Avoiding Stereotypes In Writing

When writing for any sort of media, whether it be newspapers, magazines, advertisements, or another source, it is important to take care to avoid using common stereotypes of misrepresentations when discussing certain groups, especially minority groups.  Some stereotypes are so common that we don't even realize that we are using them, but nonetheless, they are damaging to those groups and their place in society.  A stereotype is defined as "a widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing."  Similar to stereotypes, and equally problematic, are misrepresentations, which portray an individual or a group falsely or misleadingly.  There are many groups that are not portrayed fairly in the media today, including Latinos, Muslims, and the disabled.

Latinos

Latinos are a group that comes up in the news very often, especially in regards to the controversial issue of immigration.  Many of the terms that are used when discussing Latinos who have come to the country without documentation is inherently negative, which causes stories that may even appear to be neutral to have bias.  Using words such as illegal immigrant or illegal alien makes it easier for writers to dehumanize this group and take away their already quiet voice.  Even when discussing Latinos who live in the United States legally or were born in the U.S. and are rightful citizens, there are many stereotypes used.  Latino characters are often described as poor, dirty, uneducated, dangerous, and lazy.  This image of them in the media will only further the prejudice that faces minority groups everyday.

Muslims

Post-9/11, Muslims have been constantly stereotyped and misrepresented in the media.  Terrorism has become entwined in the media's coverage of Muslims, giving the public a very skewed view on these people.  Using language like "Islamic terrorism" implies that the religion is responsible for the actions of a relatively small group of people, which leads to the immediate association of Islam and terrorism.  Because the majority of media coverage involving Muslims is about terrorist groups and does not portray them as average citizens, the general population's view of Muslims is more negative.   In order to avoid this, it is necessary to avoid stereotypes when writing about Muslims, and to include stories on all sorts of people who practice Islam.

Disabled

A marginalized group that may not immediately come to mind when discussing stereotypes and misrepresentations are people with disabilities.  However, there are many common stereotypes that are used daily when discussing this group, in the media as well as in movie, TV shows, and books.  Some common portrayals include the disabled as pathetic, the disabled as evil, the disabled as a burden, and more.  Characterizing people with disabilities in negative ways is so prevalent in our society that many people do not even realize it is being done, and has serious impacts on how the population views people with disabilities.  These misrepresentations are fed to us from a young age; many children's books and movies illustrate the evil villain as having a physical deformity.  This teaches us to associate disabled people with bad things, and causes prejudice towards this group in our society.