Rhetoric and Group Stereotyping

1490 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Stereotypes conclusion

Rhetoric is language meant to bring about intense emotions causing people to have certain attitudes, beliefs, or behaviors (Moore & Parker, 2007, pp.117-118). There are many different types of rhetorical devices that can give positive or negative feelings about a subject. These are often called slanters (Moore & Parker, 2007, p.118). Stereotyping is one type of rhetorical device that is used quite often. It generally occurs when people attach certain images or thoughts to groups that are not based on facts or evidence (Moore & Parker, 2007, p.122). Quite often when a group is brought up in discussion, they are spoken of by stereotype. Stereotyping can be positive or negative. Stereotyping can cause people to make snap judgments of groups without having any actual facts about them (Moore & Parker, 2007, p.122). Politicians, tattooed people, feminists, and senior citizens each have their own stereotype. This will be a look at each group’s stereotype and the language used in describing these groups; whether the stereotype is positive, negative, or both; whether all people have the same image of them; and whether or not some of the stereotyping is actually true of the groups. I will conclude this essay with an appraisal of what I have learned about myself in regards to rhetoric and stereotyping.

The first group discussed will be politicians. Politicians are very much stereotyped. What is rather different with political stereotyping is that, in addition to others stereotyping them, each political group stereotypes the other (Green, 2009, para1). All politicians are often classified as liars or truth stretchers, looking out for their own best interests, not the people’s (DeRoche, 2009, para2). Each political party wants to...

... middle of paper ...

... 2011, from http://faculty.virginia.edu/haidtlab/articles/manuscripts/graham.nosek.submitted.moral-stereotypes-of-libs-and-cons.pub601.pdf

Green, D. (2009). Politicians, tattooed people, feminists, and the elderly: A rhetorical and stereotypical essay. Retrieved, March 17, 2011, from http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1810522/politicians_tattooed_people_feminists.html?cat=7

Moore, B. & Parker, R. (2007). Critical thinking. Boston: McGraw-Hill

Rockler-Gladen, N. (2008). Stereotypes about feminism. Retrieved March 16, 2011, from http://www.suite101.com/content/stereotypes-about-feminism-a51504

Rothenberg, K. (1996). Tattooed people as taboo figures in modern society. Retrieved March 15, 2011, from http://www.dozta2.com/stories.html

Trinity Education (n.d.) Social psychology of aging. Retrieved March 14, 2011, from http://www.trinity.edu/mKearl/gersopsy.html

Show More
Related

  • Stereotyping in The Way We Lie by Stephanie Ericsson

    950 Words  | 2 Pages

    Everyday we experience stereotyping in one way or another. Over the years stereotyping has become such a large part of our society that it is a vital part of our everyday communication. It has caused many of us to not really think about who a person really is, or what they are about, but to accept instead a certain stereotype that has already been created by our society and given to an individual. Stephanie Ericsson makes an excellent point in her essay when she says “they take a single tree, and make it into a landscape.” The statement she was trying to make by saying this is that many times, a stereotype is made by an individual because of something done by one particular person in a certain group, but is then given to the whole group as a result. Our society has given a stereotype to practically every form of human being out there. Some examples of this are the blond that is said to be dumb, the kid with glasse...

    Read More

  • Asian American Stereotypes Essay

    1453 Words  | 3 Pages

    A stereotype can have multiple meanings, but one of the most prevailing definitions is that it assumes that groups are representable through a consolidated

    Read More

  • Stereotyping And Repression Formation

    952 Words  | 2 Pages

    Stereotyping is an adaptive mechanism, adopted by human beings, to assist in the cognitive process of impression formation. Within the social arena, we are subjected to unfamiliar people and places on a regular basis. First impressions are often formed hastily on the basis of very limited information, and assisted by the practice of stereotyping. More specifically, stereotypes can be defined as the cognitive schemas that relate to a particular social group. These cognitive schemas are mental structures that contain knowledge about a particular type of stimulus: attributes, relations, and so on (book). In terms of gendered stereotypes, these schematic structures outline how men and women ought to behave, and contribute to impression formation:

    Read More

  • The Inherent Dangers of Stereotyping

    579 Words  | 2 Pages

    “What is a stereotype? Stereotypes are qualities assigned to groups of people related to their race, nationality and sexual orientation, to name a few. Because they generalize groups of people in manners that lead to discrimination and ignore the diversity within groups, stereotypes should be avoided” (“What Is a Stereotype”). Both positive and negative stereotypes exist, but both are equally dangerous. All stereotypes, whether positive or negative, limit whatever group of people it is assigned to to a certain set of traits, and let’s face it, a human being’s personality is far too complex to be limited to a mere set of three or four traits. A stereotype creates a preconceived notion of how an individual belonging to a certain group should look, act, dress, and even speak. A prime example of this would be the very recent happenings in the case of Trayvon Martin. Trayvon Martin was a seventeen year old African-American male, profiled as a criminal.

    Read More

  • Stereotyping In Society

    1800 Words  | 4 Pages

    Have you ever sat down and questioned whether if stereotyping is really an issue? Many of us don’t really even know what stereotyping really is or what it does to our society. According to the Dictionary stereotyping is a form of pre-judgment. Which is as prevalent in today’s society as it was thousands of years ago. Throughout generations its purpose has stayed the same. Stereotypes are a huge issue in today’s society, as it will be for future ones. It labels a person on how they should act or live according to their sex, race, personality, and other fact .Not only do they affect society but also the person who is being stereotyped against. It does this by depriving one’s true ability for change and freedom of expression. They have created a distortion of how everything and every individual should be. Stereotyping is bad for society because it leads to discrimination, which harms individuals, and makes a negative future for future generations.

    Read More

  • History and Cultural Diffusion of Tattoos in America

    1065 Words  | 3 Pages

    West, T. (n.d.). The Taboo of Tattoos: Changes in Body Art during the New Deal and World War II. Journal of Research Across the Disciplines. Retrieved November 28, 2013, from http://www.ju.edu/jrad/documents/tiffanyw.pdf

    Read More

  • Charles Ramirez-Berg Stereotypes

    452 Words  | 1 Pages

    “Two dangers arise when in-group members have little exposure to out-groups members or knowledge of out-group history” (Ramirez-Berg pg. 18). One is that history can be replaced by other group’s experience. Two is the stereotypical image can be taken as normal or even natural. The five functions of stereotyping that are developed and passed on to others. The first two are focused on a personal level. One is cognitive function of the environment. Two is motivational function protecting values. “The remaining three are at group level, where stereotypes contribute to the creation and maintenance of group beliefs which are then used…” (Ramirez-Berg pg. 28). Three is explaining in a large-scale social event. Four is to justify action. Five is to differentiate in and out

    Read More

  • Stereotyping

    2855 Words  | 6 Pages

    Brown's (1995) definition of stereotyping through prejudice is the 'holding of derogatory social attitudes or cognitive beliefs, the expression of negative affect, or the display of hostile or discriminatory behaviour towards members of a group on account of their membership to that group'. This definition implies that stereotyping is primarily a group process, through the individuals psyche's within that group. A further idea of stereotyping, defined by Allport (1954) as 'thinking ill of others without warrant', is that people 'make their mind up' without any personal experience. This pre judgement about a whole group is then transferred to the stigmatisation of any individuals in that group. It is these ideas that the essay aims to evaluate, through the cognitive process of categorisation and the above definitions that bring about three distinct features of stereotyping, that our cognition can be demonstrated through.

    Read More

  • Tattoos in the Workplace

    1394 Words  | 3 Pages

    Even though tattoos are becoming part of culture and socially acceptable, the negative and prejudiced attitudes towards those with body art are still present. Not all tattoos are gang related, and one must note that they have historically been a symbol of someone’s culture or religion. Other tattoos may have just a personal meaning to its owner and was not intended to be offensive. People also do not understand that a tattoo may impede them from pursuing a professional career, regardless of their qualifications. Employers realize that the need to recruit workers from different backgrounds are important in such a competitive workforce, so they provide accommodation by having reasonable dress code policies.

    Read More

  • Language, Gender, and Culture in Society

    1684 Words  | 4 Pages

    In many circles of the world, various groups of people distinguish themselves from one another through religion, language, culture, and sometimes gender. People also develop stereotypes about a particular group of people in order to identify them. However, most of the time, these stereotypes hold true for only some members of a group. Sometimes, these stereotypes are just plain misconceptions that do not even apply to the group it claims to. Stereotypes are placed on people because it is a way to easily identify what type of person or ethnicity an individual is. At one point in time, these stereotypes may have been true; however, in today’s modern society, most of these stereotypes are outdated and false, which leads them to turn into misconceptions. Usually, stereotypes are utilized to humiliate and degrade the person or group; they also do not provide any beneficial outcomes. Stereotypes focus on how a particular group acts because of the radical ideas and actions of the few, how a particular group looks, or how that group is physically lacking in some way. These stereotypes often lead to conflicts because the group does not appreciate the way it is being perceived. Seldom are the stereotypes placed on a group of people truthful and accurate. Some hardly even apply to the particular group people it claims to. It is true that how people are perceived has a big impact on how other individuals interact with them; however, people are not perceiving these groups correctly.

    Read More

  • Stereotyping And Prejudice

    915 Words  | 2 Pages

    Stereotyping, discrimination and prejudice are phenomena that motivate animated debate amid the scholars as well as the public. Many ponder on which acts should be deemed discriminatory, when they can come to a conclusion that a decision or a social guideline preference is actually founded on prejudice and the role played by prejudice in creating gender and racial disparities. Also of immense interest are queries regarding how the society should react to these problems and whether they have been dealt with in a pleasing manner. Social psychologists lunge into this dispute equipped with scientific method, hoping to gather evidence that can shed the much needed light on these continuing worries. In particular, this paper seeks to shed some light as to why stereotypes and prejudices occur in the mind of perceivers, as well as the manner and under which circumstances they are most likely to manipulate perceivers’ explicit behavior.

    Read More

  • Persuasive Essay About Tattoos

    2488 Words  | 5 Pages

    Tattoos are a controversial subject in the world we live in. The kind of people that get tattoos is now varied to almost all humans regardless of race, religion, or age. What many people fail to understand or realize is how much of an effect a tattoo can have on the rest of your life. The original tattoo stereotypes have faded from what they were many years ago and yet tattoos still have a reputation as for what kind of people get tattoos. There are many reasons as to why people would get a tattoo but there are many reason why you should think before you ink. Our society and the social media today has a huge impact on the tattoo industry. Movie stars and pop singers with many tattoos are posing as role models for our generation and

    Read More

  • Stereotypes In the Media

    483 Words  | 1 Pages

    Stereotypes play an important role in today's society and particularly in Propaganda. According to the Webster's Dictionary stereotyping is defined as a fixed conventional notion or conception of an individual or group of people, heldby a number of people. Stereotypes can be basic or complex generalizations which people apply to individuals or groups based on their appearance, behaviour and beliefs. Stereotypes are found everywhere. Though our world seems to be improving in many ways it seems almost impossible to liberate it from stereotypes.

    Read More

  • Tattoos and Society

    1437 Words  | 3 Pages

    A persons’ image is vital when meeting someone for the first time. Our peers, employers, family, superiors, even strangers that you walk past can automatically judge someone, and imagine how they present themselves to the world. Tattoos have been predominantly linked with a rebellious attitude and pictured on out of control stereotypes such as rock starts, bikers, sailors, and disobedient teenagers who want nothing more than to hack off their parents. With a new coming of age generation and a step into a more lenient and liberal society these types of patrons still participate in body art but so do doctors, lawyers, or just the run of the mill house mom. Tattoos signify religious beliefs, cultural influence, or each individual’s sole style. Body art is no longer socially offensive, employers are more apt to hiring tatted hopeful applicants, parents are warming up to the idea of their children inking their body and no longer a stranger on the street with a tattoo is necessarily prejudged as a criminal or safety hazard. Tattoos have become more evolved over the years because they have become more of a socially accepted element of the general public.

    Read More

  • Cultural and Racial Stereotyping

    1434 Words  | 3 Pages

    Most people find stereotypes to be obnoxious, especially when they have to do with sensitive subjects like gender or race. “Stereotyping is a generalization about a group or category of people that can have a powerful influence on how we perceive others and their communication behaviors” (Floyd, 61). Because they underestimate the differences among individuals in a group, stereotyping can lead to inaccurate and offensive perceptions of other people. Although stereotypes are prevalent in almost every society, becoming aware of our perceptions of others, as well as differentiating between both positive and negative stereotypes can help us overcome those stereotypes.

    Read More

More about Rhetoric and Group Stereotyping

Open Document