The Stereotypes - Case Study Example

Stereotypes Dennis Basil Bromley (1984) defined stereotype as “a representation of an aspect of a human being, or rater a human being as a member of a group) women, children, old people, black people, Jewish people, people with disabilities), which suggest that it represents the whole of those people, which creates the impression that it is characterizing those people in that group in an essential and significant way.” (p. 174) Basically, a stereotype represents a set of ideas or a set of beliefs of other people – an ideology – rather than people as they are. Because it is a source of incomplete information, it is a source of misinformation that produces distorted representation that could either be positive or negative. (Victor 1987, p. 91) It is usually an aspect that is exaggerated and misleading. The misleading variable here is deliberate in the sense that stereotype perform the function of creating attitudes which, by their very nature, are negative attitudes. Some commonly held stereotypes are that the English are snobs, the Irish are dull-witted and spectacle-wearers are smart. When a system of stereotypes is well fixed, our attention is called to those facts, which support it, and diverted from those which contradict. So it seems that because we are attuned to find it, that kindly people discover so much reason for kindness, malicious people so much malice. If, as Philip Little once wrote of a distinguished professor, we see life as through a class darkly, understanding will not contaminate our stereotypes of what the best people and the lower classes are like. Walter Lippman wrote that sometimes consciously, more often without knowing, we are impressed by those facts, which fit our philosophy. To quote: The stereotypes are loaded with preference, suffused with affection or dislike, attached to fears, lusts, strong wishes, pride, hope. Whatever invokes the stereotype is judged with the appropriate sentiment Except when we deliberately keep prejudice in suspense, we do not study a man and judge him to be bad. We see a bad man. We see a dewy morn, a blushing maiden, a sainted priest, a humorless Englishman, a dangerous Red, a carefree bohemian… (p. 73) Media Stereotypes The media – print, radio, television and film – is the most potent institutional socializer today. A case in point is a recent finding that says the 99.4 million or US homes with TV have them turned on about 7 hours a day and consume about 50% of the leisure time of adult Americans. (Nussbaum 2004, p. 424) If we are to include the people who watch films, magazines, newspapers, listen to the radio and browse the Internet, the impact is dramatic. They transmit persuasive and constant messages on the nature of reality. Sociologist, psychologists and even politicians continue to argue about the degree of media influence particularly in regard to sex and violence but it is widely accepted that there is a significant impact. According to David Newman, “the media teach us about prevailing values, beliefs, myths, stereotypes, and trends and provide an avenue through which we learn new attitudes and behavior.” (p. 165) In an advertising study in television commercials have four main categories of stereotypes. These clear-cut character stereotypes run across tv-commercials whether they are performed in the drama-, the voice-over/voice-over+ or the presenter format: Established character stereotype in well-known style borrowed from other media-context. Stereotype based on foreign nationality or domestic regionality such as The Jutlandish, the Suede, The German, The Scotsman, The Texan or Japanese, among others. Stereotypes based upon profession like the salesman, the postman, the policeman, the military type, cowboy, the priest-type, the teacher, etc. Other stereotypes include the shrill woman, the malicious plotmaker, the anti-Tarzan, the passive/impotent male, the hippie, blondes, the couch potato or lower class bodega type. (Hansen & Yssing 2001, p. 346) Most of these stereotypes, like those in television and film materials, are generalized types with more or less obvious reference to patterns of perceiving persons or groups. Gender Roles The impact of the media is very potent in influencing gender role attitudes. Gender role attitudes, Steven Kirsh (2006) writes, refer to the beliefs that individuals hold with regard to appropriate jobs, appearance, and behavior specific to each gender and that since 1970s, correlational research has consistently shown that across childhood and adolescence, higher levels of television watching are associated with more stereotyped gender role attitudes. (p. 335) The images that the media transmits about our society reflects the realities of a gender tracking that often separates males from females and perpetuating specific caricatures. The roles become defined and that the images that are imparted become etched in the public’s mind through various forms of artworks, entertainment advertisements, productions and educational materials. Robert Maribe Branch and Mary Ann Fitzgerald (1999) compared four commercials in a sequence surrounding a children’s television program for children: The boys’ commercial are fast-paced, outdoors, and rugged; usually involve something on wheels; often depict aggression; employ music with a fast tempo and distinctive beat; and use camera angles that slant up, placing the boys in dominant position within the picture. The girls’ commercials typically are slower-paced, indoors, and tender; involves dolls or fashion messages; often depict emotion and caring for others; employ musical, sweet, calm undertones; and use camera angles that slant down, placing the girls in less dominant portion of the picture. (p. 23) The previous example shows subtle messages, which are made more serious by the fact that these materials are played over and over everyday. According to Branch and Fitzgerald, the stereotypes in the media that is being pumped to our system starts when we are young with the gender role construction and lead to gender separation throughout life. (p. 23) Among gender stereotypes, those based on a person’s gender, the stereotype about women are more likely to be negative than those about men and that the typical woman has been stereotyped as subservient, flighty, overly emotional, overly talkative, prone to hysteria, and inept at math and science. (Andersen and Taylor 2006, p. 276) These stereotypes, many of which cultural, are conveyed and supported by the cultural media – music, TV, magazines, art and literature. There was a study conducted by Dane Archer in news magazines in 12 different countries that found men’s faces as much more likely to be portrayed prominently than women’s faces. (cited in Smith and Mackie 2000, p. 174) The explanations give were: 1) it flows from a cultural concern with women’s whole bodies. “Women’s bodies are more likely to be shown than are men’s, reducing the relative prominence of their faces in photographs”; 2) the traditional stereotype of the male as thoughtful and rational, traits often symbolized by shots of the head.” (p. 174) Conclusion Do these media portrayal matter? The answer is yes. The messages from media materials influence the viewers’ thinking, behavior and attitude about life and their relation with others. For example, if a woman watches a television program that continually portrays women as subordinate and seductive, she might express lower self-esteem, self-confidence, less freedom and fewer career aspirations. The stereotypes often force us to play roles that suppress freedom and the potential of people, and, of course, they breed inequality. In a way, stereotyping becomes a means wherein inequalities are justified and perpetuated. They justify groups’ existing places and roles in society as right, natural and inevitable. In the end, the stereotyped groups become prone to prejudice, discrimination and racism. What is unfortunate is that the media is free to do what it pleases and that it has an almost omnipotent presence in our lives. Bibliography Anderson, Margaret and Taylor, Howard. 2006. Sociology: Understanding a Diverse Society. Thomson Wadsworth. Branch, Robert and Fitzgerald, Mary ann. 1999. Educational Media and Technology Yearbook 1999. Libraries Unlimited. Bromley, D. 1984. Gerontology: Social and Behavioural Perspectives. London: Routledge. Hansen, Fleming and Yssing, Lotte. 2001. Advertising Research in the Nordic Countries. Forlaget Samfundslitteratur. Kirsh, Steven. 2006. Children, Adolescents, and Media Violence: A Critical Look at the Research. SAGE. Lippman, Walter. 2007. Public Opinion. NuVision Publications, LLC. Nussbaum, Jon. 2004 Handbook of Communication and Aging Research. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Smith, Eliot and Mackie, Diane. 2000. Social Psychology. Psychology Press. Victor, Christina. 1987. Old Age in Modern Society: A Textbook of Social Gerontology. Taylor & Francis. Read More