Reply #2: 'stereotype' defined: [View All]

[Deja Q]

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&oi=defmore&q=define:Stereotype

An author's method of treating a character so that the character is immediately identified with a group. A character may be associated with a group through accent, food choices, style of dress, or any readily identifiable group characteristic. Examples are the rugged cowboy, the bearded psychiatrist, and the scarred villain. A criticism leveled at TV drama is that those who produce such dramas use outdated or negative qualities of groups to stereotype individuals. Ignoring the group's positive qualities, they perpetuate and strengthen the group's negative image in the minds of viewers. Some examples are: the Jewish accountant, the corrupt politician

Biased generalizations about a group based on hearsay, opinions, and distorted, preconceived ideas.

A stereotype is a popularly held belief about a type of person or a group of people which does not take into account individual differences.

Stereotypes are representations of people that rely on preconceived ideas about the group that person is perceived as belonging to. It is assumed that an individual shares personal characteristics with other members of that group eg blondes are all stupid, accountants are all boring. Although using stereotypes saves a lot of explanation within a text, it can be a very lazy method of characterisation. Stereotypes may be considered dangerous, as they encourage audiences to think large groups of people are all the same, and often have the same negative characteristics.

A character who represents or stands for many like him/herself in society

(link has many more)


I'd like to know how stereotypes can be removed from the collective psyche of society. Maybe that would resolve these problems once and for all. It's not one religious ideology. It's greed that engenders power, which in turn engenders greed. Jews hardly have a monopoly on this. (and when I talk about the wealthy, many people summarily decide I'm anti-semitic. :eyes: Gee, who's the bigoted one? It isn't me.)