We live in a society that is awash with stereotypes. It is difficult to imagine of a group of people in society that does not have any stereotype associated with them (Devine1989, pp.5-8). There are stereotypes about tall men, short men, tall women, short women, African American men, Caucasian men, Hispanics, priests, and teachers (Brown & Josephs1999, pp.246-247). Stereotypes are subjective and unverifiable opinions about an individual or a group of persons (Bargh, Chen & Burrows1996,pp.231-236).In this essay, stereotypes associated with politicians, persons with tattoos, feminists, and senior citizens will be considered. This will be followed by a discussion of whether these groups invoke the same images to all people, the language and rhetoric used to reinforce these stereotypes, whether these stereotypes hold any element of truth in them and how the whole idea of stereotypes applies to me personally.
To start with politicians, the most common stereotype that is associated with them is telling lies. Anytime a politician promises something to the people they are ready to dismiss the promise as mere lies. They only take the politicians seriously once the promise has been fulfilled. To a very high degree, very few people expect politicians to fulfill any of the promises they make. This stereotype is widely held as far as politicians are concerned. It cuts across all regions of the world. Is this the reason why the public is losing enthusiasm in politics? It is safe to assume that due to this stereotype of lies, the members of the public are not willing to listen to politicians anymore because they expect these politicians to be feeding them with nothing other than lies.
Leaving the above aside, there is a common stereotype that politicians are greedy individuals who are out to take all that is available so as to benefit their families and close friends. This stereotype is strong to the extent that any time an individual decides to seek a public office; members of the public conclude that he or she has identified a way in which he or she will benefit personally or those who are close to him or her. In some places, politicians are considered thieves due to the effects of the stereotype of being greedy.
Far from greed, politicians are also considered cunning. The members of the public expect politicians to play all sorts of games so as to get elected to political office. It is true that politicians try to be as convincing as possible. But is being convincing the same as being cunning? Perhaps the public is of the opinion that politicians can play even mischievous games and tricks so as to get elected to public or political office. This is where the aspect of cunningness comes in because anyone who is convincing cannot engage in trickery of mischief. He or she uses reasons to make people see that what he or she is telling them makes sense.
Another stereotype that is widely held about politicians is that they are generous people. The basis for this is the tendency of politicians to give handouts to people with the intention of making them view them positively and therefore vote for them in times of elections. This form of generosity comes with expected returns. It is therefore good to question whether this is actual generosity given that whatever the politician gives out comes with strings attached. Generous individuals give out items without expecting anything in return. This is however not the case with politicians.
Far from politicians, persons with tattoos are considered extremists. Under normal circumstances, when one holds an opinion about a certain topic, the opinion is expressed by speech and the beliefs held in one’s heart. But the fact that other people go as far as having their bodies tattooed so as to convey what they belief in means that they are at the far end of the spectrum as far as their beliefs in some aspects are concerned. The other reason as to why this stereotype of being extremists may be prevalent in society is the view that tattoos are made on the body through a painful process. Therefore anyone who is able to go through all the pain so as to send a certain message is in a class of his or her own that is characterized by passion and dedication.
Tattooed person are also considered rebellious and sometimes violent. The rebel stereotype emanates from the thinking that normal people in society are not supposed to have tattoos on their bodies unless it is a cultural requirement. But the fact that these people are willing to move forward and do what the rest of the society considers abnormal is a sign that these people are willing to go against society. This is a rebellious display. The aspect of being violent is most likely a misconception; like most stereotypes are given the fact that there are tattooed people who are never violent while there are people without tattoos who are extremely violent.
Feminists on their part are seen as strong or tough and opinionated (Spitzer, Henderson, & Zavian1999, pp.545-549).The picture of a woman in society is that of a calm and quiet individual who does not cause any disturbance. But feminists are known for standing up against what they consider unfair treatment of women by society. They are not afraid to air their views and can do all that it takes to achieve their goals (Crawford & Unger2004, pp.45-47).This is the root of the stereotype of being tough. They are also seen as being combative due to the fact that they are not afraid to face anyone including men if this is what it will take to earn their position in society.
Far from feminists, senior citizens are seen as being weak, wise and calculative. The weakness stereotype is based on the fact they are old and therefore their muscles are worn out and their energy is no more. The wisdom part is also a product of age in that having lived for long, the experience is assumed to have made them wiser. The age factor is also responsible for the stereotype of being calculative. Whether all old people are wise and calculative is a different topic altogether.
It is good to point out that these groups do not invoke the same image to all people. There are sections of society that have different opinions about these groups of people. However, a huge section of society is inclined to think along the stereotypes discussed above. Different language and rhetoric is also used in reinforcing the above stereotypes. Politicians are termed as grabbers, tattooed individuals are considered outcasts, feminists are commonly referred to as bitches while senior citizens are said to have seen and had it all. These stereotypes are not entirely false in that some aspects are true.
At a personal level, it is possible that I am a victim of stereotypes. I am fond of computers and a great fan of reading; characteristics that are used to stereotype people as being shy, sharp and witty. I also have the tendency to stereotype people based on their professions. I view politicians as cunning, feminists as tough and tattooed people as bold and daring.
In conclusion, stereotypes are commonplace. They are sometimes true in that they reflect elements of character that are exhibited by the people concerned. Politicians, feminists, people with tattoos and senior citizens have their stereotypes too as discussed above. I am also trapped in this ring of stereotypes.
References
- Bargh, J. A., Chen, M., & Burrows, L. (1996). Automaticity of Social Behavior: Direct Effects of Trait Construct and Stereotype Activation on Action. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 71, 230-244.
- Brown, R. P. & Josephs, R. A. (1999). A Burden Of Proof: Stereotype Relevance and Gender Differences in Math Performance. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 76, 246-257.
- Crawford, M. & Unger, R. (2004). Women and Gender: A Feminist Psychology. McGraw Hill New York. New York.
- Devine, P. G. (1989). Stereotypes and Prejudice: Their Automatic and Controlled Components. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 56, 5-18.
- Spitzer, B.L., Henderson, K, A., & Zavian, M. T. (1999). Gender Differences In Population versus Media Body Sizes: A Comparison Over Four Decades. Sex Roles, 40, 545-565.