The Use of Language in Destructive Stereotypes

Language expresses views on race and gender because often times people will put their opinions on these such topics into their language.  This same language shapes the way that people view race and gender.  When people are surrounded by language that constantly throws different opinions on race and gender around, they are pressured into taking a side.  In an instance where there is a group of opinions that is the majority, people are pressured into taking the side of the majority.  This expression of language and the way it shapes views also applies to the discrimination of blacks in America from colonial times until the Civil Rights Movement.  Many racist opinions commonly existed in language during those times and it influenced the views of those that read or heard that racist language to also discriminate against the blacks.  It was an ongoing vicious cycle of the expression of racist views, increasing amounts of people adopting those racist views, and the blacks being further oppressed by those racist views.

Even today, media and entertainment still perpetuate and strengthen destructive stereotypes on race and gender.  “Aladdin,” a popular Disney movie, portrays Arabic people as being aggressive and brutal people coming from a harsh place.  The way that the Arabics are shown in the movie is a total generalization, as most people in Arabic countries are not brutal and not all Arab countries are harsh places.  “Goodburger,” a Nickelodeon movie, has two main characters, both of whom are black.  One is unintelligent and one is overweight and they both work at a fast food restaurant. All of those characteristics are generalizations in themselves, and they are also factors that continue the stereotype that blacks cannot conform to a white society.  On a more recent note, the controversial movie The Interview, contains all kinds of stereotypes.  There is only one Asian woman in the film that talks, continuing the stereotype that all Asian women are overly conservative.  The majority of the Koreans in the film do not speak in proper English, but rather in choppy and grammatically incorrect words and sentences that imply that all Asians speak English like so.  A few of the Caucasian males in the film even mock the way that the Asians speak English, which is wrong in every way.  Whether unintentional or intentional, it is not hard to find modern day representations of racism and gender inequality in the media today.