The Effect of Social and Cultural Influences on Stereotyping, Essay Example

Outline

Introduction

A However remarkable it seems, it is a fact of reality that more often than otherwise, people’s perceptions, beliefs, behavior and attitudes are shaped by external factors, rather than individual will, reason or logic.

1. People belong to certain cultural and social groups, and they products of those cultures and social groups in which they belong.
2. Cultural and social contexts provide the environment in which people acquire and internalize beliefs and attitudes.  For instance, the association between Islam and terrorism is informed by media stereotyping and cultural bias, which tends to portray Muslims and the Islamic religion as being sympathetic to jihad, which is a form of holy war in Islamic teachings. Consequently, suicide bombings are often viewed as a representation of Islamic teachings about the principles of holy war, which in turn conditions outsiders, especially Westerners and Christians, to view Muslims as terrorists by nature.

Thesis

B Social and cultural influences are the forces that promote cultural and social stereotyping, which In turn shape people’s attitudes, beliefs and social behavior.

Body

C Stereotyping is emerging as a modern trend in the media, work places and among social groups that informs ‘group thinking.’

1. Stereotypes are perceptions/ ways of perceiving that reflect the ideas that a group or groups of people hold regarding others. More often, stereotypes are expressed in characterizing phrases that express notions that people have concerning the dignity, personality or character traits of people who are different from them, leading to negative racial attitudes (Rao, 2000).
2. Stereotypes are informed by cultural biasness, experiences or group differences. For instance, if some Congress members in the Republican Party oppose abortion or the use of contraceptives, all republicans will be labeled as ‘conservatives. On the other hand, Democrats will earn the title ‘liberals’ if they support it. Oprah Winfrey and Tyra Banks are seen as ‘feminists’ because they promote women’s agenda in their TV programs.

D Social and cultural factors such as race and religion promote stereotyping between different cultural groups. For example, because Osama is a terrorist, Arabs and Muslims are widely perceived as terrorists and suicide bombers.  A series of such-like “repeated exposure to information associating members of a social group (e.g., Arab-Muslims) with evaluative attributes (e.g., terrorism) might create automatic attitudes toward them” (Park, Felix and Lee, 2007). Likewise, when affluent Westerners hear of abject poverty, they are often tempted to conjure images of emaciated Africans queuing for relief food.

E Media stereotyping is a direct consequence of cultural/social influences, especially in entertainment, advertisement and news.

1. In the media industry, stereotypes act as codes that provide a quick, shared understanding of a group of people, in terms of their religion, ethnicity or race, socio-economical class, sexuality, gender or occupation (Butsch, 2001).
2. Social and cultural influences encourage collective judgment of groups by creating a generalized conception of groups of people. Media producers, writers, editors and reporters get biased and influenced by their attitudes towards groups of people, their motives and nature of information sources when they try to present an image that is easily recognizable (and sometimes acceptable) to a selected audience (Clark, 2000).
3. When there is limited time to do a thorough and objective research that address specific issues within their respective contexts, players in the media industry craft a generalized view of the issue. For example, when a maniac throws a shoe at President Bush in a press conference in Iraqi, or a group of rioters take to the streets to protest Washington’s foreign policy in Iraqi, the media may reports of ‘anti-West sentiments of the Arab world.’

Conclusion

F Social and cultural influences are powerful attitude and behavior-shaping factors.

1. Socio-cultural factors such as race and gender influence the way people regard others, especially those from other cultural backgrounds.
2. Social and cultural influences are visible in the media, where media portrayal of cultural groups in informed by stereotypes.

References

Butsch, R. (2001). “Class and Audience Effects: A History of Research on Movies, Radio and Television.” Journal of Popular Film & Television. New York: Helen Dwight Reid Educational Foundation. Retrieved September 6, 2011 <http://iipa.chadwyck.com.ezproxy.library.wisc.edu/quick/displayMultiItem.do?Multi=yes&ResultsID=1269DAB57BE&&QueryName=articles&ItemNumber=1&ItemID=iipa00166296&FormatType=raw&journalID=JID01956051&logType=fulltext

Clark, S. F. (2000). Up Against the Ropes: Peter Jackson as “Uncle Tom” in America. New York: MIT Press. Retrieved September 6, 2011 < http://iipa.chadwyck.com.ezproxy.library.wisc.edu/quick/displayMultiItem.do?Multi=yes&ResultsID=1269DAB57BE&&QueryName=articles&ItemNumber=4&ItemID=iipa00134956&journalID=JID10542043

Lazcano, O. (2003). “Gender stereotype-like indicators of work organization in factories of the

Puebla and Tlaxcala states in Mexico” International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics Vol. 31 No. 3. [Elsevier Science].Retrieved September 6, 2011< http://apps.isiknowledge.com.ezproxy.library.wisc.edu/full_record.do?product=WOS&search_mode=GeneralSearch&qid=1&SID=4B4fG4B32NhCjH3Abmh&page=1&doc=6

Park, J., Felix, K., Lee, G. (2007). “Implicit attitudes towards Arab-Muslims and the Moderating

Effects of Social information” Basic and Applied Social Psychology. Philadelphia: Lawrence Erlbaum Assoc Inc-Taylor & Francis. September 6, 2011 < http://apps.isiknowledge.com.ezproxy.library.wisc.edu/full_record.do?product=WOS&search_mode=GeneralSearch&qid=8&SID=4EDCHCLLOI7aeKjPbBf&page=1&doc=4

Rao, N. W. (2000). Racial Essences and Historical Invisibility: Chinese Opera in New York, 1930 Cambridge Opera Journal, Vol. 12 (2). Retrieved September 6, 2011<http://www.jstor.org/pss/3250710