Myths of Racial Perceptions

Banks, Tyra. (2009, March 23). Myths of Racial Perception[Video File]. Retrieved from http://showhype.com/video/racial_stereotypes_on_tyra_banks_show_arabics_african/

This episode of the Tyra Banks show tied in with our recent class discussions about stereotyping and prejudice. This show had a group of about 12 people who watched several different scenarios and were then asked for their interpretation of what they saw. The group consisted of a variety of races from different parts of the US. They were all well spoken and most seemed well educated. The scenarios included video of interracial dating, a caucasian man chasing an african-american man down the street, an Arabic man carrying a large package down the street, and a causcasian woman with 3 children walking down the street compared to an african-american woman with 3 kids walking down the street.

Typical stereotypes were very strong and evident. It was admitted these beliefs were passed down from family and some from the media. Being well educated did not override what was learned from family. One unfortunate aspect of this group was that both caucasian people were from the south and both were admittedly racist. What surprised me was the negative stereotyping found within ingroups, or amongst one’s own race. One african-american woman preferred to date caucasian men because they are more on the same intellectual level as she is than african-american men. An arabic man refused to be seen with his mother in her head scarf and admitted having disgust towards his race and lying about his race to others. The show ended with the hope that we are changing negative stereotypes amongst our nations youth as demonstrated by attitudes that were changed from before Barack Obama was nominated as a presidential candidate to what children thought after that nomination. The show also seemed to show how through exposure to different races and education we can change these negative stereotypes, or at least among the members of the group that participated in these exercises.

When we think about how we can overcome stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination it becomes even more complicated when there are negative attitudes and beliefs amongst ingroups as well as between different races. In my opinion, we have come a long way in reducing negative stereotypes over time. I doubt we will ever see a day when negative stereotypes no longer exist, but with more time and encouraging exposure to different races and cultures it seems that we will continue to see greater acceptance of one another no matter what ingroup or outgroup we are members of.