Stereotypes
Shohat and stam tell us that stereotypes stem from patterns of prejudice towards particular ethnic groups. These stereotypes are reaffirmed by the media with constant negative images. A local example is the programme Police Ten 7 where the majority of arrests on this programme are Maori or Pacific Island men. This continuous portrayal of “brown” males being arrested leads to negative stereotyping: that it is not just these individuals but the entire ethnicity that are a bunch of criminals.
It has been found by social psychologist that stereotypes about a particular ethnicity affect our attitudes towards these groups. One study in America found that jurors who had negative stereotypes towards Hyspanic people would be more likely to convict a suspect of Hyspanic desent then an individual from any another ethnicity. These results where found even when the evidence was specifically designed to be inconclusive. These racial stereotypes are clearly damaging to ethnic groups as a whole and lead to discrimnination of minorities.
Although this is a problem in society, stereotypes are not seen as an error of perception but are assumed to be accurate when infact they are not. This is a frustrating thought when I am a Maori and a member of a minority in New Zealand.
posted by Peace @ 9:26 PM
2 Comments
2 Comments:
From reading your blog i clearly agree with your concept of negative stereotypes towards particular specific ethnic groups,it could be quite damaging for some. It does not only portray PI and Maori but it also extends to Asians as bad drivers and as in lecture, how Muslims are seen as terrorists.
But i think if we look twice at it, we as Pacific Islanders or Maoris could take a second positive view on it. Recently i saw an interesting part of Shortland Street where it concentrated on the fact that Maori can gain special advantages in tertiary eduction wheres Pakeha's there are no special considerations. If any of yous are Shorty fans, you would maybe remember this series where the new doctor gave TK a hard time just becuase he was able to gain advantage while they were in med school together.
I remembered this part of Shortland Street during the stereotype lecture because a positive thought came to mind. Maybe its rare to view this issue in this particular way but even though we (PI and Maori) people are viewed in society as criminals etc but when it comes to tertiary education, we're also viewed as having lower grades or we're the minority groups that are unlikely to attend tertiary education. From this we can take it as being a positive thing, we have an easy way in and we can go further while others can't. Examples would be the PI and Maori Quotas in Law or Med School.
But i think at the end it would be up to you on your view of this issue. Do you think this is necessarily an advantage to us the minority PI or Maori or its another step towards negative stereotyping??
Positive benefit from being so disadvataged, which doesn't address the race related stereotypes, in fact it only increases them. There are very few brown faces in law school, when someone walks by everyone assumes that person to have gotten in under the quota. It undermines those who have wrked hard to get into those positions. So maybe it being personally it could be postivie but it does nothing to bridge race relations.
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