"African Americans play sports.Latinos are gang members. Native Americans are alcoholics. Wheelchair-bound individuals are helpless. Gays are effeminate. Lesbians wear their hair short. Older adults need constant care. Anglos are either racist or are rednecks. Homeless people are drug addicts.Consequently, media messages that stereotype individuals by their concentrations, frequencies, and omissions become a part of our long-term memory. The media typically portray members of diverse cultural groups within specific content categories-usually crime, entertainment, and sports-and almost never within general interest, business, education, health, and religious content categories."
Source:
Mcloud, Saul "Stereotypes." Stereotypes. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 June 2012. <http://www.simplypsychology.org/katz-braly.html>.
Thus, the preservation of these negative stereotypes continue to pervade through society through the propaganda the media incessantly spreads. From news articles to daily celebrity gossip, this all further perpetuates these ideas to reproduce the existing order of social life. Will the media ever undertake measures to stop? Most likely not. However, does that mean we should stop protesting and informing others of this issue? Definitely not.
Below are some of my favorite graffiti from an extremely talented artist, Banksy, who subtly intertwines cultural and political issues through his masterpieces. Here are some examples of his stereotype pieces.
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