleys were affected negatively by the settlement of European settlers. Warfare, European diseases and the destructive push by the settlers had taken a toll on such tribes (King, 2003). This is why most people had an imaginative construction of a literary Indian or a dying Indian. The symbol and image of the native Indians has been used to promote ideas and products such as postcards and cartoons. For example, Thomas king, had collected several such postcards which portrayed the Indian in a mysterious way. In some, the imagery of their savagery was prominent (King, 2003). Were people of yester years bigoted? In the past, people were bigoted and mostly seemed intolerant to other people’s culture, opinions and way of life. This was heavily influenced by the strict nature in which most tribes or races embraced their culture. However, today people are more tolerant than they were in past because most of these cultures have eroded over time due to multiracial and multicultural interaction. Furthermore, people are able to evaluate and understand those whore are different from themselves because they are more enlightened due to advancement in technology and science. Advice to Dan Snyder NFL’s Washington Redskins that is owned by Dan Snyder has been deemed to have an offensive name by many people. Some people including members of the congress were against the use of the word redneck because they argued it was offensive to the Native Americans. In other instances, the term redskin has been termed as derogatory and a racial slur. While some people have no problem with the usage of the name, the negative publicity that the whole issue has generated is at times detrimental to the brand of the team as a whole. Therefore, as PR counselor, I would strongly advice Dan Snyder to consider changing the name of the team. Propaganda in the ‘Ground Zero Mosque’ case After the Muslim community in New York announced plans to build an Islamic community center near ground zero, some of the right wing media and politicians alike used propaganda to strongly oppose such plans. Although the controversy and propaganda surrounding this issue was observed through the media, the media was not solely to blame since it was merely used as a tool by the right wing to advance their interest. In this case, the right wing misstated the facts by claiming that the Muslims were building a mosque on ground zero whereas the truth of the matter was that it was an Islamic community center which was to be located near but not on ground zero. In addition, some right used name calling to encourage hatred and stereotypes by spreading hate speech about the Muslim community suggesting their involvement in the 9/11 terror attacks. Public relation professionals could have taken various actions to manage this crisis. The most important thing was to gather and disseminate information clearly through the right channels so as to alleviate any propaganda. This is because if there is not clear source of information then misinformation becomes news (LEtang, 2007). The millennial generation Jeff Fromm argues that millennial as consumers will have a huge impact on brands and companies that express interest in making a difference and support communities through corporate social responsibility. Moreover, companies who have partnered with well-established charities have an edge over their competitors. This is true because research has shown that millennial prefer to buy from companies whom they know support a cause (Fromm, 2013). Also millennial believe that the congress has not been doing enough in terms of giving back to the society hence they feel that companies should step up to fill the void (Fromm, 2013). In conclusion, it is important for people to be able to understand and tolerate other people’s thoughts, opinions and culture rather than judge them. We as humans should view history with open minds and try to learn from it rather consider ourselves superior. Stereotypes and our ability to think critically have a deep connection. Critical thinking enables people to think clearly and rationally. Furthermore, the ability to think critically enables us identify both bias and how its object should look like and the biases that one brings into it (Paul & Elder, 2001). For example, one may agree or disagree on another person’s opinion based on what you know about that person. If the perception of person about something is emotional rather than based on facts or the ability of that person to think critically, then it may be considered a stereotype (Paul & Elder, 2001). References Fromm, J. (2013). Marketing To Millenials: Reach the Largest and Most Influencial Generation of Consumers Ever. Ney York: AMACOM Div American Management Association. King, T. (2003). The Truth About Stories: A Native Narrative. Toronto: House of Anansi Press. LEtang, J. (2007). Public Relations: Concept, Practice and Critique. New York: SAGE. Paul, R., & Elder, L. (2001). The Miniature Guide to Critical Thinking: Concepts and Tools. California: Foundation for Critical Thinking. Simon, A. F. (1996). Changing Steroetypes: Examining the Effects of Stereotypes-consistent and Inconsistent Information Across Different Moderlities. New Jersy: Rutgers University. Read More