Racial stereotypes
This posting is not in response to the Henry Louis Gates arrest that occurred about a month ago, but that arrest did get me thinking about this topic so it was indirectly the source.
Incidents similar to the Gates arrest happen periodically where someone is profiled based on their appearance. Just this past weekend, for example, some really famous and important Bollywood actor from India was stopped at Newark Airport in New Jersey, allegedly on suspicion of being a terrorist. Why? I think his last name was Khan, which is allegedly a common name for terrorists, I guess. (Sorry, as you can guess, I don't follow Bollywood movies, although I probably should in order to keep up with my Renaissance Man image).
Anyway, when the misunderstanding behind the incident is resolved, the news will invariably show someone who says something to the effect of "This incident just shows how much more work we need to do to combat stereotypes and racial prejudice", etc. Some outreach event (diversity forum, tolerance workshop, etc) usually follows until the media attention fades.
The fact that these incidents keep repeating tells me that the workshops and forums don't work. What does? As usual, the solution is up to every individual and here it is: play against type.
What I mean by that is this: surprise people by playing against stereotype. For example, suppose that a stereotype is that Asian students only excel in academics. Break that by being an Asian student who also excels at something else, like sports. If the stereotype is that Jews are cheap, then surprise people by being a Jew that tips generously. If the stereotype is that young black men are all drug dealers or gang members, surprise people by staying in school and going to college. If the stereotype is that all Mexicans are lazy, break that by being the hardest-working, least-lazy worker there is. Most stereotypes are formed by people based on what they see in their own lives which means if they get surprised enough, the stereotypes will (or should hopefully, anyway) start to fade.
And that's how change happens.
Incidents similar to the Gates arrest happen periodically where someone is profiled based on their appearance. Just this past weekend, for example, some really famous and important Bollywood actor from India was stopped at Newark Airport in New Jersey, allegedly on suspicion of being a terrorist. Why? I think his last name was Khan, which is allegedly a common name for terrorists, I guess. (Sorry, as you can guess, I don't follow Bollywood movies, although I probably should in order to keep up with my Renaissance Man image).
Anyway, when the misunderstanding behind the incident is resolved, the news will invariably show someone who says something to the effect of "This incident just shows how much more work we need to do to combat stereotypes and racial prejudice", etc. Some outreach event (diversity forum, tolerance workshop, etc) usually follows until the media attention fades.
The fact that these incidents keep repeating tells me that the workshops and forums don't work. What does? As usual, the solution is up to every individual and here it is: play against type.
What I mean by that is this: surprise people by playing against stereotype. For example, suppose that a stereotype is that Asian students only excel in academics. Break that by being an Asian student who also excels at something else, like sports. If the stereotype is that Jews are cheap, then surprise people by being a Jew that tips generously. If the stereotype is that young black men are all drug dealers or gang members, surprise people by staying in school and going to college. If the stereotype is that all Mexicans are lazy, break that by being the hardest-working, least-lazy worker there is. Most stereotypes are formed by people based on what they see in their own lives which means if they get surprised enough, the stereotypes will (or should hopefully, anyway) start to fade.
And that's how change happens.
posted by Andy!! at 9:12 PM
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