PUBLISHED: UNIQUELIFE.

GR 25/9/2015

SOCIAL STEREOTYPES AND THEIR EFFECTS IN MODERN SOCIETY

AUTHOR:EMILIA BRACHOU

Rockers wear black and leather, women must do the household chores,
foreigners are bad, these and many more stereotypical thoughts are flooding the
contemporary society. There is even in childrens literature some room for prejudice.
Notre Dame of Victor Hugo, despite the fact that is indeed one of the most famous
fairytales for children, as a novel from a sociological approach presents a variety of
examples, which demonstrate stereotypical perceptions of the medieval era that still
exist nowadays. The monstrous Quasimodo, that society marginalize, the thief
and beautiful gypsy, the spotless, but in reality corrupted priest and of course the
handsome hero, who falls in a returning love with the leading heroine, compose a
puzzle of stereotypical images.
Therefore, when we talk about stereotypes, we are basically naming simplified
concepts, that are accompanied with characteristics or behaviors that are attributed or
blamed at a certain person, a group of people or even at ourselves, without having a
doubtless proof that should lead to this classification. Stereotypes are a two-side coin,
leaving a positive or a negative hue. However, this coin usually sides to the direction
of one pointing another, rather than one positively encouraging or supporting ones
situation.
The Labeling Theory is the fundamental theory, in which are contained
stereotypes and self-fulfilling prophecy, also following and tightly linked to stigma
and prejudices. According to this theory, deviant behavior is not necessary bad or
reproachable, but differentiation from totality and majoritys tendency to point
negatively at minority are usually the facts, which indicate or determine
something/someone as deviant, because it doesnt actually follows cultural or ethical
norms of a certain society or chronological period. Consequently, these lead to
discrimination or even marginalization.
Canadian sociologist .Goffman, one of the main representatives of Labeling
Theory, reports that deviants world is separated into three places. There are places
forbidden, where exposure entails danger, other places where they are difficult or
painfully accepted and places where they can expose themselves freely, without
hiding their identity or pretending to be someone else.
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PUBLISHED: UNIQUELIFE.GR 25/9/2015

What should a developed and especially humanitarian society do about this

phenomenon? It needs to embrace and respect diversity. At times, when everything is
being controlled, especially the way that human perception is shaped, there is no
much room for differentiation and even if something different manages to appear, it
should always try to prove, whats the reason and worth for its existence.

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