Stereotypes

I must admit that I came down with bronchitis just around the time that this assignment was given and am just now starting to play catch up. If this post isn’t what it should be, I apologize.

Lippman defines a stereotype as an “ordered, more or less consistent picture of the world, to which our habits, our tastes, our capacities, our comforts and our hopes have adjusted themselves.”A stereotype as defined by Dictionary.com is “a simplified and standardized conception or image invested with special meaning and held in common by members of a group.” As we learned in class, the original working definition was actually a copy of an archetype for printing. It is easy to see how today’s interpretation of the word evolved.

Stereotypes exist primarily (I believe) as an easy way to classify people or things quickly. When you hear the word “Florida” what springs to mind? Oranges, beaches, old people, hanging chads, and for history buffs, Andrew Jackson. Of course, there is more to the state than just these things, but if we were to describe it to someone who didn’t know, we may start off by using these ideas. In another vein, stereotypes can be very negative, such as when categorizing ethnicities or nationalities. Every race and creed has a stereotype, resulting in a simplified and under-educated view of that race or creed, which can lead to hostility and discrimination.

In regards to what we have learned in class, stereotypes represent the “pictures in our heads,” or what our pre-conceived notions tell us. They can be used by those in power to implement their will (think antebellum Southern US) or to merely maintain the status quo.