Anethnic stereotype orracial stereotype involves part of a system of beliefs about typical characteristics of members of a givenethnic group, their status, societal andcultural norms. Anational stereotype does the same for a givennationality. Stereotyping is typically associated withracism,[1] and may also be used for humorin jokes.
Nationalstereotypes may relate either to one's own ethnicity/nationality or to a foreign/differing one. Stereotypes about one's ownnation may aid in maintaining anational identity due to a collective relatability to a trait or characteristic, referred to asnational character.[2]
According to an article byThe Guardian titled "European Stereotypes: What Do We Think of Each Other and Are We Right?", the Europe stereotype towards Britain is as "drunken, semi-clad hooligans or else snobbish, stiff free marketers", their view towards France is "cowardly, arrogant, chauvinistic, erotomaniacs", and they see Germany as "ruddy-faced [and]subsist on a diet of beer and sausage". To Europe, Italy is "tax-dodging,Berlusconi-style Latin lovers andmama's boys, incapable of bravery", Poland is "heavy-drinkingultracatholics with a whiff ofantisemitism", and Spain is "macho men and fiery women prone to regularsiestas and fiestas". While some countries such as Germany proudly own their stereotype, others like Spain argue that theirs is a warped view based on experiences while on holiday instead of having actually lived there.[3]
APew Global survey of the European countriesUnited Kingdom,France,Germany,Spain,Italy,Greece,Poland, andCzechia found that European stereotypes found Germany to be both the most hardworking and least corrupt, Greece to be the least hardworking, and Italy to be the most corrupt. Five out of the eight countries thought their own country was the most corrupt.[4]
According to Dana E. Maestro, media images and depictions play a vital role in our ability to perceive different ethnicities and construct various racial and ethnic stereotypes. Most of these portrayals are seen through media platforms such as televisions, social media and commercials create a convenient sketch of how they want a certain group of people to be represented. For example, White Americans are always overly presented in positions of prestige and power in comparison to their counterparts such as Latinos or African Americans that are usually represented around themes of criminality and subservience.[5] On a whole, media can never be assumed to an insignificant oulet of information but are culturally effective conduits that can drive our personal narrative on specific ethnic stereotyping. Since minorities are not adequately represented in the media it can lead to a negative misinterpretation and limited media diversity.[6]
According the J. Stanley Lemons, a stereotype for African-American men in the United States, specifically during the 1940s, was popularized through the use of comics and minstrel shows. African-American men were portrayed as having more animalistic features that alluded to the believe of their lack of knowledge and being considered second-class citizens during this time period. These features include oversized ear and mouths to indicate a monkey-like appearance. Portraying African-Americans as monkeys alludes to them being perceived as having limited intelligence.[7] To convey that idea further, African-Americans were made not able to speak proper English. The white impersonators often usedBlack English Vernacular (BEV). The impersonators over exaggerated and misused BEV so that the speech barely made sense, which furthered the notion of African Americans being unintelligent.[8]
It is sometimes held that such stereotypes often contain a "grain of truth".[9][10] However, an extensive study by the personality psychologistRobert R. McCrae of theNational Institute on Aging and colleagues found that they are generally untrustworthy.[11][10]
Various anti-national phobias and prejudices operate with ethnic stereotypes.
Ethnic stereotypes are commonly portrayed inethnic jokes, some of which some consider to be offensive to varying degrees. Richard M. Steers and Luciara Nardon, in their book about the global economy, use a variant of the "You have two cows" joke to illustrate the concept of cultural differences:
They write that such jokes are considered funny because they are realisticcaricatures of various cultures,[12][page needed] and the pervasiveness of such jokes stems from the significant cultural differences. Steers and Nardon also state that others believe that cultural stereotypes in jokes of that kind must be viewed with caution.[12]
Media related toEthnic and racial stereotypes at Wikimedia Commons
