Glossary (some terms here are considered highly offensive today and are not necessarily the words of the author, please always consider where it is appropriate to use them i.e. in a classroom and with a historical perspective) Stereotypes Sociology . a stereotype is a simplified and standardized conception or image invested with special meaning and held in common by members of a group: The cowboy and Indian are American stereotypes. White people can be referred to as ‘butter-noses’ as apparently we smell of fat and butter to the Japanese. Stereotypes are used as shorthand, often reducing a whole group of people to a narrow set of traits, qualities and attributes. They are often full of prejudice, often negative and often created by more dominant groups in society in reference to more subordinate groups (in our society white, middle-aged, middle-class, able-bodied, heterosexual males often make up the dominant group) N.B. Tessa Perkins proposed, not all stereotypes are negative, some are positive, and can be made in reference to dominant groups not just subordinate ones, she also said there’s often some element of truth in the origin of a stereotype however distant or seemingly unrelated. Black Stereotypes: Black Buck A stereotype of hypersexual and hypermasculine African American man Blackface popular theatrical tradition of the 1800s that featured white performers darkening their faces with makeup in order to perform comedic stereotypes of African Americans Coon stereotype of an African American male as a lazy, shuffling and ignorant fool. Magical Negro Hollywood stereotype that figures African Americans as subservient characters who use their “mystical powers” to help white people in distress Mammy stereotype of an African American woman as an overweight caretaker of white people Minstrel Show popular 19th Century theatrical format in which white entertainers donned blackface makeup and performed as stereotypical African Americans the Proud Warrior Race Guy A specific subtrope of Blood Knight, the Proud Warrior Race Guy seeks battle and bloodshed because his culture teaches that doing so is the greatest source of personal honour and glory. This Proud Warrior Race will often be based on one of several real world cultures who are perceived to have acted this way, such as the Samurai, Spartans, Vikings, and Mongols. They are often a Martyrdom Culture. The Proud Warrior Race Guy is almost always a hero. If evil, he will probably be the Worthy Opponent. Tragic Mulatto: stereotype of an African American woman of mixed race heritage who usually finds only death or disgrace Uncle Tom stereotype of an African American male as a devoted servant to his white master Vamp image of a dark skinned exotic woman who might lead a white man to his downfall, common in 1910s and 1920s cinema
Other useful terms: Blaxploitation Institution is any structure or mechanism of social order and cooperation governing the behaviour of a set of individuals within a given human community (Warner Brothers is an institution as are all film studios) Neo-blaxploitation film/genre frequently violent genre films of the 1990s that centred on African American characters Virgin-Whore complex ideological approach to women found in Western culture; defines women in simplistic sexual terms as either “good” (the virgin) or “bad” (the whore). WASP – common abbreviation for “White Anglo-Saxon Protestant” historically the dominant population group in the United States White patriarchal capitalism dominant ideology of the Western world: suggest that heterosexual Caucasian males and gaining wealth are the most important things in the world Xenophobia (pronounced: Zen-o-fo-be-a ) hatred or fear of foreigners or strangers or of their politics or culture