Stereotyping

Today in Mr Smiths 'theory Tuesday' lesson i have learnt about theories based on stereotyping and some theorist that relate to this. The importance of stereotypes in texts is to represent individual people as belonging to something within society that a specific audience can relate to therefore presenting the Roland Barthes cultural code. Tessa Perkins studied stereotypes in 1997 and defines them as group concepts, she came up with nine of these.

1. They are not always false: e.g. cowboys do wear cowboy hats. The interesting question is to what extent social groups consciously adopt stereotypical signs in order to identify themselves, and to what extent the mass media orchestrate or amplify these deliberate social acts of communication.

2. Stereotypes can, at least in part, be positive: Germans are stereotypically efficient, the French great lovers, black people good at sport etc. However, these are always backhanded compliments - the Germans may be seen as ruthlessly efficient.

3. They can be held about one's own social groups: The English several stereotypical images of themselves.

4. They are not always concerned with oppressed groups: There are stereotypes of aristocrats as arrogant, Americans as loud and brash.

5. They are not always about minority groups of which we have little direct experience: stereotypes of women and men, with whom we all have experience, are widespread.

6. They can be simple and complex at the same time: the 'dumb blond' stereotype, of which Marilyn Monroe was the most famous representative, paradoxically combines lack of intelligence and wit; child-like innocence, and sexuality;p naivety with the power to manipulate, an exploited subordinate position and cult status.

7. They are not rigid or unchanging - stereotypes evolve and adapt since they relate to struggles around power, which may differ in scale and change over time.

8. We do not simply 'believe' or 'disbelieve' in stereotypes: they can 'work' for us or communicate to us without our necessarily 'agreeing' with them.

9. They do not necessarily influence our behaviour and attitudes: it is possible to 'hold' a stereotype without believing it to be true. The reaction of the viewer to a stereotype will depend on a complex set of social, historical and individual experiences.

In 1979 five assumptions of stereotyping were made however then are open to be challenged:
-not always negative
-not always about minority groups or the less powerful
-they can be held about one's own group
-not rigid or unchanging
-not always false.

(example of representation through stereotypes) - sigur ros - hoppipolla

This music video contains an interesting narrative throughout which is presented through the several characters. They producer has deliberately chosen an elderly populated cast and dressed them in youthful clothing. The presentation used around these characters is typical of a role reversal, the stereotype that is typically given to the older generation is that they are slow, quiet, lack of mobility, blank expressions; however this video replaces this stereotype with a youthful stereotype which is shown throughout the actions or the characters and events they take part in. In conclusion it cleverly presents ordinary scenes that any age group can relate to however this is demonstrated in the bodies of grandparents, the effect of this grips the audience as it is such an unusual sight, though this is only because of the stereotypes that we as an audience are lead to believe.