The Monsters and Marvels exhibit was interesting because it gave visual images to the different stereotypes of Asian culture. Each one of the stereotypes were magnified in to separate characters. The brain, the kamikaze, the guru, etc, all represented a different Asian stereotype. The character’s manner as well as the way the specific character looked reflected how society viewed this cultural group.
For example, the character “The Brain” is said to be “hyperintelligent” and other than that he has no personality. This exaggerates the stereotype that all Asians are extremely smart.
What I found the most interesting were the different shades of yellow used throughout the history of the comic to represent the characters. Using the color yellow to represent the characters is a stereotype in itself.
This exhibit is only an example of how the media can portray a specific group of people. The media usually only displays the stereotypes of specific groups and this becomes what the audience familiarizes with, causing the stereotype to spread. African-Americans are often showed as poor, violent, and unprofessional in the media. This would give the impression that all African-Americans are poor, violent, and unprofessional because the media portrays a negative image of the group.
Recently, I believe that images of the media have improved to decrease the amount of stereotypes. However, they are still present and will be difficult to eliminate because stereotypes have become a part of our society. This exhibit brings awareness to the stereotypes we designate to certain groups and to try to change the way we think about others.
WRT 102.22: Science & Society 