Wednesday, August 22, 2007

More on Stereotypes...

Hey everyone,

I've been doing some more research for my assignment and I have watched a few more dvds and read some articles and Iam finding some good information ( more on these later). I found that the lecture that Prof. Mak gave today was really useful and she brought up many interesting points. Its funny when you think about it, most of us would say that we dont hold any prejudice and dont stereotype people from other groups but doing this assignment I have realised just how much these things happen daily. I have myself becomes more aware of the prejudices I have and I think that if it wasn't for my connection to people who believe in Islam than maybe I would have incorrect thoughts and perceptions here aswell. A lot of stereotypes and prejudices stem from a lack of understanding and i think that this is the case with Islam.

I was thinking about this on a personal level. When i travelled to America at the begining of the year I was travelling in a car with my friend and her American family going to visit the beach for the wkn. We were sorting through her parents Cd's and someone suggested Cat Stevens, we put that on and I was shocked when the father ( a supposed devout Christian and since I myself am a christian i am aware that a lot of the teachings in this religion promote tolerance and treating your neighbour as you wish to be treated) replied "I can't believe we are listening to a muslim" . Now while I am not personally a muslim I was personally offended and angered on behalf of my boyfriend and his family and for all muslims. That bothered me enough to have a different opinion of the man for the rest of my trip. I cant even imagine how it must feel for people who are forced to deal with these kinds of comments and prejudice daily. I know that the American people suffered a terrible event but I was left thinking what did Cat Stevens have to do with it???? These are the types of comments that can make the world such a bad place full of hatred and misunderstanding.

Studying topics such as this really does make you stop and think about the type of cognitive processes people must have when it comes to developing these stereotypes and the "mental shortcuts" that they have formed (as professor Mak spoke of).
Im also posting a Youtube video which i think shows my point well about the lack of general knowledge when it comes to Islam...Take a look and see if you know the answers to the questions posed ...
Thanks !!!

4 comments:

Clare said...

Hey Beck,
I completely agree with your posting. I thought the lecture was really interesting and taught me a lot about prejudices and stereotypes that I didn't know before. I find it insulting too when people make such thoughtless and prejudiced comments. It makes me so angry but also frusterated. I often find myself correcting people when they make prejudiced comments, but sadly, more often than not, they just dont get what they said was so wrong. Anyway, good luck with your blog. Clare.

Josie said...

Hi Beck
I think that you have consistently brought up some really interesting comments on you blog page and made me think about things which I haven’t thought of before. The Indonesian half of my family are Muslim so I think that my understanding of the religion Islam is a little bit better then some people but I was surprised at how many questions I still got wrong when watching the video that you posted. I personally think that the negative betrayal of Muslim people in the media has caused such a negative stereotype and think that it is really sad that the media has that much influence over what people think.

James Neill said...

Beck, This is a really interesting posting and you're thinking and understanding about prejudice is really developing. It is amazing, I think, to finally accept and realise that we are prejudice creatures. But perhaps even more amazing and miraculous that are also capable of at least somewhat overcoming these issues by discussing, sharing, learning (and unlearning). Maybe it can't be perfect, but every little drop in the ocean, such as the topics you've explored in this blog, help to reverse the kinds of stereotypes often perpetrated by big media, governments, etc. I have definitely learned more about Islam from your blog. Thankyou.

Jules said...

Hi Beck,
You left a link on my page but when I copied it into the address bar it wouldn't work. Would you mind posting it again for me, hyperlinked. Thanks