Stereotyping Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Stereotyping - Essay Example Huntington's theory, in other words, remains true because it is primarily supported by the countless stereotypes which are embedded in the human consciousness and which people tend to use to define the world around them. Stereotypes are dangerous both because they function to impose false images on racial, ethnic, gender, cultural, social and religious groups and because those false images often motivate the imposition of harm on others. Perry R. Hinton(1993), a social psychologist who has researched and studied the phenomenon of stereotyping, confirms the harmfulness of stereotypes. As he writes in The psychology of interpersonal perception, "stereotyping can be seen as a more extreme form of typing where we see a whole group of people as homogeneous, with the same characteristics" (Hinton, 1993:56). The implication ere is that stereotyping involves the identification of certain characteristics in members of a specific group of people and then applying those characteristics to the whole. For example, because just over a dozen of the 1.6 billion Muslims across the world undertook a terrorist act against the United States, all Muslims are subsequently stereotyped as anti-Western terrorists whose prim ary objective is the destruction of the West. Stereotypes, in other words, are generalizations which tend to ignore all available evidence to the contrary. Stereotypes and stereotyping are persistent despite the fact that many recognize both their falsity and harmfulness. Their persistency, in light of their harmfulness, has rendered the study of stereotypes and stereotyping, important activities. Following a definition of the concept and phenomenon of stereotypes and an overview of its theoretical parameters, the research shall present the results of a survey which was conducted on a test group of twenty of the researcher's colleagues, as a means of determining whether theory and reality coincide and, more importantly, as a strategy for acquiring a more concrete understanding of the practical and theoretical parameters of the phenomenon. The primary focus of the research shall be on gender stereotyping, considering its prevalence in the Middle East. 2 An Overview of the Concept of Stereotyping/Stereotypes This section of the research shall review literature on the definition and theory of stereotypes/stereotyping for the purpose of articulating both a comprehensive definition of the phenomenon and explicating its theoretical framework. 2.1 Definition The first to seek the academic and scientific understanding of the phenomenon of stereotyping and, indeed the first to both theorize and define the concept was Walter Lippmann (1991). In 1922, Lippmann commenced his lifelong study of the phenomenon and introduced the following definition of stereotypes: For the most part we do not first see, and then define,

The Life Of Adoor Gopalakrishnan Film Studies Essay

The Life Of Adoor Gopalakrishnan Film Studies Essay Moutatthu Adoor Gopalakrishnan Unnithan is a National Award winning Indian film director, script writer, and producer. Adoor Gopalakrishnan had a major role in revolutionizing Malayalam cinema. Adoor Gopalakrishnan first film Ones Own Choice (1972) pioneered the new wave cinema movement in Kerala. Over the last 40 years Gopalakrishnan has made films, short films, plays and documentaries in the Malayalam language spoken in the Kerala state located in the south west corner of India. All the 11 films he directed, from Ones Own Choice (1972) to A Climate for Crime (2008), were screened at several International film festivals and won him several National and International awards. He won National Film Awards fifteen times, Kerala State Film Awards seventeen times and also won several International Film Awards. He won the prestigious British Film Institute award for The Rat Trap (1981). Adoor Gopalakrishnan received the Padma Shri in 1984 and the Padma Vibhushan in 2006. The Nation honored Adoor for his valuable contributions to Indian cinema by awarding him the highest cinema award of India, the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for the year 2004. He is one among the very few Indian film makers who are well known in the international film fraternity. (Razdan ) During the 1970s a revitalized movement for good cinema called parallel cinema started in Kerala with Adoor Gopalakrishnan leading the cause. Parallel Cinema is an alternative to the mainstream commercial cinema, is a specific movement in Indian cinema, known for its serious content, realism and naturalism, with a keen eye on the sociopolitical climate of the times. A neo-realist film director by definition Adoor films tend to be much more than that. He involves the audience allowing them to become part of the film rather than just spectators. Adoors films and the characters in them are derived from real people and real situations. He uses his films to address underlying social problems presented in his home state of Kerala. Nothing is sugar coated, only the real stories of common social problems and how these problems affect people in their daily lives. His films dont necessarily try to solve these problems, but show the viewers the sacrifices and hardships those problems present to people that because of different social classes the viewers might not be aware of. By watching other peoples struggles, Adoor lets his audience experience and learn from these life struggles in hopes that the viewers wont repeat some of the mistakes that were made. Adoor Gopalakrishnan has been known as a director who completely dictates every fine detail of his films. From cinematography to acting, Adoor molds each frame of his films, inviting viewers to experience and discover new levels of thinking while still addressing the key overtone of the plot of his film. On the performance of actors in his movies, he stated that It is not the artists job to do the detailing. I do not want different interpretations of roles that may clash with each other. It has to be absolutely unified. According to Adoor in movies, the actor is not performing to the audience like the stage actor. Here they are acting for me. I am the audience and I will decide whether it is correct or not, enough or not. (Panicker) The film, Ones own choice (1972) is a film that portrays the middle class of Kerala as it transitions to a more modernist society. The emphasis of the film shows the economic and social crisis that young couples endure while trying to make a life for themselves. In the beginning there happy and together but as life plays out there world is turned upside down and in the end all we see is a woman, distraught, alone and overwhelmed starring into a unknown future by herself and her small child. This was the 1st feature film that Adoor directed and it went on to win many national and international awards. The film, Four Women (2009) tells the tales of four women in modern India. Each woman had their own roles in the film: the virgin, spinster, prostitute, and house wife. There is no real plot associated with this film or any type of closure enabling the Adoor to focus the viewers attention to the individual stories of the women. Each woman has her own social status in the film and their stories reflect their perspective in regards to their status during the time that they lived in. This film tends to show male domination of the women, but also gives way to a feminist rebellion brewing in each woman. Yet the film is not feminist in nature, since Adoor Gopalakrishnan is more concerned in portraying the era and the fine details it holds regarding the rituals and patterns of society than just to present a story regarding the power and will of womanhood. Irrespective of the fact, that he took his liberties in exercising what should be seen and what remains unseen and what remained- the ear thly nature of the film, which in all due, is as much powerful to what is portrayed (the role and growth of the woman). These women understand their roles, but are starting to believe that they can be something better. The film puts an emphasis on what constitutes living a life or just going through the motions of life. These women want to be something more than their social class structure allows them to be and without forgetting there place, they strive to be more than they are or at last dream they are. (Nitesh) Shadow Kill (2002) is the story of a hangman, Kaliyappan. The executioner is unhappy due to the guilt attached to his means of earning income. He realizes that the executions that he often carries out are a result of politics and not justice. To cleanse himself of the guilt, the King issues a pardon in the form of a clemency order, which deliberately arrives a few minutes after the hanging. However, Kaliyappan has no way to absolve himself from the guilt. As times change, the hangings grow increasingly few and far between. One day Kaliyappan receives orders to prepare for another hanging, which is due to take place in a couple of days. Kaliyappans preparations include rigorous prayers and penance; yet as the day draws closer, he becomes more and more perturbed. Just before the execution, Kaliyappan sits down with his friends for a traditional drink. To pass time, one of them starts telling a story about a young girl who was raped and murdered. As the story proceeds Kaliyappan begins to imagine the young victim to be his own daughter. The overpowering thoughts completely shatter his mental framework and he is unable to perform the execution. In this film Adoor shows the audience what its like to live in someone elses shoes. Would we make the same mistakes or come to the same reasoning as Kaliyappan did? As human beings are our lives controlled by fate or do we have control of what happens around us? These are some of the questions that after watching this movie become apparent. Adoor gives the viewers the opportunity to face these questions through the eyes of the Kaliyappan. The Rat Trap (1981) is a film about a middle-aged rural landowner, who has never had to do a thing for himself, loses the female relatives who wait on him, one after another, and watches helplessly as his estate, already ravaged by thefts and mismanagement, falls into decay. With his only known life in ruins he completely withdrawals to himself and becomes completely self absorbed, incapable of caring or showing any response to change. He is trapped in his own life. Instead of trying to find a way out he simply gives up all hope and does nothing. He is a man caught in a trap or as the movie title suggests a Rat Trap. This film went on to win many International awards and won the coveted Sutherland trophy at the 1982 London Film Festival. Adoor Gopalakrishnan films are drawn from real people, real lives. His cinema manages to frame details that often escape our everyday glance, turning the mundane into the magical, the commonplace into the startling. Adoors characters are extraordinarily varied. A couple living in defiance of society, trying to make ends meet; a rootless, rustic man unaware of his responsibilities; an ex-revolutionary wasting himself, sleeping and eating and drinking, much to the disgust of his old comrades; and a prostitute discovering love only to be separated from her lover by the guardians of society. He invites his viewers to open their minds to different experiences and life lessons that each character presents. As Adoor stated in an interview at the London Film Festival Ideas come from life, what you have been living through and what you have observed. Creativity defies simple definitions and explanations. The mysterious and unknown element of it is what make it ever exciting and interesting. (Bhaskaran) His work has motivated a new generation of film-makers to use their medium in bold new ways and to explore traditionally forbidden topics. Adoor Gopalakrishnan films are about humanity and what experiences we learn through living. He doesnt give the answers but his films guide us as viewers to an understanding that unfamiliar or uncertain aspects of life are just that, a part of life, which we can learn and grow from.

Pushed, Chosen, And Choosing :: essays research papers

Their Eyes Were Watching God, by Zora Neale Hurston, was a novel about one woman’s self-revelation. It began when she was a very young girl, first being pushed, then chosen, and finally choosing. Born a victim of circumstance, Janie was subject to her position in life. She was raised to uphold the standards of the early African American generation. From the beginning, she was taught to be passive and subject to whatever life gave her. As she grew older she began to realize she must give in to her desires and not suppress them. Janie, the main character of the story, was set up for her journey of self-discovery by her grandmother. Nanny set a goal for Janie’s life by saying, â€Å"Ah wanted you to look upon yo’ self. Ah don’t want yo’ feathers always crumpled by folks throwin’ up things in yo’ face.† Janie’s grandmother pushed Janie into a marriage, which she considered a ‘safe’ place for Janie. Though hesitant, Janie agreed to marry Logan Killicks. He was a farmer who married Janie shortly after she completed school. Killicks was the first antagonist that Janie encountered in the story. He was there for one purpose, to destroy Janie’s new sense of self-awarenes. Logan demanded things of Janie that she did not wish to do and tried to push her into his mold of a perfect wife. Janie did not love Logan nor did he love her. She didn’t know what she wanted, but she knew that she didn’t want Logan Killicks. Joe Starks appeared in Janie’s yard one afternoon. He said the sweet things that Janie wanted to hear. Though Janie hardly knew the man, she was chosen by his words—being young and gullible. She took another step in her journey, leaving Logan the next day and traveling to Eatonville with Joe Starks. Aspiring to be the mayor of Eatonville, Joe Starks was a man concerned with little except power. He wanted it, and he was going to use Janie to get it. She wore nice dresses during this marriage because Joe wanted her to stand out from the rest of the town; he used her as an icon of his prosperity and power. He was cruel to Janie and stomped out all of her free will. He built his town of Eatonville, became the mayor crushing all in his path, and made many enemies along the way, including Janie. During the period that she was married to Joe Starks, Janie was not allowed to talk and act as herself, but she began to think for herself—never revealing to Joe how she felt until just before he died. Pushed, Chosen, And Choosing :: essays research papers Their Eyes Were Watching God, by Zora Neale Hurston, was a novel about one woman’s self-revelation. It began when she was a very young girl, first being pushed, then chosen, and finally choosing. Born a victim of circumstance, Janie was subject to her position in life. She was raised to uphold the standards of the early African American generation. From the beginning, she was taught to be passive and subject to whatever life gave her. As she grew older she began to realize she must give in to her desires and not suppress them. Janie, the main character of the story, was set up for her journey of self-discovery by her grandmother. Nanny set a goal for Janie’s life by saying, â€Å"Ah wanted you to look upon yo’ self. Ah don’t want yo’ feathers always crumpled by folks throwin’ up things in yo’ face.† Janie’s grandmother pushed Janie into a marriage, which she considered a ‘safe’ place for Janie. Though hesitant, Janie agreed to marry Logan Killicks. He was a farmer who married Janie shortly after she completed school. Killicks was the first antagonist that Janie encountered in the story. He was there for one purpose, to destroy Janie’s new sense of self-awarenes. Logan demanded things of Janie that she did not wish to do and tried to push her into his mold of a perfect wife. Janie did not love Logan nor did he love her. She didn’t know what she wanted, but she knew that she didn’t want Logan Killicks. Joe Starks appeared in Janie’s yard one afternoon. He said the sweet things that Janie wanted to hear. Though Janie hardly knew the man, she was chosen by his words—being young and gullible. She took another step in her journey, leaving Logan the next day and traveling to Eatonville with Joe Starks. Aspiring to be the mayor of Eatonville, Joe Starks was a man concerned with little except power. He wanted it, and he was going to use Janie to get it. She wore nice dresses during this marriage because Joe wanted her to stand out from the rest of the town; he used her as an icon of his prosperity and power. He was cruel to Janie and stomped out all of her free will. He built his town of Eatonville, became the mayor crushing all in his path, and made many enemies along the way, including Janie. During the period that she was married to Joe Starks, Janie was not allowed to talk and act as herself, but she began to think for herself—never revealing to Joe how she felt until just before he died.

Barclays: Matt Barrett’s Journey †Winning Hearts and Minds Essay

The fact that Barclays is one of the four most dominant retail and commercial banks in the U.K. says a lot about its reputation. This company has faced many challenges between the time periods of 1980-2000. Matt Barrett has several great ideas to turn this company around, and the factors that should be considered are essential to the success of his strategy. Social/Demographic The Company initiates good customer relationship skills. They have built personal relationships with one out of five personal customers, and have direct relationships with 25% of the businesses in the U.K. On the downside, the company’s cost base is much higher than its competitors. The plan is to change the core infrastructure of the company in order to build a stronger customer base. Becoming more competitive and offering value to its core products will give Barclays the competitive edge it needs to help increase profit and attract new clients. Technological Barrett and his Executive Committee (ExCo) team have plans to restructure the company by shifting its culture. In order to shift the culture, the mind-set of the employees has to change. Barrett promoted younger talent to join his ExCo team to give the company fresh innovative ideas. These new ideas will give solutions to replace the incompetence of traditional strategies that are no longer useful. The company also did an analysis on the industry and company data to figure out which segments were making money, and which ones weren’t. A value-based management approach gives the ExCo team an opportunity to take on challenges and risks, and make strategic decision about what segments to add, and what to take away. Economic Considering that Barclays is a reputable company, and the fact that an estimated 20% of its profits are generated outside of the U.K; it would be ideal for the company to expand to gain exposure. The company is the ninth largest bank in Europe, and already has a customer base in the country. Developing a second home market in continental Europe would allow the company to create a larger customer base, therefore increasing profit. Environmental/Geographic Barclays is located in a stable economy with a strong domestic franchise. The only crutch is that they need a strategy to compete with new entrants. The U.K. accounts for 80% of the company’s profit, so plans to restructure core products will require a dynamic strategic plan. Using diverse tactics to differentiate product/customer markets will help aid in maximizing the economic value of the company; and improving these products by offering value to clients will aid in creating a stronger customer base. Political/Legal/Governmental Barclays is the first foreign bank to file with the Securities and Exchange Commission in Washington D.C. This is an advantage to the company on a global scale because banking laws are enforced according to SEC regulations. On the downside, the company may be overlooked by firms who are looking to establish offshore accounts in order to bypass these regulations.

Eastern Tobacco Company Essay

Introduction Why the Eastern Tobacco Company in Egypt is an example of monopolistic competition? Eastern Tobacco Company is known as the largest tobacco producer in Egypt. The company produces different products such as cigarettes, molasses tobacco, pipe tobacco and cigars (Oxford Business Group, 2008). Additionally, it produces other products that are related to cigarettes. These may include homogenized and filter rods tobacco (Owen & Pamuk, 1998). Their entire products are divided into two categories. These may include local and export products. The company is known as the largest company producing large amount of tobacco in Egypt Thus, it faces stiff competition by local and international companies that produces tobacco. Eastern Tobacco Company is an example of monopolistic competition (Owen & Pamuk, 1998). This is due to the fact that all tobacco industry is categorized in monopolistic competition. One of the viable reasons that make Eastern Tobacco Company to be categorized in monopolistic competition is the fact that there are quite a large number of companies that are producing the same products; however, they have differentiated them. This means that all companies under tobacco sector are satisfying the market demand for tobacco (Solow, 1999). Another reason that makes Eastern Tobacco Company to be a good example of monopolistic competition is the fact that it brings out differentiated products that are reasonably close substitutes for each other (Oxford Business Group, 2008).   For instance, the company brings into the market different types of cigarettes. These may include homogenized and filter rods cigarettes. It also produces different types of tobacco, for instance, molasses tobacco, pipe tobacco. Thus, the company has one of the characteristics of firms that are categorized in the group of monopolistic competition. Due to the fact that products are of close substitutes, there can be any reduction of price. This can be seen in Eastern Tobacco Company as they can be in a position to reduce the price of their products (Owen & Pamuk, 1998). This helps them to attract large number of customers and thus, they are perceived as the largest company in Egypt producing tobacco. One of the major characteristics of monopolistic competition is the fact that there are a large number of sellers (Solow, 1999). They tend to sell differentiated products. This can be evidenced in tobacco industry, as there is quite number of sellers that sell different types of tobacco. For instance, many local companies are selling same products as Eastern Tobacco Company. Thus, there is a different seller that sells tobacco like Eastern Tobacco Company. This means that Eastern Tobacco Company have achieved this characteristics of monopolistic competition where many sellers selling differentiated products dominate the industry. Eastern Tobacco Company does not have price competition. This is due to the fact that the company has the freedom to win over its entire customers. For instance, large number of customers prefers Eastern Tobacco Company as they offer after sales services. This is a situation where a buyer purchases large tonnes of tobacco and the company offers to take them to his or her home. Offering after sales services is one way that Eastern Tobacco Company uses to attract large number of customers. From the above point of view, it is clearly evidenced that Eastern Tobacco Company has all characteristics that monopolistic competition is associated with. Thus, it can be classified as a good example of monopolistic competition. For instance, the company has similar products but has differentiated them to different brands. These may include molasses tobacco, pipe tobacco (Oxford Business Group, 2008). Therefore, it is an example of monopolistic competition. References Owen, E. R. J., & Pamuk, S. (1998). A history of Middle East economies in the twentieth century.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   London: I.B. Tauris Publishers. Oxford Business Group. (2008). The Report: Emerging Egypt 2008. London: Oxford Business Group. Solow, R. M. (1999). Monopolistic competition and macroeconomic theory. Cambridge [u.a.:   Ã‚  Ã‚   Cambridge Univ. Press.