Stereotypes and Male Power in M. Butterfly by David Henry Hwang

“M. Butterfly” is David Henry Hwang’s dramatized account concerning a real French diplomat who had an affair with a Chinese opera singer for about twenty years (Hwang 13). He later discovered that she was actually not a woman as he always portrayed. There is sexual and racial stereotyping, the western imperialism and an illusion role in the ability of a person to truly understand the other.

The play explores how western imperialistic male power dominates over the submissive Oriental woman. Galimard experiences power and a renewed sense of self through his fantastical relationship with Song. When Song is revealed to be a man, he reveals that the foundation of their relationship, and, therefore, Galimard’s perceived power, was an illusion and that Song was really the one controlling the relationship all along.

According to Hwang drama Rene Gallimard with Pinkerton in Giacomo Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, there is a when Gallimard perceive himself as an uncooperative, slow at showing love, but becoming blessed with the utter devotion of an oriental beautiful singer woman (Hwang 16). This is not always the case as those who do not show much love in most cases do not receive it. She was ‘oriental’ and this conveys how exotic and imperialistic a beautiful lady found from the East. Rene becomes so engrossed with his perception of the Asian women that he distorts his mind and could not think beyond her. He later tests the Asian queen commitment to him by abandoning and humiliating her, eventually, forcing her admits she is his “Butterfly,” which he later criticizes in public.

Gallimard did not know that Liling is a communist agent who just wanted to manipulate him to extract information from him regarding the Vietnam War. Gallimard is treated like a prince in the Embassy and his social status increased because of his oriental affair (Hwang 33). When he was later found wrong in his analysis of East-West relation just because of his self- delusion he is demoted and later deported to France.

People are faced with the challenge of choosing between what is real and the fictional worldly pleasure that are often seen in the ideal world. When one decides to choose fantasy just because it sounds fantastic are overlook the outcome that is often embedded with the truth, they become disappointed and even end up losing what they have or what they were to gain. His usefulness is forced to endure hard labor which is an embarrassment since there is no homosexual tolerated in china. He is later sent to France to restore his affair with Gallimard. When Gallimard is caught by the intelligence and tried for spying, it is openly discovered that Liling is a man. Liling then changes his clothing to coincide with those of the men. This shows that there is a role reversal when someone does not want to live in truth. He became the dominant masculine figure while Gallimard becomes submissive feminine figure (Hwang 36).

Preferring fantasy to reality, people change and become what is exactly the opposite. Gallimard becomes a “butterfly,” and dress in Liling’s wig and kimono, choosing to die horrible other than living dishonorably.

Butterfly demonstrate the effects and dangers of inherent in living a life that is full of lies but becoming satisfied with a shallow stereotype and delusion. Gallimard’s main remarkable desire for a submissive oriental woman was own thinking. People tend to put their desires before anything else not considering the repercussion that may befall them afterward. It blindfolded him to every truth about his concubine and not agreeing even to accept the truth about Liling until he stood before him without clothes. This caused him his career, which he lost in the Asian countries, his dear wife and then his dignity and respect since he had to be embarrassed in the public. These are not only the things he lost but also his love and finally his dear life (Hwang 38). Even when people are confronted by the truth, they only confessed that they had known it before but become obsessed by the fantasies ahead of them. This is why Gallimard responded by saying he has known and has been loved by the perfect and oriental woman.

There are two different but distinct stereotypes in the oriental fantasy; the oriental female gender and the western male. The one that is considered to be oriental female is that which has both exotic and dominated easily while the western male is a type of stereotype which is a deep masculine type with a lot of power. Masculine nature is threatened by the western women but accepted wholeheartedly by the oriental woman who is a disguise of another man. This is portrayed in David Henry Hwang as he describes the two distinct stereotypes in M. Butterfly with the reversal of roles. Gallimard relies solely on his idea of being with a traditional Eastern woman. He is ignorantly and deeply rooted into the oriental fantasy and forgets about the reality. This causes him to fail terribly in seeing the song and failing to understand what he really is (Hwang 47).

The song created an illusion of the role and part played by the oriental woman in order to gain and have the clarification of the important information needed. He does not notice that his character had begun to follow the duty that he was seeking to claim with a lot of desperations, he just believed in penetrating the erotized orient using his invasion of songs as the traditional always viewed the Asian female (Hwang 66). The song later revealed his true gender and does not show the oriental characteristic of the oriental male, but rather convey the real character of western male explorer, placing him to be more powerful. In the same line of being very powerful, Gallimard eventually encounters his fate and become hopeless. He is the doomed butterfly; he becomes weak after having played the role of a typical Asian woman.

This further makes the Western to become the displays rather than the East, the orient, therefore, exploited the West using groups that were envisioned to oppress the East. There is also the rejection of the truth song’s gender which simply means there is a draining of gender and cultural lines. Hwang succeeds in fitting the gender stereotype which is set forth by their origins which are neither fully male nor fully female regardless of their physical and the true sex, which suggest the flexibility in performance. Tropes which are meant to portray a given stereotype can be broken and get mixed and distorted (Hwang 73).

There is a lot of irony in the play, things do not turn out as they seemed and plain reality becomes into existence which is difficult for Gallimard to accept, it is hard to live in truth and accept what comes by it. This is a direct borrowing from Puccini’s opera, which speaks of the story of Lieutenant Benjamin Franklin Pinkerton, who was a callous and a selfish American naval officer working in Japan as his workstation. Franklin dated and leaves a young geisha girl of about fifteen years old, named Cio-Cio-San, also meaning “butterfly” in Japanese, she gave Franklin a male child and she was always living in a belief that Franklin would one day go back to Japan.

Only to realized three years later when Pinkerton comes back with his lovely American wife just to claim the son, Cio-Cio-San could not accept the fact and decided to commit suicide (Hwang 113). This is how the modern society lives, accepting the truth and living by it is bitter and one would not rather live to see the truth, but decide otherwise. Hwang says that it is a parallel situation of love and betrayal (DiGaetani 148). Primarily people will choose to believe in what they want to believe, ignore the truth and cover it with illusion blowing apart, leaving them with no choice; such mutation produces the unnatural creature that must now annihilate the outcome indifference with more strength and power.

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Vulgar Stereotypes of a Girl in Woman Hollering Creek

Often time women aren’t valued the way they really should be. They are portrayed as being stay at home moms who cook and clean. Sandra Cisneros wrote “I am a woman, and I am a Latina, those are the things that make my writing distinctive. Those are the things that give my writing power.” I agree with her quote because as a woman we are strong warriors and go through hell and back, let alone being a woman of color. Once we stand up for what we believe in, it gives us more power to stand for what we believe in. Sandra Cisneros is a poet, novelist and a storywriter. She focuses her work on lives of the working class. She wrote a book called “Woman Hollering Creek and Other Stories.” Many stories in Woman Hollering Creek examine romantic love and lust, and also studies the nature of familial love. In this piece, Cisneros frames parental love in terms of loyalty, suggesting that it never “sours” and that it’s undying. In her quote above, she says “I am woman I am Latina,” she starts with who she is and how it influences the woman she is and what her writing is about. She also states that it makes her different and makes her writing powerful. When I read this quote I instantly related to it and so many thoughts came to mind. Being a woman, let alone a Latina, is not easy. People have their certain views on women and don’t expect much from us. Sandra took her writing and made it powerful, her journey and her experiences made her who she is and stands tall with her neck high about her persona. I’m learning how to embrace my cultural side. Just like I am learning how to speak up when it needs Jacqueline Gamboa Stereotypes of women and how do Latino women overcome these stereotypes and barriers?

Gamboato be. Sandra’s quote caught my attention the most because I’m growing into a woman and the goals I have set for myself relate to embracing my Latina side. Us women, we are warriors. We give and give and we don’t expect anything in return. Were nurturers by nature its in our soul. This quote relates to our ethnics class because we Sandra Cisneros is a Chicana woman, who helps other Latino families. She takes advantage of her platform to help the Chicano community. She embraces her Latino side and makes gold out of it. In the poem “ Prieto. Moreno. Indio” by Yosimar Reyes, he talks about being brown aka a Latino growing up poor but also using his platform to help others out. His poem is speaks volume just like Sandra’s quote does. Yosimar talks about growing up Latino and how he couldn’t do certain things do his color. Yosimar put his struggles into how art just like these other Chicano Artist. This is the person that makes them who they are helps them define their work, and their artwork. Sandra’s quote plays out even more in today’s world because there is so much more support in women succeeding and getting their voices known. Not only being a women but also being a Latina. Opportunities aren’t given to women just like that, we have to work for them. For example, Michelle Obama. Michelle took her platform to help others out and gave them confidence to speak and be goal getters. Sandra is doing the same. Sandra had a variety of professional postions, working as a teacher, counselor, and has maintained a strong recruiter to her community and literary causes. Sandra was often influenced by her personal experiences and by observations of her community. Just like her quotes says that she is distinctive and her writing is powerful. All the work she has done, helps her become the strong person she is, which reflects on her writing and her projects. She writing speaks volume.

Gamboapowerful meaning. She puts her experiences in words and in some way once you read them, you know what she is talking about. In the book ‘Drink Cultura’ by Jose Antonio Burciaga, he talks about “pendejismo.” Just the word alone catches a lot of Chicanos attention. He uses stories and word phrases that relate to the Latino community. Burciaga knew that every Chicano family was aware of that word and wrote about it because he knows that most families would relate to that. Just like Sandra and Yosimar. Growing up as a Latina woman is hard. It starts with your family, school and work. My dad was so strict on me because I was a girl. I thank him for being strict and not giving me as much freedom. I understood later in life as to why. Once I reached high school I embraced more of y cultural side to clubs we had in school. I was vice president for Latino club as well as my senior year of high school it was hard because I was a girl and a lot of boys didn’t give me their support. I had to talk about things that were relatable and situations where everyone would come together. The high school I went to was divided a lot by color. Most students hung out with their ethnicity. Being the VP of my senior year I made everyone come together to help out and support our activities. It was important for me to have everyone comfortable around each other to come all as one and make our year memorable. Sandra’s quote has so much power and meaning with just a few words.

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The Issue of Colorism and the Gradual Improvements to the Portrayal of Black Women in Media

In the forthcoming film, Nina, a biopic of the singer Nina Simone’s life, actress, Zoe Saldana was cast to play Nina Simone. This came as a surprise to many because Nina Simone has dark brown skin and very thick natural hair and Zoe Saldana has light brown skin and straight hair. This casting decision forms a question in the minds of many people, Is Saldana a good fit for this role or does the American entertainment industry have a habit of choosing lighter actresses over darker actresses because of their skin tone? Many believe that this casting decision and other similar decisions support the idea that lighter skin is more desirable than darker skin, especially when it comes to women. Many times on TV shows or movies, women who were dark skinned are casted as lighter skinned women with light eyes and loose curl patterns. This makes it hard for women with dark skin to find jobs in the entertainment industry.

The way that black women have been treated by Hollywood over time is a serious issue that still has a large effect on women with dark skin today. The topic of colorism, is a complex one. Colorism is defined as prejudiced attitudes or prejudiced treatment of people based on the relative lightness or darkness of their skin in comparison to others of the same race. Though colorism is mainly an issue within the black community based on skin it can affect black people differently based on their gender, hair texture, and eye color. Black women are affected by colorism the most in America especially when it comes to their portrayal in the media.

Darker women are usually portrayed negatively while lighter women are portrayed in a more positive way. In many cases women with dark skin will be replaced on a TV show with a woman with light skin. For example, in TV shows such a The Fresh Prince of Belair, My Wife and Kids, and Meet The Browns, women with dark skin were replaced by women with lighter skin and a straighter hair. Also in many TV shows, if a girl is pretty or high maintenance she has light skin. Colorism in the entertainment industry is having an effect on the way that society sees black women. With slavery in the US brought race mixing between black and white people. This race mixing lead to many different shades of black people in the US ranging from very light skin that is almost white to very dark skin. In order to control race relations during the times of slavery, colorism was born in order to enforce white supremacy in the US so slaves would not be able to rebel. Even in 2015, colorism still causes a divide in the black community. Black women in the US are the most receiving of the effects of colorism.

The beauty industry, social media and the TV industry are very common in perpetuating colorism in today’s society. Colorism can be very damaging to young black women especially when there are very few places a black woman can go and be free from colorism. That colorism even follows some of the most beautiful black actresses and may even have effects on their careers. Popular 90’s TV show, The Fresh Prince of Bel-air can be used as an example of a show with colorist stereotypes and colorist casting. For example, Hillary Banks, played by Karyn Parsons, was portrayed as a classy, high-maintenance, rich-girl. She was fashionable and had no trouble getting men. Some may feel that the casting for Hillary was just a coincidence and has nothing to do with skin colors but others may recognize that Karyn Parsons is not the only light skinned woman who is portrayed as every man’s dream.

Many other TV shows have similar portrayals of light skinned women and while this may seem like the most desirable portrayals they often come with some negative portrayals of light skinned black women. Hillary and many of the other light skinned TV characters are often portrayed as being stuck-up, rude, and impossible to please. Light skinned black women are often portrayed as being weak and very feminine. For example, Hillary’s only skill is shopping and it is often mentioned that she needs to find a rich man to take care of her. Also, many times in TV, light skinned women are sexualized. Light skinned black women are usually either portrayed as being promiscuous or just being every male character in the show’s romantic interest. An example of this is how Jazz (Will Smith’s best friend) and many other male characters in the show were in love with Hillary. Hillary also was always shown sneaking men in the poolhouse and jacuzzi or using her charm and looks to get her way. These portrayals of light skinned black women in the media create separation in the black community and also perpetuate colorist ideas in society. This is harmful to all black women.

When having a conversation about The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, it is very common to hear someone say “I miss the old Aunt Viv” or “What ever happened to the dark skinned Aunt Viv?”. These comments refer to the drastic change of casting Daphne Reid as Will’s Aunt Viv who had been previously played by Janet Hubert. The first difference that most people notice is the obvious difference in skin tone between the two Aunt Viv’s, Daphne Reid (the new Aunt Viv) is significantly lighter that Janet Hubert (the old Aunt Viv). Some think that the difference in skin color between the two is just a coincidence but it can be argued that the change in skin tone was intentional because the characteristics of Aunt Viv changed as well. The dark skinned Aunt Viv was sassy and outspoken, and wore very flashy outfits her “no bs” personality caused fans to fall in love with her character.

The new Aunt Viv had a much softer personality and seemed to step back and let her husband take control. The new Aunt Viv also dressed much more modestly than the old Aunt Viv. The switch between Aunt Viv’s was not the only time a dark skinned character got traded out for a light skinned character. In shows such as My Wife and Kids and Meet the Browns, similar situations occur. This change in characters may be a coincidence or it may be a result of colorism within the industry. Many people in the industry feel that light skinned black women are more attractive than dark skinned black women and would rather cast a light skinned woman so that people will accept the show.

This colorism in casting affects dark skinned women the most, Many dark skinned women have trouble finding roles unless they are specifically made for a dark skinned woman. This has an effect on their career and further perpetuates colorism in our society. Though people may only see the negative side of colorism for dark skinned women, colorism affects all black women negatively. Since colorism is based off of the idea that the closer to white a person is, the better they are, people often forget about the negative effects of colorism on light skinned black women. There are many negative stereotypes of light skinned women in the media.

Light skinned women are often shown as being stuck up or cocky. Though they are usually portrayed as being the girl that all the guys want, they are also usually shown as having terrible attitudes and being very hard to approach. Some examples of this stereotype are Hilary Banks (from The Fresh Prince of Belair) and Whitley Gilbert (from A Different World). Both of these characters are wealthy, beautiful, and stuck up. Often in these shows, these characters were known to act like they are better than everyone else. This stereotype is harmful to black women because it creates a negative image for light skinned black women which changes how society views them. This idea that light skinned women are stuck up and ride has become common in the black community and the media perpetuates it. Light skinned women are also shown in the media as being weak and helpless.

In the media, there is a popular “strong black woman” trope but roles like that are almost always given to darker skinned black women rather than light skinned women. Not only does this portray light skinned women negatively but it also takes away the femininity of darker black women. Fox’s new show Empire, has examples of this stereotype. The light skinned woman, Anika Calhoun (played by Grace Gealey), is shown as being very prissy and weak while the darker woman, Cookie Lyon (played by Taraji P. Henson), is shown as being strong and powerful. In one episode, Cookie and Anika actually get into a fight and Cookie is obviously the winner as she knocks Anika to the ground. The main problem with this stereotype is that it causes a divide between dark and light skinned women in the black community.

One other issue with the portrayal of light skinned women in the media is that they are often heavily sexualized. In many instances light skinned women are portrayed very sexually. Many times, light skinned women are dressed much more sexually and pursued more by men. Light skinned women also are sometimes shown as being promiscuous. Hilary Banks is also an example of this stereotype. This stereotype causes light skinned black women to be sexualized in society and gives them a very negative reputation. Another negative portrayal of light skinned women in media is that they are dumb or incapable of doing much more than looking pretty. Often light skinned characters are told to “just be pretty” rather than relying on their brains. Some examples of this are Claire Kyle (from My Wife and Kids) and also Hilary Banks (from The Fresh Prince of Bel air).

This stereotype of light skinned women is harmful because it causes light skinned black women to be taken less seriously. Though all of these stereotypes might be seen as being “not that bad” the long term effects that they have on light skinned black women is harmful to the whole black community. Colorism in the entertainment industry has carried over to social media which continues to harm the black community. Colorist ideas on television have led to hashtags on Twitter such as #DarkSkinnedGirlsBeLike and #LightSkinnedGirlsBeLike. These things are very harmful to dark skinned and light skinned women and cause even more division in the black community. As colorism spreads into social media, colorism grows rather than it ending which would allow the black community to grow.

Colorism is having a large effect on all black women and if media continues with colorist stereotypes it will be hard to end the division between light skin and dark skin. Though colorism is still a major issue in today’s society, there are steps being made toward change in the portrayals of black women in media. With the rise of pro-black movements such as the natural hair movement and #blacklivesmatter and also the rise of black writers and directors, there are changes being made to how black women are portrayed. For example in Shonda Rimes’s popular shows Scandal and How to Get Away with Murder the main characters were both strong black women and for the most part have positive characteristics.

Olivia Pope from Scandal (played by Kerry Washington) is a black lawyer who is powerful, respected, intelligent and also sexual. This is seen to be a more accurate portrayal of black women than some of the previously named black characters. Annalise Keating from How to Get Away with Murder (played by Viola Davis) is portrayed very similarly and also is shown in the show with her natural hair which is very new to the media. This is a step in the right direction for black women in media. The media is growing and more positive portrayals are being shown for black women. Though colorist portrayals still pose a threat to black women in the entertainment industry, as the media continues to grow, black women are being given more opportunities to prove colorist stereotypes to be wrong.

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Explore the ways Shrek and the Practical Princess subvert Stereotypes!

Subvert means to go against something but conform means that it will fit in stereotypes. Stereotypes are things what other people expect to see for example, a stereotypical princess is pretty, has manners and waits for a handsome prince to come rescue her while modern woman have a job, they can look after themselves and are clever. Shrek and the practical princess subvert because they are both against stereotypes. The writer subverts the stereotypes because they wanted to show that modern people don’t have to wait for a handsome prince to come rescue them when they can stand up for yourself.

Cinderella conforms original fairy tales, because it has the main features of a stereotypical princess and prince. This is because brave prince rescues the hopeless and beautiful Cinderella from her evil stepmother. The writer has done this to show that good people are always rescued at the end. In fairy tales such as Snow white, the handsome, riding prince comes saves the beautiful princess from dying. This reveals to the audience that, sometimes stereotypes can be right and it can help make the understanding of the movie more clearly.

The movie ‘Shrek’ conforms stereotypes as well as subverting them because there is a fire breathing dragon in the story. This is because when Shrek the ogre was saving Princess Fiona, the dragon appeared and started breathing fire on them to stop them getting away. The writer had done this to show that dragons are a type of characters that is used for a dilemma when the prince is saving the princess. In fairy tales such as Rapunzel, there is a fire breathing dragon sitting beside the huge tower to prevent the prince from climbing up the princess’s hair and rescue her. This reveals to the audience that, the prince may have problems to save the princess for example slay the dragon first then rescue the princess.

The story ‘Practical Princess’ conforms stereotypes as well as subverting them because the characters that are evil are ugly and the characters that are good are pretty. This is because Bedelia is really pretty and is good however Lord Quarp is a really fat and ugly which means he is evil. The writer has done this to show that ugly people means they are mean and evil and pretty people mean they are good. But the writer has also done this to make the audience sure of what type of characters they are and what side are they on. In fairy tales such as Cinderella, the princess is always the pretty and good one therefore her stepmother is the evil one and bosses the princess around. This reveals to the audience that sometimes stereotypes can be right about how you look will effect on people’s opinions.

The movie ‘Shrek’ subverts stereotypes because Princess Fiona knows karate and also knows how to defeat someone. This is because Fiona was going to be taken away from Shrek by Lord Farquhar’s soldiers but Fiona didn’t want to be taken away so she used her karate to defeat all the soldiers. The writer had done this to show that you don’t have to wait for a prince to defeat them for you when you can stand up for yourself and use karate. In addition, the writer has done this to show some surprise and tense to the audience because it is not a stereotypical movie which people have already seen lots of times. In fairy tales, stereotypical princesses were to wait for a handsome prince to come rescue her. This reveals to the audience that you don’t have to wait for a prince to come rescue you because a modern woman can look after herself with karate.

The story ‘Practical Princess’ subverts stereotypes because Prince Persian has a very long beard instead of Bedelia having long hair. When Bedelia got locked up in a tower by Lord Quarp because she refused to marry him, she found a prince fast asleep in the corner called Prince Persian. So, Prince Persian helped Bedelia get down the castle by climbing down his long beard. The writer had done this to show that boys can have long beards as well as girls having long hair.

The writer has also done this to show some humour that boys can have really long beards that are the size of a castle. In fairy tales, such as Rapunzel princesses had really long hair for their brave prince to climb up the castle with. This reveals to the audience that, not only girls have long hair but boys can have long beards too. It also reveals, how long the princess or prince is been locked up in the castle by looking at how long their hair is.

The movie ‘Shrek’ links with the ‘Practical Princess’ because Fiona and Bedelia were going to be taken away from greedy lords. Bedelia was going to be taken away from an called Lord Quarp so he could marry the princess and be the next King to take place on the throne. He could only do this when he marries a princess. However, Princess Fiona was going to be taken away by another evil, rich lord called Lord Farquhar and get married to her for the same purpose as Lord Quarp, to be king.

The writer has done this to show that this world is home to many greedy and selfish people but also to show some tense to the audience that the princess is not going to marry a charming prince. In fairy tales such as Cinderella, there were no greedy lords, only wicked stepmothers. This reveals to the audience that, sometimes things might not go as planned and the princess might not marry the charming prince after all. It also reveals that sometimes stereotypes can be wrong.

Altogether, I think Shrek and the practical princess subverts stereotypes of fairy tales such as Cinderella. This is because in the movie ‘Shrek’ Princess Fiona knows karate and how to look after herself. However in the story ‘Practical Princess’ Prince Persian had a long beard instead of Bedelia having long hair. The writers of these stories made it so successful that the viewer cannot help but to watch on. Also, the writer has made the story very clear but not that clear so that the viewer will know what happens next. They can just keep guessing ON!

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Original Oratory on stereotyping and social stigmas

In love there is creation the creation of power and energies exerted towards our seemingly divergent passions yet in love these passions can create destruction unbounded by anything else ultimately no one can escape we falter almost entirely everyday we take breath what causes us to be so determined to find meaning In things? Eyes. Drugs. Smiles. Love. Sex. Death. What says that anything Is anything or nothing at all? Im so dull at times. I want find meaning In things and I want to be this great, philosophic all around girl. Im not. Majority of what I write or think Is complete bulls.

Every so often It comes across as genuine and well thought out but really Its Just stupidity. TFH I think that even to be diagnosed with something would be bullwhip because Im perfectly normal. Elf I asked you all to use some words to describe yourselves what words would you use? Student, Future entrepreneur, black, gay… All these titles but do they really say who you are? More likely than not they wont. And if I asked you to describe your closest friend could you really? In all seriousness no. Why is this? People, all people, are lust a paradox ball of psychological issues and perfection.

We try to define ourselves and each other. We want to belong. Not to be cliche© but our goal in life is to make a connection with something. We begin to stereotype. Whether its based on fact or not doesn’t matter. And at what cost? While its true that we are at times rightly stereotyped, our views of ourselves can be distorted. As a person, still trying to figure out what I want out of life, its not hard to see that the stigmas, increasing suicide rates, and the difficulty in being successful in education because of stereotyping hinders peoples life’s as well their concepts of themselves and others.

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Stereotypes: An Interview

The other day I had a discussion with my roommate about the social psychological idea of stereotyping. I found it interesting how much I felt like she was contradicting herself. But in my opinion, I do not find it surprising that she did, because I feel like most people at the point in our lives (college students) do try and not prejudge people, but do anyway. When I asked how guilty she felt she was about stereotyping people, she said it depends on what she s stereotyping, but she does not feel like she does it too much.

She also said she does not feel like she belongs in a particular social group and she also feels like there are exceptions in some stereotypical groups. For example, if there were a group of black guys standing on the street, some people would automatically assume that they were up to no good. But my roommate feels like if she saw this group with one of the guys dressed nicely, she could point him out as one exception the one who would probably not be doing any harm.

When I asked if she treats people differently right away because of how she has prejudged them, she answered that she does not treat them differently and that she tries not to prejudge at all. However, she does pick out a stereotypical group for a stranger before she meets them, a lot of times, and they do normally end up being what she expects. This proves the theory of the self- fulfilling prophecy to be correct. Whereas some people still tend to put some people they do know as well as strangers into stereotypical groups, my roommate does not.

She said once she gets to know someone, on the acquaintance level, she does not stereotype them as much and does not really feel that they belong to a certain groups such as the preps or the jocks. And she also feels that getting to know the person does have an effect on how she feels because the more I get to know them, the less I stereotype them. When I asked if she thought any groups should have a higher self esteem because of what group they seem to be placed with (i. e. snobs or nerds ), she said no, as long as each person is doing everything they can do to keep their lives running well.

On the topic of sex she feels that there are extreme stereotypes between men and women. I feel it has gone down over the years, but it definitely still exists; it could be improved; and women are degraded. She really believes there should be equality in every aspect of life between the sexes. However, she sees one stereotype about women that she can agree with is that women are a lot easier to talk to, and are more open-minded and liberal than men. On the topic of race, she feels as though all races judge and stereotype each other such as whites thinking all blacks are on welfare.

She said in the case of race, she agrees with some of the stereotypes, but only because she feels that they are based on facts and evidence. Such as, a larger percentage of whites have jobs and less whites are on welfare than other races. But despite all this, she does not overall agree with stereotyping races. In conclusion, when I asked if she thinks the activity of stereotyping will ever end, she said, No, I don t believe stereotyping will ever entirely end. She also said that people should make an effort to see past all stereotypes, good or bad.

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Social Stereotypes and Happiness

Social stereotypes and Happiness The Pursuit of Happyness 11/21/2012 Instructor: Prof. Kristin Little Author: Tareq Naseer Alsamarh Social stereotypes and happiness The story of the movie The Pursuit of Happyness directed by Gabriele Muccino portrays a family who struggles with finding enough money to pay taxes and afford living expenses. The movie takes a place in San Francisco during the 80s. The two main characters are the father Chris Gardner and his son Christopher, Will Smith and Jaden Smith respectively. Gardner tries to support his family. But every time he attempts to make things better, they always end up worse.

Gardner in the story wonders on “how to be happy? ” He earns his money by selling the bone density scanners; however, those scanners do not make enough money for him, and sometimes he finds it hard to even sell a single scanner. So he ends up with his son living on the street after his wife, Linda, goes to New York. The movie delivers a message of pursuing happiness and the impact of social stereotypes through many scenes that show how personality, fatherhood, family, home and homelessness affect on the degree of happiness. Gardner in the movie has a nice personality that makes people treat him with respect.

When Gardner walks on the street and looks at people, he thinks that all of them are happy. He then starts thinking that if he cultivates this happiness and provides the best to his family, he would have a better life. Chris says “I still remember that moment, they all looked so damn happy to me, why couldn’t I look like that” (Pursuit). This is a stereotype in social judgment that Gardner thinks about the people around Dean Witter Company because he generalizes that all people are happy near that company. Gardner decides to get a job in Dean Witter. During the meeting for his internship, Gardner was not wearing formal clothes.

They ask their colleague about Chris’s clothes, and how Gardner usually dresses. He, the manager, replies that Gardner is always neat and wears a tie and a pant. Wearing formal and clean clothes gives people who see Gardner a good impression about him. Gardner has a great personality that shows how his qualities give him the ability to easily get along with others. Specifically, Chris’s personality –confidence, aspiration and hope– has a significant impact on his life that gives him the opportunity to achieve the happiness he wants. Having those qualities have a significant impact on someone’s happiness in a positive way.

People think that Gardner is happy because in the outside, he smiles. Even though when he is not happy, people ask him “How are you? ” he replies “I am fine. Everything is okay. ” When Gardner goes to sell his scanners, he thinks that people smile because they are satisfied in their life. People ask for help from others who are more educated, and those who have more experience in their lives. Gardner asks the director of Dean Witter about what he does because he looks happy and rich; and Gardner wants to know the secret so he can get what he wants.

Here, where Gardner’s life turns after deciding to become a Stockbroker. One of the most touching speeches and scenes in the movie that shows how fathers advise their children is when Chris goes with his son, Christopher, to a basketball court. During that time, while the son plays, the father looks at him and says: “I wanted to be a good basketball player but it did not go as I want it. ” Christopher then feels unhappy, discouraged, throwing the basketball with anger and sadness in his face. Then the father says, “Do not ever let somebody tell you that you cannot do something, not even me.

Alright? You got a dream, you got to protect it. If you want something, go get it, period” (The Pursuit of Happyness). The message tells us that there are people who will discourage us from achieving something that they cannot or could not achieve. The scene here is a father giving serious advice to his son that he can carry along with his life to fight for his own dreams and pursue what he wants. Like mothers, fathers have a lot of practical advice to give and say to their children. In another perspective, fatherhood for Gardner is like a job for him.

Because he loses his wife, he needs to provide joy, fun and help for his son Christopher which is not an easy job to do. Those fathers, who spend more time with their children, have a better life than others who spend most of their time working and gaining money. However, being a father as a single parent like Chris gives him the enthusiasm to do his best and replace his wife’s role to have a better life with his son. Yet, this decreases the happiness that Gardner possesses. According to Scott Coltrane, a sociologist at the University of California, points out that “Father’s style of parenting has changed too.

Fathers are beginning to look more like mothers” (qtd. in Cullen and Grossman). Before Linda leaves the family, she works double shifts to make more money to afford the living expenses and to help her husband. So Chris is the one who takes more care of their son than the mother, Linda. Gardner seems to be happier being close to his son. There are many scenes in the movie that show how Gardner and Christopher are happy of being together. Nonetheless, there is only one scene that Christopher not even misses his mother; instead he asks “did mom leave because of me? (The Pursuit of Happyness). This indicates that Gardner does a great job of being a single parent that makes his son, not remembering his mother. For fathers, home is a place where they can rest, study, work and play; and for children, a home is a place where they can sleep and feel warm and safe. During the movie, Chris and his son never stay at the same place where they can sleep and rest. The son says to his dad “I am tired, I want to go home,” and the father replies “I know son, I know” (Pursuit). This scene is a heart-breaking.

Even though that Chris and his son have been kicked from their apartment and then from a hotel and end up in a bathroom then to a homeless shelter, he never gives up. Instead, it makes him work harder and take every opportunity he finds to provide the best to him and to his son. In San Francisco, they have shelters for homeless people where they can sleep for a night. Chris and Christopher go to the Shelter before 5 p. m or they will not have a place to sleep. Here becomes a problem which means that San Francisco lacks of providing enough homes and funds for homeless people.

On the other hand, many homeless in San Francisco do not go to shelters. They consider it a dirty and unsafe place to sleep in. A chronicle staff writer, Kevin Fagan writes, “For many regular inhabitants, shelters are a warm place to sleep, a solid meal to eat and a chance to meet with friends” (Fagan). Yet, the homeless who refuse to go say that everything is not in a safe place is stolen. In a relation to the movie, Gardner and his son, when they get into a shelter to sleep, they have their own room which means that they are in a safe place. Their bags and clothes are under their sight, so it is hard to be stolen from them.

Nevertheless, going to a shelter does not raise Gardner’s happiness but it is, at least, a place where they can sleep which is better than to be on the street or in an underground restroom. San Francisco, where the movie takes place, has a high rate of homelessness. Because the city does not have a comprehensive plan to cover all the expenses of homeless people, they reside on the streets. “The only solution is getting the homeless into a supportive housing and counseling to cure the joblessness,” Philippe Bourgois addresses (qtd. in Fagan). In the movie, many homeless go to shelters to get a room to sleep.

Nevertheless, only few of them get into the shelters because there are not enough rooms for all of them. Chris and his son have to catch the bus to be able to arrive at the right time to get into one of the shelters or they would end up on the street. The reason is because Gardner and other people do not have jobs to cover their homes expenses and taxes. Those shelters are free but only provide a short term solution. If the San Francisco government keeps doing that, the problem will never be solved unless they find a better and comprehensive solution to solve homelessness and joblessness.

The movie in general shows that the happiest people are the rich ones, and the poor people have hard time living their lives. Money equals happiness is not the message of the movie. Instead, it shows two principles that could provide and increase the degree of happiness: having a nice personality and being a part of a family plays a significant role in someone’s happiness. In addition, having a well-being relationship with people and getting a job to make enough money to live is also called happiness for some people. Gardner says when he gets the job at Dean-Witter “This part of life is called happiness” (Pursuit).

He says that because he can now take care of himself and his son to have a better and more secure life. Works Cited Cullen, Takeuchi, and Lev Grossman. “Fatherhood 2. 0. ” Time. com. 4 Oct. 2007. Web. 19 Nov. 2012. Fagan, Kevin. “Shame of the City. ” SFGate. 2-3 Dec. 2003. Web. 19 Nov. 2012 < http://www. sfgate. com/news/article/SHAME-OF-THE-CITY-THE-BEST-INTENTIONS-The-2547229. php#photo-2685180> The pursuit of happyness. Dir. Garbiel Muccino. Perf. Will Smith, and Jaden Smith. Columbia Pictures, 2006. Film. < http://www. time. com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1668449,00. html>

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