According to Gazzaniga, Heatherton, and Halpern in Psychological Science, an effective to regulate emotion is through humor (430). Humor allows individuals to distance themselves from negative emotions and can strengthen social connections to others (Gazzaniga, Heatherton, and Halpern 431). In Native American communities, laughter and humor are often utilized to cope with stereotypes imposed upon Native Americans by non-Native people. Illustrations of this occurrence can be found throughout works by Native peoples, such as that by Sherman Alexie. These sources involve Native Americans embracing, rebelling against, and bringing attention to stereotypes about who they are and who the can be, all while using humor to cope with the emotions involved …show more content…
One such stereotype is that of alcoholism on Native American reservations. In Enrique Cerna’s interview of Sherman Alexie, Alexie talks about his view of alcoholism as “an epidemic” rather than a stereotype. In his book, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, Alexie writes about alcoholism in manner that brings attention to the issue by making light of the serious problem. For example, he would make comments such as “Jeez, I’d just won the Silver Medal in the Children of Alcoholics Olympics” (151) or “I’m only an alcoholic when I’m drunk” (107). Remarks like these prompt mirth, but the actual meaning behind them demonstrates the seriousness of the problem and the methods with which people try to play it off. As discussed in his interview, Alexie “writes about it [alcoholism] a lot,” which is a way he brings more awareness to the widespread problem of the society (Cerna). As a result of his writing, it can be said that he is attempting to increase the visibility of alcoholism. He presents it in a manner that is easy to understand and connect with based on shared experiences. In essence, his approach to the topic of alcoholism on reservations is an attempt to inform others of the serious
In her book Through Indian Eyes: The Native Experience for Children, Doris Seale states, "It is no longer acceptable for children both Native and non-Native to be hurt racist ideologies which justify and perpetuate oppression. " There are many books in children's libraries today that perpetuate the stereotypical Native American. By definition, a stereotype is a "fixed image, idea, trait, or convention, lacking originality or individuality, most often negative, which robs individuals and their cultures of human qualities and promotes no real understanding of social rea... ...
To begin, I will give a brief overview on the effect emotions have on our media viewing experience. In particular, I will be examining the work of Noem Carroll and Carl Plantinga. Second, I will give a brief overview of the research that connects political humor viewing to positive outcomes including increased political knowledge, and the ability to learn various view points as well as greater understanding of one’s own viewpoint. Though, I understand that their is a raging debate between cognitivist and non-cognitivist. My goal is not to take a position on the debate, but I am merely going to give a brief overview of the literature on film and emotion. On one hand, Carl Plantinga argues that emotions can be defined as "Concern Based Construals.” To highlight this meaning, let us imagine that as I am writing this paper, I hear loud noises, as this is going on, unconsciously, my heart rate increases and respiration increase and I begin to develop the emotion of fear. This is similar to Noel Carroll’s theory of emotion, if not complimentary to Plantinga’s view. Carroll would say that emotions act as searchlights to help us focus on the perceptions necessary to deal with the current experience. Plantinga would concede that many of the affects associated with emotions occur in the cognitive unconscious. So, Plantinga is not saying that, “Emotions are mere judgements,” As Robert Solomon would claim, but emotions are driven by experience based on one’s personal perception. In other words, Plantinga is saying the these construals are based on one’s personal experiences, whether conscious or not. However, something should be said about Construals in of itself, th...
The stereotype of Native Americans has been concocted by long history. As any stereotype constructed by physical appearance, the early Europeans settlers were no different and utilized this method. Strangers to the New World, they realized the land was not uninhabited. The Native Americans were a strange people that didn't dress like them, didn't speak like them, and didn't believe like them. So they scribed what they observed. They observed a primitive people with an unorthodox religion and way of life. These observations made the transatlantic waves. Not knowingly, the early settlers had transmitted the earliest cases of stereotyped Native Americans to the masses. This perpetuated t...
There are many ways that we can communicate our message to the world. One particular way is through humor. Comedy has an effect on the human experience. It can cause discomfort, joy, shock, confusion and so on. Sometimes it can stir up two emotions at once like anger and regret. Humor can also be used to bring light to issues that are occurring in today’s society. Throughout, this essay I will be examining the use of humor, especially, in the Native American culture. One main issue that Native Americans face in today’s society is that they’re being stereotyped.
A lot of people want to know about the writing of Mark Twain. Mark Twain’s writings are widely known around the world. ” English teachers are always saying that Mark Twain is the greatest author in American literature.” Stated Dr. Engel in his lecture called “The Genius of Mark Twain.” Mark Twain has been criticized a lot by people about his writings. Especially his novel called The Adventures of huckleberry Finn. The only reason he received as much criticism as he did for that novel was because one specific word. That word is powerful too. This word can be used by one person in the wrong way and shut down a community, a family, and maybe even a life. That word is the word “nigger.” We are not even going to get into that subject right now because that is not what we are here to talk about. People always
Watching an episode of The Simpsons relates back to the humor used in Rabelais. Gragantua and the character Bart share somewhat the same similarities when it comes to humor they are brave, entertaining, curious and humorous characters. Both authors bring a sense to of humor to their audience by including degradation, exaggeration and a sense of humor. This contemporary cultural of The Simpsons is more upto date and humorous due to the generation we live in and a lot of the humor brought within the show is based off of degradation from other entertainment such as movies, TV shows, books and celebrities, whereas Rabelais is based off more modern day humor and degradation that when readers read the story of “How Gargantua’s wonderful understanding
One of the most common stereotypes are that all Native Americans are alcoholics, more so than other ethnicities. A study was conducted by Karen Chartier, a Faculty Associate the University of Texas looking in to this truth of this stereotype. She discovered that it was white people, specifically white men who were more likely to consume alcohol on a daily basis (Chartier & Caetano, n.d.). Often Natives are discriminated for their culture and being “red skinned.” This can be seen by sports teams, from high school to the pros. Like the Southwest Indians, or the Washington Redskins. Some teams have changed their names and logos from these offensive examples, but some like Washington’s NFL team have yet to replace the name. There’s many other examples of stereotypes that they face. Like that they run on “Indian time” therefore they are always late for planned events, hence that they are all lazy. Other ones like they are all uneducated and never go to college, or when they do go to college they receive “special” aid from the government (Ridgway, 2013). However, that aid that they receive is available to other historically disadvantaged groups as well, and is part of what the government owes them for taking their land which is states in the contracts that were signed (Ridgway,
Many people do not realize that Indian people are around us everyday. They could be our neighbors, our bus driver, or anyone that we see on a daily bases. In Thomas King’s essay “You’re not the Indian I Had in Mind,” and his video “I’m not the Indian You Had in Mind,” he exemplifies the stereotype that many people make about Indians. King mentions in his essay that people always would say to him, “you’re not the Indian I had in mind,” because he did not look like the stereotypical Indian. Through King’s essay and video, I have been educated about this stereotype that I was unaware of. Since I now have an understanding of how unrealistic this stereotype is, I now can educate friends and family members on this issue.
Ghosh, R. P. (2012, February 11). Native Americans: The Tragedy of Alcoholism. Retrieved May 21, 2014, from International Business Times: http://www.ibtimes.com/native-americans-tragedy-alcoholism-214046
Alcoholism is the most well-known health problem in the Native American community, and a source full stereotyping because alcohol is one of the worst things that can affect their community.( Gordon, Claire. "5 Big Native American Health Issues You Don 't Know about." 5 Big Native American Health Issues You Don 't Know about. N.p., 29 May 2014. Web. 19 Feb. 2016).According to Ann Pietrangelo Alcohol can affect many things such as : brain, Pain in the Pancreas ,Diabetic Danger Zone ,Coordination, Blackouts ,Shifty Eyes , and Dependence. Pietrangelo, Ann. "How Alcohol Affects the Body.(" Healthline. N.p., 30 June 2014. Web. 19 Feb.
The spectrum of therapeutic techniques available within the health care continuum is very complex and varied. From traditional medicine, to holistic remedies, and anything in between, nurses have a rather large arsenal at their disposal when it comes to treating the patients that are under their care. Humor as an alternative therapy has long been understood as a proven means to aid in the recovery process. “With so much power to heal and renew, the ability to laugh easily and frequently is a tremendous resource for surmounting problems, enhancing your relationships, and supporting both physical and emotional health” (Smith & Segal, 2015). The purpose of this paper is to discuss situations in which humor would be a viable alternative therapy
For example, in the local school, stereotypes such as the image of the ‘wild man’ are consolidated by claiming that there was cannibalism among the indigenous people of the northwest coast (Soper-Jones 2009, 20; Robinson 2010, 68f.). Moreover, native people are still considered to be second-class citizens, which is pointed out by Lisamarie’s aunt Trudy, when she has been harassed by some white guys in a car: “[Y]ou’re a mouthy Indian, and everyone thinks we’re born sluts. Those guys would have said you were asking for it and got off scot-free”
Humor can come in many different forms. Many people are aware of the blatant humor of slapstick, but it takes a keener mind to notice the subtle detail in sarcasm or satire. In A Modest Proposal, Jonathan Swift was able to create a piece of literature addressing the faults of the Irish culture while embedding in a humorous essay. Swift’s satire allows for the gravity of the Irish standings to be exploited under the disguise of a proposal for economic benefit.
According to Everything’s an Argument by Andrea A. Lunsford and John J. Ruszkiewicz, “Humor has always played an important role in argument…” (38). Humor itself is something that activates amusement or laughter. Moreover, in popular culture satire is a tool that is used to point out things in our society. Satire opens the minds of people to philosophies they might completely deny, using humor. There are many elements of satire that identify flaws within our society. A couple of satire elements that will be discussed are irony and exaggeration. In addition, a parody is used in popular culture as a way to mock or mimic situation or person.
If there is one way to bring a smile to someone’s face, it is laughter. Funny jokes, comical stunts, sarcasm- Every person is different when it comes to what makes them laugh. Some find dry humor comical. Others think sarcasm or joke-filled ranting are the best. ‘Comedy’ is such a broad term, broad enough to allow everyone to find something they find comical. In fact, ‘comedy’ includes a specific type of drama, one where the protagonist is joyful and happy endings are expected. Comedy is like a drug; it allows you to escape reality. When we say the word ‘comedy’ in the present, we are generally referring to a type of performance which provides humor. However, in its broadest sense, comedy has only one purpose: comedy makes people smile and