Project 3: Stereotypes

Project Three for Indigenous American Literature by Krystin C. Christy.

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Stereotype 1

For this project, I asked three different people to stereotype me based on appearance, and then I gave them more information about me and asked if they would like to reevaluate their stereotypes or add to them. I was wearing black skinny jeans and a grey shirt that read "My weekend is all booked" with a stack of books on it. I also had on some black leather boots. 

Appearance:  The first person I asked was an engineering student. His response was that he was torn between "basic white chick and punk rocker" and he continued by saying, "Either you have no brain or you are complaining about how oppressed and depressed you are." 

Further Information: I told him that I am from Arizona and California but lived in Hong Kong, France, and New Jersey and that I love learning languages, drawing, and I major in English. His response to this was that I am more well-rounded than he initially thought, but that he would still go with basic white chick because he doesn't think English is a useful major and that drawing is something girls do when they are bad at everything else. 

Discussion:  I was very surprised by the comments I received. I suppose that the idea of me being a punk rocker comes from my black skinny jeans and leather boots. This wasn't something I had considered, since both items became a staple in my closet after I lived in Paris where everyone wears dark colors and leather shoes/jackets. However, I was even more shocked by his comments after I gave him more information about me. I know that not everyone values the liberal arts, but I didn't know some people perceived English degrees so negatively. I was also surprised by the comment that specifically girls draw when they are bad at everything else. 

One way to combat stereotypes such as these could be by changing the way the engineering student thinks about usefulness in terms of academics and society. In the article, "The Psychology of Prejudice, Stereotyping and Discrimination: an Overview" by Scott Plous, it says that stereotype threat can be lessened "with a change in orientation" (21). While this section of the article discussed reducing stereotype threat, I believe this is applicable to reducing stereotypes as a whole. Communication is necessary, even within the sciences. Indeed, much of my undergraduate research has been in the Environmental Humanities as I seek to bridge the gap between the sciences and the general populace. Scientific information and research are not always accessible to those not within the field. Informing the engineering student of the way English majors work towards a common goal could reduce his negative stereotype of English being a useless major. 

Citation:

Plous, Scott. "The Psychology of Prejudice, Stereotyping and Discrimination: An Overview."

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"You're either a basic white girl or a punk rocker."

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I really enjoyed this comic by Ricardo Caté because of the levels to it. On the one hand, it uses humor to bring the discussion of Columbus' "discovery" into modern days by having it be his "Discover card application" that is declined. On another hand, it emphasizes the absurdity of his "discovery." In order for someone to qualify for a Discover card, I believe they have to have a steady income. This lack of qualification carries over to the conversation of Columbus' lack of qualifications to take from the Americas (or rather, the absurdity of his claim of discovering the Americas). 

It calls to mind one of the later discussions of Scott Plous' article. In the article, Plous says that the actions of an Indian chief who "claimed possession of Italy 'by right of discovery'... reverse people's perspective and invite them to see the world from an American Indian point of view" (Plous 23). One of the ways to counter stereotypes that is mentioned in the article is by having the stereotyper consider the world from the stereotyed's perspective. This cartoon, like the Indian chief's actions, encourages people to do just that.

Citations: 

Caté, Ricardo. "Comic 14." Ya-Native. Accessed from: http://www.ya-native.com/pictures/comicstripby_rcate/ricardocate14.htm.

Plous, Scott. "The Psychology of Prejudice, Stereotyping and Discrimination: An Overview."

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Stereotype 2

I approached a young woman, presumably about my age, as the second person I asked to stereotype me. 

Based on Appearance: Writer, tomboy, soft spoken.

I then told her that I have a lizard, five dogs, and two birds, that I love academics, and that I haven't lived in the same place for more than two years since I was 11 (I included some of the places I've lived such as Hong Kong, the East Coast, Florida, France). 

Based on Further Information: With the additional information, she said she would stand by the initial stereotypes and would add "Animal lover, overachiever, green thumb, world traveler." 

Discussion: I was surprised that I actually agreed with most of the stereotypes this time. I am an avid writer, a bit of a tomboy (I always said tomboy girly-girl because I felt in between the two categories), an animal lover, and an overachiever. I did find it interesting that "green thumb" appeared after I gave additional information since I didn't mention plants (and they usually die when they're entrusted to my care). I wonder if this could be an illusory correlation; since I mentioned all my pets, she may have also linked having a lot of pets with being good with plants. 

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"Social categories form an indispensable part of human thought, but because attributes such as race, sex, and age lie along a continuum, social labels are never more than approximations. In fact, it is surprisingly difficult to think of two categories that do not overlap with each other" (Plous 5). 

This drawing of mine represents the complexity of an individual. There is so much going on within a single person, so many experiences and personal traits that cause that person to be incapable of being accurately labeled. People change and they differ from one another. While including labels can help us process the world around us, labels can also serve as limitations on an individual and on others' perceptions of that person. A mechanism we can use to combat stereotyping is by changing the way we look at others and recognizing that the characteristics we use to define them exist on a continuum. 

Citation:

Plous, Scott. "The Psychology of Prejudice, Stereotyping and Discrimination: An Overview." 

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"When Asian girls were made aware... of their gender (by coloring a picture of a girl with a doll), their math performance declined" (Plous 6). 

Citation:

Plous, Scott. "The Psychology of Prejudice, Stereotyping and Discrimination: An Overview."

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Stereotype 3

For my third stereotyping questionnaire, I asked a co-worker with whom I am decently acquainted. She is about five to six years older than me, which ended up coming into play with the results. 

Based on Appearance:  She said I look young, so a stereotype she would give me would be that I know technology and am always on my phone. 

Based on Information: The personal information she had about me was that I am a Writing Tutor and a student. The stereotypes she added were "word person, enjoys reading, likes English, enjoys helping people, studies a lot." 

Discussion: I actually am somewhat awful at technology (but I am taking a tech literacy class this semester to change that), so the appearance comment took me by surprise. I felt like the stereotypes given to me based on further information were pretty apt. 

An interesting thing is that I started out as a Biology major and was a math minor for a while. I loved Calculus and got 100% on every test. English intimidated me because of its subjectivity. I nevertheless switched my major to English about two years ago when it became evident that English, not Biology, would be most helpful with my career aspirations. I have found over the last two years that I fit more and more the stereotypes for "English majors."

I am a Polytechnic student, so the campus has a lot of engineering students. One day I was in the Barrett lounge and some of my friends were talking about derivatives and integrals. One of them turned to me and said, "This must be complete nonsense to you, huh?" The comment took me by complete surprise because loving math was actually a part of my identity before, and that was no longer visible to others with my switch in majors. I have also found that my fellow English major friends often talk about how scary math is or how bad they are at math. This has increased my own apprehension of mathematics. I think general education requirements are beneficial to students because they offer the chance for people who see themselves as strictly "word people" to take other classes and see other facets of themselves. 

At my previous university, one Quantitative Environmental Science class was essentially a math course, but with no numbers. The professor said that when the numbers are introduced and the coursework looks too much like math, a lot of the liberal arts students feel overwhelmed and shut down. However, when it is presented in word form, they succeed. Changing the way we think about math classes and the way math is taught could lead to reducing stereotypes that English majors are bad at math. This could lead to "cooperative and interdependent interactions" between liberal arts and STEM students and could shift "people to recategorize from 'us and them' to 'we'" (Plous 25).

Citation:

Plous, Scott. "The Psychology of Prejudice, Stereotyping and Discrimination: An Overview."

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This image on page 57 of the text shows stereotypes in the rectangular boxes. The White side has a bright future, positive role models, and hope, while the Indian side has a vanishing past, a family history of diabetes and cancer, and bone-crushing reality. The image also displays the differences in socio-economic levels between the stereotypical White person and the stereotypical American Indian.

One attribution error the article, "The Psychology of Prejudice, Stereotyping, and Discrimination: An Overview" by Scott Plous, brought up was the ultimate attribution error. If the White boy went on to have a bright future, as it says next to his head, then a White person watching him progress who committed this error would attribute the boy's success to his own hard work, whereas that same White individual would attribute the Indian boy's vanishing past to dispositional causes, such as laziness. If the Indian boy did succeed and have a positive future, then the success would not be attributed to hard work, but more likely to a special advantage. 

We see this type of attribution error in every day life. There are discourses on social media about Black students who have scholarships receiving those scholarships solely as a special advantage and not because of their hard work or achievements. Having people become more aware of the attribution errors they make on a daily basis could aid in combatting and deconstructing stereotypes.

Citation:

Forney, Ellen. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. 2007. Hachette Book Group, New York.

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In-Group and Out-Group

In the text, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie, we see multiple discussions of self-identity being linked to the group a person belongs to. Consider for example the following conversation between Gordy and Junior:

"Ah, it's my best friend, Rowdy. Well, he used to be my best friend. He hates me now." 

"How come he hates you?" [Gordy] asked.

"Because I left the rez," I said.

"But you still live there, don't you? You're just going to school here."

"I know, I know, but some Indians think you have to act white to make your life better. Some Indians think you become white if you try to make your life better, if you become successful." 

"If that were true, then wouldn't all white people be successful?"

Then if we skip ahead a bit:

... "They call me an apple because they think I'm red on the outside and white on the inside."

"Ah, so they think you're a traitor."

"Yep."

"Well, life is constant struggle between being an individual and being a member of a community." 

(Alexie 131–32)

In this dialogue, Gordy brings up the idea of one's identity being linked to one's group (or community). Alexie's humorous and often dark and sobering novel brings to light the negative effects stereotypes can have on groups as well as ways to combat those stereotypes. In the article, "How stereotyping yourself contributes to your success (or failure)", the authors mention that "the root of many handicaps actually lie in the stereotypes, or preconceptions, that others hold about the groups to which we belong" (Haslam et al. 1). In the first portion of the passage, Alexie demonstrates how Indians have internalized narratives of dominance that attribute success to White people. In order to be successful, they believe you have to act White. If one perceives him or herself as an Indian, then s/he sees an impossibility for self-success since the engrained stereotypes about Indians are that they are not capable of success. Therefore, if an Indian does achieve success, then s/he "becomes white". Gordy provides a good counter argument to that belief, pointing out that not all White people are successful. 

In the second portion of the dialogue, we see the idea of betraying one's in-group. In the same article "How stereotyping yourself contributes to your success (or failure)", the authors address how one's self-identity is often linked to the group(s) of which s/he is part: "We experience a facility of self and 'flow' when what we are and want to be as individuals is fully compatible with what we appear to be as group members" (Haslam et al. 4). The metaphor of Junior as an apple represents the incompatibility of him in either the group of White people or the group of Indians, since he occupies both worlds. Since Junior left  the reservation to attend a White school, he is seen as a traitor because he is no longer seen as compatible with the group on the reservation. In essence, he out-groups himself. However, stereotypes are flawed because they fail to capture the complexity of self-identity. An Indian can be successful and remain an Indian, just as Junior can be part of the community on the reservation and the community at Reardan. 

Citations:

Alexie, Sherman. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. 2007. Hachette Book Group, New York.

Haslam, S. A., et al. "How stereotyping yourself contributes to your success (or failures)." Scientific American Mind, 2008.

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This image represents the conflict Junior feels between the stereotypes cast on him, and the threat to his own identity as he confronts those stereotypes as well as changes in his own perception of self. 

Citation:

Forney, Ellen. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. 2007. Hachette Book Group, New York.

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"You don't look like a Native American." 

"What do Native Americans look like?"

"Dark braided hair with feathers."

Often, people do not fit the categories we have for the groups to which they belong, since humans exist on a continuum and not as fixed entities. While stereotypes can be helpful for making sense out of the world, they can also be detrimental to the ways in which we interact with others. We need to be aware of our stereotypes so that we can recognize how they are impacting our interactions with others and change the way we think about people who differ from ourselves, as well as ourselves. 

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Mechanisms for Overcoming Stereotypes

In Sherman Alexie's text, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, I believe Junior's choice to live in both the world of Reardan and that of the reservation is a mechanism for overcoming stereotypes. To me, this choice most closely aligns with "group-based opposition to the status quo", even if it is on an individual level, because by attending Reardan Junior changes the world he occupies rather than his reactions to the world (such as throwing a book at Mr. P.'s head) (Haslam et al. 5). His presence at the school counters the White students' prejudices and stereotypes of Indians and counters the Indians' perceptions of themselves. When other kids on his basketball team are compared to great players of the past, he mentions, "I hope that, twenty years in the future, they'd be comparing some kid to me" (Alexie 181–82). A future in which a kid is compared to Arnold Spirit would be a future in which stereotypes about Indians have changed due Arnold actions against the status quo. He creates a new reality by refusing to accept the one presented to him, and this reality allows others the freedom to conceive of themselves differently as well.

Citations:

Alexie, Sherman. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. 2007. Hachette Book Group, New York.

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How can we deconstruct stereotypes? Scott Plous suggests using counter-narratives in order to do so. "In a study on the effects of counter-stereotypic imagery," he writes, "...Irene Blair and her colleagues found that implicit gender stereotypes declined after people spent a few minutes imagining a strong woman" (Plous 21). By introducing examples to oppose narratives of dominance, we can change stereotypes people hold about themselves and others.

Plous also discusses the extreme impact social media, television, and advertisements have on creating and reinforcing stereotypes. I believe we can promote change by writing shows and movies, and crafting advertisements that serve as counter-narratives to the dominant societal perceptions of groups (such as women and minorities). In doing so, this counter-stereotypic exposure should result in a reduction in stereotypes. 

Citation:

Plous, Scott. "The Psychology of Prejudice, Stereotyping and Discrimination: An Overview."

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Works Cited

Alexie, Sherman. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. 2007. Hachette Book Group, New York.

Caté, Ricardo. “Comic 14.” Ya-Native. Accessed from: http://www.ya-native.com/pictures/comicstripby_rcate/ricardocate14.htm.

Forney, Ellen. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. 2007. Hachette Book Group, New York.

Haslam, S. A., et al. "How stereotyping yourself contributes to your success (or failures)." Scientific American Mind, 2008.

Plous, Scott. “The Psychology of Prejudice, Stereotyping and Discrimination: An Overview.”