By Liam Gallups Posted April 15, 2015
Let’s talk about stereotypes and how the media uses such things. Stereotypes are oversimplified descriptions or images of a kind of person or trope. We all know what these are, Americans are gun-happy, Jews are miserly, terrorists are Muslim, the list goes on and on. It makes one wonder why they exist in the first place. I don’t know the reason why, but my best guess is that stereotyping first appeared in political propaganda. This may or may not be true.
Why do we use stereotypes? We use them for humor in some cases. In Japan, Americans are viewed as trigger happy maniacs who are willing to whip out any form of artillery at the slightest provocation. As absurd as this may be, that’s the point. Absurdity is a form of comedy, because of how different from the norm it is here in the reality we live in. Here, we consider the South to be as trigger-happy. (This probably isn’t true. Please do NOT take my word for any of this.) As humans, we often find the unusual and the absurd to be humorous. Those of us who don’t may find it offensive, but then again, comedy is subjective anyway. What’s funny to one person may not be so to another person.
Stereotypes don’t have to apply only to human beings. For example, to use an otaku-based example, the typical anime features characters with big sparkly eyes, upturned noses, small mouths, pointed chins, and outlandishly large hair. There are shows that do really well that break free from this mold, but for some reason, this is the trope. We can go deeper. The typical shonen (boys’) series features an emphasis on action, end-of-the-world circumstances, intense fight scenes, the ultimate hero, the strong damsel, overarching story arcs, and a partridge in a pear tree (the pear tree thing is a metaphor). There are shonen series that are quite different from this, but this is the stereotypical norm.
Stereotypes are everywhere, and it’s hard to not identify them. However, sometimes stereotypes can go hand-in-hand with racism. Just take Nazi Germany for example, which promoted negative views of the Jewish people. We can’t view people based on stereotypes alone, but we must try to understand more about them to reach a sense of understanding. We can’t fall into the same hole all racist people have for years on end.
Here’s a question you may be asking yourself: “Should we abolish ALL stereotypes?” Well, yes and no. While it is true that stereotypes paint an unrealistic picture of different ethnic groups, at the same time, some of them are quite endearing. For instance, one stereotype suggests that Canadians are very polite. Another is that the French are very refined. The Japanese are very honorable is yet another example. These are all positive statements that happen to be stereotypes. So while some tend to be negative, there are just as many positive ones.
Again, most stereotypes are mostly unrealistic. Sure there may be people from all walks of life who may fall into a certain category, but we shouldn’t label people for the sake of labeling. There are people who do that in an attempt to put themselves above others. Those people are a little selfish in my opinion.
The media uses stereotypes in entertainment. For instance, one could say that Apu from “The Simpsons” is a stereotypical Indian convenience store clerk. In many respects, that’s true. Stereotypes are often used for background characters who don’t get too much screen time. There’s also Mrs. Wolowitz from “The Big Bang Theory,” who fits the bill of stereotypical Jewish mother. While one could argue that she doesn’t have any screen time because only her voice is heard, I find this still counts.
Why are stereotypes used in these situations? Again, these are for comedic purposes, and often don’t have much to do with the narrative. This because these are background characters who do not require much depth. Because you usually won’t see them too often, it makes sense for them to not have too much character. In order to give them a personality, stereotypes are used to keep it simple and, in many cases, funny.
Are stereotypes getting old? In many respects, apparently not. We still use them in media and when talking about a certain ethnic group. Just remember that stereotypes are not the whole picture and that there is often more to these groups than what the stereotypes let on. I urge you to become educated in how these groups operate and why. Perhaps one day we’ll reach a form of cultural understanding.
