Regional Stereotypes

This is the clip i used for this:
Regional Identity

Juno Essay

We were asked to write an essay on how a group of people were represented and if we fit the stereotype. I chose to write about Juno:
Juno Essay

Representation - Gender

In UK TV drama there are mainly 4 different types of men. These are:
The geek:- For example in Eastenders there is Tamwar Masood who is a high achiever and is always studying.

The wise old man:- In Eastenders, this is Patrick Trueman

The lad:- this can be Phil Mitchell

The labourer:- This can be seen as Minty.

These are 4 stereotypical types of males. The geeky one is always quiet and does well; the wise old man always gives good advice; the lad is always getting into fights and is a hit with the ladies and the labourer is normally a mechanic. This can be seen as The Male Gaze for it can be on how males view each other and the typical stereotypes they see of themselves. These stereotypes can also back up Leon festingers theory saying on how our views on someone don't change until there's drastic evidence against our views. This also supports Tessa Perkins' idea that stereotypes aren't always negative for the wise old man is a positive stereotype to have. The geek in these TV Drama's are normally Asian; the lad is normally a white middle-aged male and the labourer is normally a slightly overweight white male, these are how different types are people are represented in our culture. This means that the cultural code for these TV Drama's would only be understood in our society.

Tamwar fits the typical stereotype of young Aisan boys. Stereotypically, aisan boys wear glasses; study alot and get good grades - all of these Tamwar is, this is also an example of the cultural code for only people in this culture could see aisan boys like this.

Stereotypes and Representation

Stereotypes overlook the individual; place people in groups and their qualities are often "exaggerated" which leads to a caricature. In many instances stereotypes are used pejoratively by dominant groups to describe subordinate groups. For example, a french stereotype is that they wear stripey shirts, ride bikes, have moustaches, wear a beret and have a string of onions around their necks as shown in this picture:


Tessa Perkins said:

• Stereotypes are not always negative e.g. "African people are good at sport"
• They are not always about minority groups or the less powerful e.g. "politicians are money grabbers"
• They can be about one's own group e.g. "Because I'm English i drink tea"
• They are not rigid or unchanging e.g. goths turned into goths emo and greb
• They aren't always false e.g. lollipop ladies will wear a fluorescent jacket

Leon Festinger wrote "The Theory of Cognitive Dissonance". He argued that we resist adjusting our attitudes unless faced with overwhelming evidence against it. He also believed that we seek out confirmation of our thoughts/beliefs. This likes with pluralism audience theory.