Week Eight: stereotypes
I'll begin with saying:
it the characters in your story are stereotypes only because you're too lazy to write well rounded character, you've already made a worthless piece of art.
Now, if your character fits into a certain stereotype, but has their own unique personality and story, that's a different story. "Legally Blonde" has a ditzy blonde who's a little gullible and a totally girly girl, however the stereotype she embodies gets turned over on its head throughout the story. She studies hard and gets into Harvard, the plot is about her proving other people wrong. She is this amazingly powerful and intelligent person, who also happens to be obsessed with pink and walks around with a dressed up pooch.
I've personally been affected by stereotyping because the second I said I was Cuban at sleep away camp, kids my age asked me if I was a "chonga".
Now I admit, some stereotypes about Cuban/Latin culture have SOME truth to them, but not everything is true.
My rule of thumb for stereotypes in the real world is figure out things for yourself, and talk to people who look, think, and dress different than you. If possible, even speak a different language than you.
it the characters in your story are stereotypes only because you're too lazy to write well rounded character, you've already made a worthless piece of art.
Now, if your character fits into a certain stereotype, but has their own unique personality and story, that's a different story. "Legally Blonde" has a ditzy blonde who's a little gullible and a totally girly girl, however the stereotype she embodies gets turned over on its head throughout the story. She studies hard and gets into Harvard, the plot is about her proving other people wrong. She is this amazingly powerful and intelligent person, who also happens to be obsessed with pink and walks around with a dressed up pooch.
I've personally been affected by stereotyping because the second I said I was Cuban at sleep away camp, kids my age asked me if I was a "chonga".
Now I admit, some stereotypes about Cuban/Latin culture have SOME truth to them, but not everything is true.
My rule of thumb for stereotypes in the real world is figure out things for yourself, and talk to people who look, think, and dress different than you. If possible, even speak a different language than you.
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