Thank you for Today's discussion in class. Please know that our classroom is a safe place. Our classroom is a place that is meant for us to learn, develop and grow. We will all learn from each other, so please let your voice be heard.
Thank you Kris for beginning our discussion on stereotypes. I would like to take that discussion a bit further and continue to discuss it on our blog.
From now on you have until Thursday night at 11:30pm to complete your comment #1 and your comment #2 is due Monday at 11:30 pm. Please do plan accordingly and complete your assignment on time.
Defining stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination
Definitions
Stereotyping:
- Stereotypes involve generalizations about the "typical" characteristics of members of the groups. Jane is a female, so she probably has characteristics x, y, z, .......
Prejudice:
- attitude toward the members of some group based solely on their membership in that group (can be positive or negative)
Discrimination:
- actual positive or negative actions toward the objects of prejudice
Cognitive Sources of Prejudice: Stereotypes
Measuring stereotypes
Several ways of measuring stereotypes
For example:(1) By measuring the straightforward attribution of characteristics to nominated groups
Baptists are....?Men are...?
Blacks are...?
Mormons are...?
Whites are...?
Doctors are...?
Women are...?
Professors are...?(2) By identifying the salient characteristics attributed to groups (relative to other groups).
What characteristics "stand out" the most about the group?Football players?
Car salespeople?
Actors?
Where do Stereotypes Come From?
Cognitive sources
- Social categorization: classifying people into groups based on common attributes (back to the cognitive miser idea)
- Ingroup - outgroup & the outgroup homogeneity effect:
Assuming greater similarity among characteristics of the outgroup than ingroup ("us" vs. "them")
Based on several factors:
- We don't have as much exposure to members of the outgroup (compared to members of ingroup). So, we don't have chance to learn about individual idiosyncrasies in outgroup members
- Probably also a cultural phenomenon. Americans really show the outgroup homogeneity effect compared to other cultures. Americans like to see self as "individualistic"
What Impact do Stereotypes Have?
- Distort our perceptions: The contrast effect
- Once stereotype is activated, these traits easily come to mind
- Affect the information we attend to and, therefore, notice and quickly process
- We'll attend more to stereotype-consistent information
- Stereotype-inconsistent information activates attempts to disconfirm/reject it
Stereotypes obviously affect social judgments we make about other:
- They influence how much we like the person
- They are reflected in the mood the person "puts" us in
- Our expectations regarding probability of certain behaviors in the person
Stereotypes develop for a reason but why and when do they become dangerous? What can you do to educate yourself about race, gender, sexual orientation, and religion to see a person as an individual within these groups?
I feel like the website was helpful. It gave reasons why people see these stereotypes but it also gave some reasons why you shouldn’t believe them. It specifically brought the commonly known stereotypes to light and made sure to lay out what was wrong with them. There are exceptions to everything, so obviously stereotypes have them as well.
ReplyDeleteI think stereotypes arise because we are ethnocentric and feel as if we are superior to other cultures. We see differences from our culture to be lesser and so therefore people who fall into that group will be seen in one light. They will become dangerous if the feeling of other cultures as inferior to ours becomes a hatred toward that group. That hatred will spread and will the language and the attitudes towards those people.
In order to educate myself about race, gender, sexual orientation, and religion, I must first accept that I am racist, sexist, etc. From there, I can be open-minded and see that each belief is not inferior or superior to my own; they are equal on every level. Every person has the right to believe whatever they want and they should not be criticized for exercising their rights. I should recognize the differences and celebrate them. See the differences, know that they are there, and know that just because one is different doesn’t mean that they are lesser or greater. Every culture is different, and in those cultures there are people. These people are not the same as we are; there are thousands of differences within our cultures and therefore our beliefs and norms. We all are individuals, and as soon as we recognize that then I think it will be easier for us to become educated.
Jenny,
DeleteI completely agree with you when you said that stereotypes arise because we are "ethnocentric" and always try to see the differences in people and use these differences to separate people and find something to degrade them, and in doing so it will make you appear more normal. I also agree that this can lead to animosity on both sides and this can lead to hatred of whole races/religions/cultures ect. This is what happened in the Holocaust and continues to happen in the world even today. Some stereotypes may be in good humour but it always hurts someone, no matter what. This is why stereotypes is a big fuel source for many conflicts in the world.
Being open minded is very difficult to do but if you are willing to learn more about people who are different from ypurself, this is the first step towards being more accepting of others.
Jenny, I agree when you said that stereotyping does mean you are racist, sexist etc. It is true because stereotyping is when you ae making a comment on someones race or sex.
DeleteRacism is so ridiculous, and I know as a Christian, and Caucasian man that most people think that I wouldn't fully understand being stereotype. The answer I do know I'm from the Southern tip of Illinois, and when moved to Minnesota I did have a slight Southern drawl, and I was picked on for it in middle school, fortunately I was able grow out of my drawl from being surrounded my Minnesotans, I lost my drawl. People that are picked on from the way they look or even down to what color of skin they have, don't have the opportunity to change. Yes there are surgeries that are available, but I feel why change who you are to please someone else. "Stand up for what you believe in, even of your standing alone"(Unknown)people are who they are and that makes them, who they are.
ReplyDeleteThere are very few stereotypes that are truly only used in a positive, and to be honest I can't even think of one! That's said, because we as the younger generation grew up with the media when it was starting to BOOM! As seen through the website, all of those videos were being used to entertain, but I know we all laugh at some type of stereotypical jokes, or slurs, myself included. As I get older, I realize that we laugh at other people's culture, looks, choices, and religion, and sometimes I see these in real life, people laughing at this stuff, and when we really look at something in educational side, we all know that it's wrong, but I've always been afraid at times to say that's not right.
I AM RACIST, SEXIST, and everything that can be categorized under racist or prejudice. I'm not happy about this about in my first few years in high school I made fun of everyone for anything, until one day when i got into serious trouble about it, fortunately the person I used to make fun of, him and I grew very close and we are great friends now, but what if we weren't? I ask myself that all the time!
To educate myself further in racial, and prejudicial things, I could befriend more people of different backgrounds and interests than myself. I'm a people person so surrounding myself around others that are different Ill learn way more than I would be able to from a book.
Kris,
DeleteIt was really cool how you opened to the class about yourself on here. That takes alot of courage and i'm not sure if i could do it myself. It's really nice to see others opening themselves up and admitting their weaknesses. In a weird way, it is helping me open myself up too. Being open minded is way harder than I thought it would be.
Kris,
DeleteI can totally agree with you on the whole being picked on part because your different. Not being accepted for who you are is the worst thing ever!! When I was younger in middle school till the peak of high school I was given a really hard time about being half asian. I admire you for being so open about what happened to you when you yourself moved here from Illinois. How you mention that you want to educate yourself by becoming friends with others with different backgrounds is awesome and ou had very well input. You admitted that you were sexist, racist and stuff and like Monica mentioned in class and I do believe that will open your mind to grow and expand more. Your an awesome classmate to have and you always have great input. Keep it up:)
I felt the website did a good job of explaining that while the stereotypes do exist, they don’t, and shouldn’t be applied to an entire population like many people do. For example, one of the stereotypes shown on the website was that white people don’t have rhythm. Some white people may not have rhythm or excellent dance skills, but the same goes for any other nationality. There is always going to be a variety of abilities expressed in every culture. It isn’t fair to say every single person who is one certain nationality is the exact same. It isn’t true, and it can be very offensive. Overall, I feel the website was helpful. It wasn’t saying the stereotypes were true, or endorsing them in any way, but rather it was showing that we shouldn’t always sum up an entire country or ethnicity into one stereotype. Stereotypes can become harmful when they are used to describe people in a negative light. As one of the videos showed, riots can erupt when stereotypes are taken too far, which is dangerous for everyone involved. In order to get past the stereotypes, it is most important to go ahead and actually learn about the different cultures, countries, nationalities, etc. When we take the time to learn what they are about, their values, and what they believe, it makes it easier for us to understand who they really are, not just what the stereotypes tell us. In addition, we learn that people are individuals, and they should be viewed as such, no matter what a stereotype might say.
ReplyDeleteI found this website very helpful because it really sheds light on common stereotypes that occur in modern society. I know that I have definately heard of a lot of these stereotypes in either media or just history in general.
ReplyDeleteI think that stereotypes can become dangerous from a variety of sources. The media definately plays up the stereotypes of different races/religions/cultures. Like an example that Kris used in class about an episode of Spongebob that compared Squidward to a Jewish man because of his nose. Little kids watch this and who knows they may learn to accept it. This can escalate stereotypes very quickly. Also like shown in the KKK video, stereotypes can become dangerous especially when ideas come into play. Organizations such as the KKK used common stereotypes to try and convince others to believe the same and then they can persuade them to fight for their cause.
To educate myself more about race, gender, sexual orientation, and religion, I could try to open myself up and become open-minded about other peoples' beliefs. I could join a cultural diversity group on campus or in the community and try and volunteer in different organizations that can help broaden my knowledge of cultures different than mine. Even though we all have been subjected to some sort of stereotypes, we are all responsible for making it not hurtful towards all people. It will not be easy but it could make the world a better place.
Emily,
DeleteIt is sadly true. The media does play a huge role on we think about anything. We see these negative reports about a few people from a certain race, religion, or sexual orientation, and we go with it thinking that everyone from that race, religion or sexual orientation is bad. It is sickening our the media controls our economy, at least in this negative way.
I totally agree I blame the media people for stereotyping people. They put wrong information about different people from social, ethnic, religious background so that they could entertain and fill out there pocket. I personally don’t blame people even though I am mad about it because if people knew the true other people from different origins they would not stereotype. People are just misinformed that is what I am trying to say.
DeleteI personally think that stereotyping people is wrong and disrespectful even though some people considerate it as entertainment. The reason why I am saying this is because as an international student I have been stereotyped a couple times recently. Although some of the stereotype weren't harmful and disrespectful some of it was but I don’t blame people for it because they don’t know my country and my culture and that in some way it’s up to me to teach them about it.
ReplyDeleteThere is no point to stereotypes and definately no need for it. I consider it basically a type of bullying. Calling a certain culture/race a derogatory term is making fun of them and calling them something they do not want to be called. Since I live in Canada I get stereotyped but I dont think it is in a bad way at all! As soon as I walked into international orientation everyone asked where I was from. I told them Canada and guess what the first thing everyone asked me. "Do you play hockey? I laughed and thought it was funny beacuse hockey is Canadas national sport and I actually do play it. But people from Canada that dont play hockey dont find it offensive when they are asked this but they get rather annoyed. Just because we live in Canada the rest of the world assumes we automatically play hockey. Thats just a basic example of stereotypes. Stereoypes become dangerous when people seriously become affected. What I can do to educate myself about these things is go out into the world and lear about other peoples. I will communicate with other people from different cultures and learn all about them.
ReplyDeleteIn todays society, it seems like no one is safe from stereotypical judgement. But when this becomes life threatening, thats when it has gone to far. People have grown up learning something stereotypical without even knowing it was offensive to someone until they mature and learn this topic throughly. People use it for comedic purposes, usually those from that ethnic background, and some people use it to emotional damage others. No matter where you look or what you here, it seems like stereotyping is a structure in society, as sad as that sounds.
ReplyDeleteThe videos on the other website I watched and noticed a few stereotypical comments. Some like the Austin powers video I really did not notice the problem till I read the caption. Reason for that is as I grow up I barely notice the small stereotypes. Unless it was like emphasized and clearly stated saying, "hey, this ethnicity/Gender/religion/Sexual Orientation is this good/bad at this" or "This ethnicity/Gender/religion/Sexual Orientation has this feature". Now Im more than likely not alone on this, but we all are descendants of some culture or country. Me, as noticeable as it is, is from hispanic ethnicity. Hearing things against Mexicans that there lazy, poor, drug dealers, and so on, I take offense because I know that not all Mexicans are such. All I think is that we should do is notice that EVERYONE, no matter what Race/gender/religion/sexual orientation, are different, smart, or good at things, in there own way.
The video was very helpful in addressing stereotypes. I liked the ones we watched in class on Tuesday as well. The Redneck Woman video was my favorite because it describes me almost perfectly. I think stereotypes are stupid and I wish they didn't exist. They describe a small group of people, and it is only a part of their life. And most of the time, they are used for nothing but hurting people. I don't think I have ever really heard a stereotype being used in a positive way other than when someone is talking about themselves. It is just another way to pick apart someone else's life and that isn't right. To educate myself, I can learn as much as I can about a group being stereotyped against and then I will be able to look past the stereotypes and be able to see through them.
ReplyDeleteI thought that this website was helpful because it showed videos of stereo types that helped show viewers just how ridiculous stereotypes are but the website also gave an explanation about the stereo-type and why it isn't true. I think that stereotypes become dangerous when they are used to hurt others in so many ways. I also think that stereotypes can be dangerous from the beginning cause even though you think that it may not offend someone you know if you say something to them that they find offensive. But who knows maybe the person will take what ever you say and run with it. A way that I think that we can all be open to others differences and to educate ourselves with multiple things is to seriously open up to others. I think that getting to know people really helps no matter how different they are than you and joining groups or clubs.. going to different community meetings all these things can help educate one on all these things. We can also take a chance to learn about everything and it will hopefully open the eyes of many.
ReplyDeleteI thought this website was very helpful in pointing out many of the main stereotypes that come to mind when people hear the word stereotype. I think it was very helpful because it explains how the stereotypes are not true with facts to back the points up. Some when they are explained you can realize just how out of proportion they are.
ReplyDeleteStereotypes become dangerous when they become offensive to a specific group of people when said on purpose. They also become dangerous when people use the stereotype to try and hurt people or force them to suffer verbal abuse by using them against the person. To educate yourself about all the types of stereotypes using race, gender, sexual orientation, and religion you can watch videos about the people and what they believe and how they really are not always that much different than your own beliefs. Also, you can ask people that are different in these ways from you what makes them different from you if there is any difference at all. But most importantly, you need to see them in their shoes and you need to understand that everyone has equal rights as a human being. The best way to make sure stereotypes do not take place is to get to know the person before judging them.
This website shared with us why many people use these stereotypes but it had some reasons why people shouldn’t believe them. As it brought up the most well-known stereotypes it also explained what was wrong with them.
ReplyDeleteI think stereotypes arise because we see the imperfections and disadvantages of other cultures and make judgments based on those observations. Stereotypes become dangerous when our judgments of the other cultures disadvantages and imperfections turn to hatred toward them.
In order for me to develop and understanding about race, gender, sexual orientation, and religion, I’ve learned that I must first accept the fact that I am racist, sexist and etc. Everyone is entitled to his/her own opinions and should not be criticized for practicing their rights. After understanding this, I can practice my ability to be open-minded and see that any culture is not inferior or superior to my own; rather it is equal. I think when we get to know someone; it really helps, no matter how different they are than you. We can also open up our minds so much to learn about everything and it will hopefully open the eyes of others.
I can see what you mean when you say it did not really help you out that much because you already knew about the majority of them. But I can see why not many people do not really think of the native americans and gambling stereotype. In roseau, this is a major stereotype since there are 3 or 4 casinos all run by tribes within 2-3 hours driving. And sadly to not help out the natives cause for this stereotype, people tend to notice them more than they do the Caucasian people that are there. I really like when you bring up the great facts about how the media spreads the stereotypes to people faster than word of mouth ever could.
ReplyDeleteAustin,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you on the website, the enlightenment was the most profound part. I mean we all have some stereotypical tendencies towards a certain of people and groups. Unfortunately, this is life and we can only control what are actions are after we have those thoughts.
Paul,
ReplyDeleteI agree with your stance on the videos. They are taking them back and laughing at them to show how ridiculous they really are and how it is obvious that not all people in that group are that way. There are exceptions to everything, especially stereotypes. However, as you mentioned, there are people out there that aren’t aware of each of these stereotypes and may take the new knowledge the wrong way. Also, those that aren’t educated may not realize that the videos are there to make fun of the fact that the stereotypes are ridiculous. They might find them to be true and funny in the sense that they are making fun of that certain group of people. What we can do is to make sure that we realize that there are stereotypes out there that are intended to hurt people and understand.
Mitch,
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with what you said about there being many different stereotypes. People can make them up about virtually any gender, race, ethnicity, socio-economic status, you name it. There are so many out there, and I don’t think any of them actually make people feel better about themselves, or glad to be described with a stereotype. You talked about how we learn stereotypes from previous generations, and I think that’s spot on. We learn so much from the way our parents, grandparents, and guardians act, and sometimes we don’t think there’s anything wrong with it because we are so used to it. I think your idea of joining a culturally diverse club would be an excellent way to learn more about the way different cultures are without the use of stereotypes.