MCM101 Lesson 12

LESSON 12: STEREOTYPING – A TYPICAL HURDLE IN MASS COMMUNICATION

1. What are ‘stereotypes’?
   Stereotypes are ideas held by some individuals about members of particular groups, based solely on their attitude, often used in a negative or prejudicial sense.
2. According to the lesson, why are media stereotypes sometimes inevitable?
   They are inevitable in advertising, entertainment, and news because these industries need a wide audience to quickly understand information, and stereotypes act like codes for quick, common understanding.
3. What is the ‘global phenomenon’ mentioned in relation to stereotyping?
   Stereotyping in communication is a global phenomenon that hurts mass media all over the world.
4. In the hockey player example from Gojra, what does the coach’s decision illustrate?
   It illustrates how stereotyping leads to selection based on the assumption that players from Gojra are inherently better, rather than on individual merit.
5. List three common groups on which stereotypes are based.
   Three groups are Age, Race, and Ethnicity. (Others include Gender, Nationality, Religious belief, Profession, Social class).
6. What is the Islamic approach to stereotyping, as mentioned in the lesson?
   The Islamic approach states that every individual is responsible for their own deeds and will not be judged based on their caste, creed, or tribe on dooms day, defying the stereotyping approach.
7. How do media transform assumptions into realities regarding stereotypes?
   By the overuse of certain ideas, people (receivers) start believing them as truth, such as assigning baser nature characters to certain ethnic groups in dramas.
8. What economic reason is suggested for the stereotyping of female beauty in media?
   The roots are economic; by presenting an ideal difficult to achieve, the cosmetic and diet product industries are assured of growth and profits.
9. Explain how stereotypes act like “codes” in media.
   Stereotypes give audiences a quick, common understanding of a person or group—relating to class, ethnicity, etc.—allowing for rapid processing of information, whether true or false.
10. Explain the problem with stereotyping using the hockey coach example from Gojra.
    The coach, to economize time and effort, would likely select the player from Gojra based on the town’s stereotype for producing fine players, rather than fairly evaluating the individual from Nawabshah, thus perpetuating bias.
11. How can stereotyping be harmful, according to the lesson?
    Stereotyping can justify discriminatory behaviors, lead to unfair judgments of individuals, and cause real harm, such as unhealthy eating habits in women and girls due to unrealistic beauty standards.
12. Explain the commercial interest behind promoting unattainable beauty standards.
    The cosmetic and diet industries profit from women’s insecurity about their bodies. Promoting youth and thinness as essential beauty criteria creates a perpetual market for their products, as all women age and many feel pressured to be thin.
13. How does media stereotyping of female beauty lead to “self-destruction”?
    Exposure to images of thin, young, air-brushed female bodies is linked to depression, loss of self-esteem, and unhealthy eating habits, as women internalize these stereotypes and judge themselves by impossible standards.
14. Why does the lesson describe the female body as having become “invisible” in mass media?
    Because the overwhelming presence of media images of painfully thin women means that real women’s bodies are not represented, making them invisible by comparison.
15. Explain one consequence of the stereotyping of beauty standards, as cited from research.
    One consequence is that one out of every four college-aged women uses unhealthy methods of weight control, such as fasting, skipping meals, excessive exercise, laxative abuse, and self-induced vomiting.
16. How does stereotyping “reduce complexity,” and what is the downside of this?
    Stereotyping reduces complexity by generalizing characteristics, which provides stability and allows for quick identification. The downside is that it oversimplifies, ignores individual differences, and often leads to prejudice and discrimination.
17. A news editor is considering using a term that generalizes the behavior of a particular ethnic group in a story. Based on the lesson, why should the editor avoid this?
    The editor should avoid this because it perpetuates stereotyping, which transforms assumptions into realities for the audience, can justify discriminatory behavior, and hurts the group being stereotyped.
18. Analyze the following scenario: An advertising agency is creating a campaign for a diet product and plans to use very thin models. What potential negative effect, as discussed in the lesson, should they consider?
    They should consider that such imagery is linked to depression, loss of self-esteem, and the development of unhealthy eating habits in women and girls who compare themselves to these unattainable standards.
19. A casting director for a TV show needs to cast a character who is a scientist. Based on the lesson, what is the risk of automatically casting an older man with glasses?
    The risk is reinforcing a stereotype based on ‘Age’ and ‘Profession’. This ignores the diversity of real scientists and perpetuates an unrealistic and potentially limiting assumption for the audience.
20. A school is designing a program to combat bullying based on prejudice. Based on the lesson, what core concept about judging individuals should be emphasized?
    The program should emphasize the Islamic approach cited in the lesson: that every individual is responsible for their own deeds and should be judged as an individual, not based on group stereotypes like race, ethnicity, or social class.
21. Apply your knowledge: Why might a media company, despite knowing the harms, still resort to using stereotypes in its entertainment shows?
    Because stereotypes act as quick codes that a wide audience can instantly understand, which is efficient for storytelling and comedy in fast-paced media, and can be driven by commercial interests to attract viewers quickly, even if it’s ethically problematic.
22. A study finds that girls as young as 6 are going on diets. Based on the lesson, what role does media stereotyping play in this?
    Media stereotyping of female beauty as thin and young creates immense pressure, leading even young girls to believe they are overweight and need to diet to meet these externally imposed, unattainable standards.
23. Based on the lesson, what is one reason why the stereotype of the “stingy Scot” is problematic?
    It is problematic because it applies a generalized characteristic to all individuals from Scotland, leading to prejudiced interactions and unfair treatment of individuals who may not be stingy at all.
24. If stereotypes “provide stability,” what is the trade-off for this perceived benefit?
    The trade-off is the loss of accuracy, fairness, and individuality. The “stability” comes from oversimplification and prejudice, which harms the stereotyped groups and hinders genuine understanding.
25. A media literacy teacher wants to show how stereotypes are used in advertising. What example from the lesson could they use?
    They could use the example of the beauty industry, which promotes a thin, youthful ideal to sell products, thereby using stereotyping to create insecurity and ensure profits, with devastating health consequences for women.