Our response to whiteness and racialised other

Introduction•‘How do differences count?’•‘How is difference marked in relation to identity?’•‘What are the social and symbolic systems which classify people and mark difference?’•Different forms of representation:- Thematically (E.g class and gender)- Generically (E.g in the general media)- Media-specifically (E.g magazines)

•Other theories:- The Pygmalion Effect- The Looking Glass Self- The Jihari Window

“There are four key themes in racial representation- exoticism, danger, humour and pity” (Alvarado et al. 1987: 153)

Question 1 Emphasis on racial difference A result of colonialism/imperialism (“us and them mentality” lives on

from this) Exoticism and Stereotyping popularizes certain ethnicities. A very basic

example of this would be the widespread popularity of Chinese/Indian cuisine takeaways in Britain.

A further example of the emphasis on racial difference is the connection between race oriented binary opposites in the media. Take for example the all-American patriotic display in such films as ‘Black Hawk Down’; where the heroes are the foreign American soldiers, and the villains are the numerous and characterless Somali militia [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_1-Bb_KaDQ]

A classic example of difference like this is in the play ‘Othello’ by William Shakespeare: “The Moor and the Princess”

The media emphasises ‘difference’ with the exaggeration of BINARY OPPOSITES. These differences count because according to the Pygmalion effect we are eventually moulded by what others say about us (self fulfilling prophecy). I.E You keep telling someone that they are troublesome, eventually they will be so!

Question 2 Combine the outside perceptions (Looking Glass Self theory)

with a shifting sense of identity. This can cause reluctance amongst ethnic groups when it comes

to interaction [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZ64smS4Lyk] “Cultural and psychological explanations of racism are

inadequate because they fail to account for how racism is a social relation of the capitalist mode of production.”(Cinemas of the Black Diaspora)

Lingering stigmas are often a problem, as those associated with them struggle to shake them from their Identity, and ‘others’ (outside perspectives) can have trouble when it comes to co-existence or communication (even when neither individuals perpetuate the connotations/stigma)

This is parodied in the film ‘Inside Man’ [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnLCPlfAkqs]

The characteristics that make up our identities are confused by outside perspectives. Like a game of ‘Chinese whispers’, the idea gets more unclear (or further from the original intended message) the more it is circulated

Question 3 Ethnicity and gender in the social order Who are we? The ethnic group Race and racism

Levi-Strauss’s Theory A correlation between genetic heritage and intellectual skills; The heritage that is common to all members of certain human

groups; The groups called “races” and ranked according to genetic

quality; The difference that allow the “superior race” to exploit and

destroy the others. A parody of the White versus Black/Civilized versus Savage

opposition (which is unfortunately connected by stereotyping). Would be the book ‘Brave New World’

A Summary of the questions raised

Otherness, which is expressed through the largely superficial ‘differences’ still exists.

A combination of the media and lingering post-colonialism allows the racial boundaries to continue, only they are in a more subtle form (bad guys in video games/films etc instead of racist ‘pears soap’ adverts is an example).

In addition to stigmas and stereotypes, whiteness (once the binary signifier of civilisation) is a scale of desirability in the ‘orient’

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"One of the tasks is to make the intellectual effort to crush the stereotypes, which limit a lot of human thought and intellectual contact.” [Edward Said]