An Essay: Stereotypes

Stereotypes are biased opinions, which one group of people has towards another. The primary problem with stereotypes, however, lies in the fact that they do not project themselves as opinions but, instead, are presented incontrovertible facts. Indeed, as Hinton (1993) maintains, “stereotyping can be seen as a more extreme form of typing where we see a whole group of people as homogeneous, with the same characteristics” (65). In general, stereotypes derive from behaviours, which may be observed in one, or a few members, of a particular group by members of another group. Instead of presenting those behaviours as having been observed in a minority, they are projected as being particular to the entire group and, indeed, as being immutable social and psychological characteristics. Over time, people come to believe these stereotypes as literal representations of an undeniable reality and, accordingly, perceive of and treat members of the stereotyped group from within the confines of these biased opinions. The United States, despite its being a heterogeneous, pluralistic society with a supposedly liberal and multicultural society, is a virtual hotbed of stereotypes. There is hardly an ethnic, racial, religious, or cultural group in the US, which is not defined in accordance with a set of, often unflattering and negative, stereotypes. Indeed, as Slotkin (2001 maintains, the entire notion of the “melting pot”, let alone that of the “many as one”, is nothing but a myth (469). The various ethnic, racial, religious and culture groups in the country have not melted into one another and are, most definitely, not one. They are separated by each group’s belief in its own difference from the others and by stereotypes, which effectively determine the manner in which each group will be perceived of by the others; stereotypes, which are ultimately founded upon the exaggerated representation of differences. According to Aleiss (1995) among the many stereotyped groups in the United

References: Aleiss, A. (1995). “Prelude to World War II: Racial Unity and the Hollywood Indian”. Journal of American Culture Dower, J.W. (1987). War Without Mercy: Race and Power in the Pacific War. NY: Pantheon. Haan, R. L. (1973). “Another example of stereotypes on the Early American Frontier: The imperialist historian and the American Indian” Hinton, P. (1993). The Psychology of Interpersonal Perception. London: Routledge. Mieder, W. (1993). “The only good Indian is a dead Indian: History and meaning of a proverbial stereotype” Sandberg, B. (2006). “Beyond encounters: Religion, ethnicity, and violence in the early modern Atlantic world” Slotkin, R. (2001). “Unit pride: Ethnic platoons and the myths of American nationality”. American Literary History, 13(3), 469-498. Todorov, T. (1984). The Conquest of America: The Question of the Other. NY: Harper & Row.