Stereotyping

Stereotyping, perpetuating a simplistic image of a category of person, institution, or culture (Greek stereos, solid, and typos, mark).

In the 18th century, the term was adapted to the printing of papier-mâché copies from a solid printing block, carrying with it the idea of a rigid origin to endlessly reproduce materials. Walter Lippman, in his book Political Opinion (1922), borrowed the concept to refer to the “pictures in our head” that are narrowly resistant to change.

The notion of a stereotype is generally negative. It demotes individual thought and existence to a slavish adherence to pre-formed formulations (the original printing block), which resist critical appraisal in the light of new or different experience. It is narrowly rooted in prejudice and irrational fear; in some cases it may be rooted in problems of perception of what is different. It is quintessentially irrational unless it can be (rarely) demonstrated that the original idea was an accurate and wise summary of previous experience. As a result, Jews, women, blacks, homosexuals, foreigners, immigrants, and minorities in general have been and are subjected to negative stereotyping, which often takes the form of ridicule, and in consequence to sanctions even to the point of murder and genocide. Devastating examples of triumphant stereotyping and racism are found in the European fascist movements of the inter-war years, and the post-war conflict over apartheid in South Africa. Stereotypes also extend to ideas of a person’s class, occupation, accent of origin, and many other differentiating factors. Stereotyped images of people have been, and still are, perpetuated in books and many other cultural forms. Some of these have been extremely crude—as in types of racist propaganda—but may also be expressed in forms of parody intended as entertainment. Studies in mass psychology examine the influence on behaviour of stereotypes in, for example, the mass media and advertising.

Stereotyping has deep roots in the human mind; it may have originated in the early evolution of primitive tribes, struggling for the control of territory and for tribal cohesion. In the modern world, however, such parochialisms are, on balance, a threat to human welfare. The struggle to create a free, democratic, fair, and rational society is still the main political and social issue of human life—with its expression in claims to equality for people regardless of their origins, sexuality, gender, and any other characteristics that may differentiate them.