Piali made an interesting point in class on Monday that has really got me thinking. It wasn’t something incredibly novel, but hearing it out loud in words rather than just knowing it made a huge difference to me. The point I’m referring to was made in reference to her “The Office” clip. She said that even though we may not personally believe in certain stereotypes, we are always aware of them. I’ve been trying to decide if I think this awareness that we all have of stereotypes is a good thing or a bad thing; I think it could easily be argued either way. On one hand, being aware of stereotypes seems like it is the first step to moving beyond them. If we can acknowledge the ‘givens’, then we can work to move past them, adjust our thoughts and actions so that the common stereotype is not something we believe or represent. On the other hand, it seems like our awareness of these stereotypes is the exact thing that is perpetuating them. Children, for example, are often unaware of stereotypes. Perhaps it is this lack of awareness that allows them to see one another as equals without noticing differences. The earlier part of Ashley’s clip demonstrates the naivety of young children to prescribed gender roles: the girl and boy interact with one another without being aware that they are different. It is only when they become aware of these differences that they assume their stereotypical roles and poke fun at one another.
So again, the question I’m posing is, If we want to move past stereotyping, is it better to acknowledge their existence or be blind to them? I don’t want to think that it’s too late for us to change the function and prevalence of stereotypes in our society, but personally, I can’t help but think that maybe these stereotypes already play too big a role in society for us to lose awareness of them. Maybe it’s too late for us, but not for generations to come. Is it possible to raise our children to be unaware or the biases and generalizations that are so common in our society? And if it is, would it even make a difference?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
I think this is a great question you bring up. Michal brought up something we had discussed before in reference to the "Invisible Knapsack" reading, that the first step is to realize that these differences and biases exist and then we can begin to dismantle them. For the most part I agree. To pretend that they do not exist I think is idealistic and a bit naive. Children do seem the most distant from these stereotypes, but not for long. They begin to pick on one another, not because they necessarily know society's stereotypes, but because they see that others are different from them. I think in order to truly rid stereotypical behavior towards people is to be taught at a young age. I don't think it's too late for us, but I do think we must breakdown this unspoken caste system based on sex and race.
I don't think that we should pretend that these biases and stereotypes do not exist; however, I do not think we have to acknowledge specific ones. This may sound ignorant, but before I had seen that Office episode, I had no idea of the stereotype that Asians are bad drivers. Ever since that episode, however, I have seen and heard specific instances of this stereotype being perpetuated, and whether I believe it or not, it has invaded my consciousness. I personally believe that future generations should not be ignorant of the injustices served upon many groups in society, but maybe these injustices can be presented in a way (kind of like satire) that reveals their true ridiculousness.
The idea that we are always aware of certain stereotypes, even if we may not personally believe in them, reminds me of an activity I did in my religion class this semester. The activity, entitled "First Thoughts" was meant to unover the subconscious stereotypes we hold, but that we may not believe in. The class was split into groups of two and each pair was given a cultural group that neither of the two students identified with. Each student was then asked to list off the first words/phrases that came to their mind when they heard the name of the cultural group. Groups our class covered included Christians, conservatives, men, caucasians, and Muslims. After each partner said their words, the pairs shared their lists with the class. Students were allowed to "erase" these stereotypes by defending their cultural group and arguing against the thoughts of others.
I thought the activity was extremely interesting because students were able to let out thoughts and feelings they might not even have known they had. I believe this comes back to your argument of whether or not awarness of stereotypes is a good thing. I believe it is important for people to express what they think of other groups, even subconscious stereotypes that were formed by society. If people hide their feelings, how will they learn that they are wrong? People would not have the chance to hear a cultural group defend itself and "erase" the stereotype.
Post a Comment