Stereotype

Stereotypes are generalized beliefs about a particular group or class of people (Cardwell, 234). They can either be positive or negative. Positive stereotypes are however rare as most of the stereotypes are usually used to convey negative impressions about the group. According to psychology stereotypes are used to simplify social world by ignoring individual characteristics or abilities of a person and assuming that all members of a certain group mostly categorized by ethnic and race possess same characteristics.
In a documentary ‘Ethnic Notion’ Dizzies has compiled examples of stereotypes and materials that have highly contributed in spreading the myths. For instance, people of the black race are perceived to be brutal or violent compared to their counterparts of the white race. This was usually portrayed by movies and television shows they were mostly played by whites disguised as blacks with black makeup on their faces CITATION Diz15 p “, 1” l 1033 (Dizzies , 1). Most of the times if not always, stereotypes are used to favor the ethnic of the beholder and to justify their actions towards other (McLeod, 56). Stereotypes are often spread through different types of media such us TV shows like ‘Rhapsody in Black & Blue’ in 1932 portraying black man as childish, lazy and carefree, and was only interested in food, music and dance, movies like The Birth of a Nation a film that portrayed blacks a savages who were always seen chasing white virgins where the white ladies preferred committing suicide to being caught by the savages.

These images and motion films justified the slavery and discrimination of the black man and his not only his place in the society as an inferior being but also justified segregating them and even killed them CITATION Diz15 p “, 1” l 1033 (Dizzies , 1).
Over the years, stereotypes have been used to deny people of a certain group or ethnic backgrounds equal rights in political, economic or social institutions due to some widespread myths. In other words, stereotypes are not always simple myths or misconceptions about a group, but can actually function as part of a larger social system. For example, if those in power wanted to restrict a group’s political rights, they might promote a stereotype of that group as being irresponsible or untrustworthy and thus not deserving of those rights (Cardwell, 234).
A good example of this would apply to the civil war in Southern United States America. The former slaves were freed but their former masters the whites were not ready to welcome them into their society. Through the use of images such as the happy face of Sambo, the whites spread the myth that slavery was good for slaves and the slaves who were blacks were happy to serve the whites. This justified slavery at a time when others were fighting to abolish slavery. People like Zip Coon through his artistic work of acting spread the message that blacks were not ready and had failed to adapt to freedom since they were savages and overwhelmed by emancipation CITATION Diz15 p “, 1” l 1033 (Dizzies , 1). By doing this, they managed to introduce Jim Crow laws and won support from the ignorant majority in small towns who had never interacted or even seen a black person and only relied on what they were told by the elite. The law simply mandated racial segregation of public institutions between the African Americans on the one hand and the White Americans on the other. The African Americans were poorly maintained and underfunded. This law remained in action until 1965, when the Supreme Court of the United States made a landmark ruling to abolish it (Cardwell, 234).
Another example is Africa during the colonial. After the scramble and partition for Africa, the Europeans spread the perception that Africans were inferior. They believed that Africans could not be allowed to access certain privileges such as being promoted to certain ranks in the army and could only serve well as guards commanded by the whites (McLeod, 56). For instance, in Kenya, natives were restricted to the number of animals to keep and if anyone wished to have more than the allowed number, they were supposed to pay tax for each extra animal they have. Africans were not allowed to move freely to certain locations or during odd hours, and if one wished to do so, they were supposed to have a certain type of identification.
In summary, stereotypes are not just simple myths. They have been used in the society to justify the worst atrocities such as slavery and murder. Media played and still consciously or subconsciously plays a major role in spreading stereotypes against people of different ethnic groups class or even race. This is done through the use of entertainment materials such as cartoons, movies, magazines and journal among others CITATION Diz15 p “, 1” l 1033 (Dizzies , 1).
Work Cited
Cardwell, Mike. Dictionary of psychology. Routledge, 2014. Print
Dizzies. Ethnic Notion. You Tube website, 2016. http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1afav8_ethnic-notions_news
McLeod, Saul. “Stereotypes. Simple Psychology.” (2008). Print