Morehouse Ryleigh- Synthesis Essay 1 Graded (1)

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Ryleigh Morehouse Ms.Miranda AP Lang 16 May 2023 Cultural stereotyping is an issue that permeates throughout all of our lives regardless of our age, background, social status, and gender. To understand why it is a problem, we must first identify what cultural stereotyping is. Cultural stereotyping is the practice of categorizing all members of a group as having the same characteristics. Stereotypes can be linked to any type of cultural membership, such as nationality, religion, gender, race, or age. These can range from mild annoyances and light-hearted quotes among friends to emotionally damaging and acrimonious remarks. Indeed, it is not uncommon for cultural stereotyping to have a dehumanizing impact that can alienate and negatively affect certain groups for generations. In a 2016 article titled: “With Disney’s Moana, Hollywood Almost Gets It Right: Indigenous People Weigh In” Alli Joseph discusses the reception of the blockbuster film Moana by the NativeAmericans and Pacific Islander audiences which have not been fairly represented in American culture. This has especially been an issue with Disney in the past as Joseph points out in several films ranging from Dumbo to Peter Pan and even Aladdin(540). However thankfully, save for a few unfortunate oversights like an offensive Maui costume, Joseph praises Moana for doing a better job of respecting the cultures of traditionally marginalized groups. In this article, we see the importance of respecting cultural traditions and avoiding stereotypes. In the case of Disney, the inappropriate portrayal of certain ethnic and racial groups has led to millions of kids being indoctrinated with potentially damaging opinions and stereotypes that can lead to the dehumanization of the concerned populations. In a 2015 essay titled “How a Bible-Belt Evangelical Church Embraced Gay Rights”, Nicole Pasulkapresents a case study that examines stereotypes about fundamentalist Christians

Ryleigh Morehouse Ms.Miranda AP Lang 16 May 2023 and LGBTQ individuals. In this excerpt, we are presented with the story of Widgen who grew up in a very religious Independent Baptist family. He is gay, contrary to what his community deems acceptable, and finds it impossible to be both Christian and gay (547). Thankfully, Widgeon soon finds peace at Grace Pointe, an interdenominational church, and as Pasulka acknowledges, more churches are starting to become LGBT-inclusive. Yet despite these advances, it is a shame that it took so long for churches to be inclusive of those with differing sexual orientations and the problem of excluding homosexuals from religious activities presents yet another example of how stereotypes of certain groups can alienate them and cause emotional and psychological pain. Similarly, an excerpt from a 2011 research article by five psychologists led by Melinda C. R. Burgess investigates the prevalence and consequences of racial stereotypes in video games, and calls to attention the damaging influence these stereotypes can bring upon society as a whole. The results of her research were shocking: Black men were over twice as likely as white people to play aggressive and violent NPC roles and computer and technology use was almost exclusively limited to White males with White males being more than twice as likely as black males to be depicted using technology. This is consistent with stereotypes about minorities, for example, that Black males are more athletic and less intelligent than Whites which can affect public perception and lead to social problems for those of African American descent (572). All in all, while there is clear progress made in becoming a more inclusive and non-judgemental society, the issue of cultural stereotyping exists and presents a very clear problem in our society that can potentially alienate and affect the public perception of certain groups of people.

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