Dyer made it clear in ‘The Role of Stereotypes” that stereotypes claim that there are distinct markers between certain kinds of individuals, whether it is by race, class, or another situation; however, in reality, these distinct differences do not exist. Who can accurately judge the differences between people by their appearance or speech, as we do in television and other forms of media? Stereotypes are basic, easily understood ways of defining people. Dyer said that stereotypes “insist on boundaries exactly at those points where in reality there are none.”
In media such as movies or television, Dyer says, ‘the type’ is often used, which is a one-dimensional character who basically just represents a stereotype. A novelistic character is one who is more complex and more deeply developed, which is ultimately a more realistic representation of an individual.
Type characters are often the dumb blonde, the jock, the nerd, the outcast, and so on. In a lot of shows, they try to give another angle to a type character, by giving them a sensitive side or another angle to add depth. In the TV show “Beauty and the Geek,” all of the contestants are stereotypes. The guys are all socially awkward geeks, while the girls are beautiful but stupid. The show tries to alter the stereotypes, but once the label is there they are all mostly type characters. The girl in this clip for “Beauty and the Geek” is a perfect example of a dumb blonde stereotype and that is exactly why they used her for the show. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1Wk79MFMV8
Even though it is a reality show, I think we can assume that much of it is scripted. So, is it true that there are no distinct boundaries like the ones assumed in social stereotypes? Everyone they picked for “Beauty and the Geek” seems to fit perfectly in the geek and the dumb blonde (or brunette) stereotypes even though they are not fictional characters. I think that through the people they chose and how they told them to behave emphasized the differences between them, making the stereotypical boundaries seem fairly realistic.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
Here, we seem to get into that "self-fulfilling prophecy" territory. Once stereotypes are established, they often determine what aspects of reality we see. So, if I'm convinced that women are bad drivers, I am apt to notice all the bad-driving women and to ignore the many women who are excellent drivers, while doing the opposite for males. I wonder how many blond girls actually learn to embody the stereotype as a way of being accepted and understood? What if even parents are affected by the stereotypes, coming down on their blond daughters whenever they make any basic human mistakes and making them especially aware of how "stupid" they are.
Post a Comment