Philosophy
We had a candidate give a wonderful talk last week on the effects of stereotypes on members of the Asian American community. It is made interesting by the fact that many of the stereotypes are on their face positive -- hard-working, smart, disciplined. For everything prescribed by the Protestant work ethic, the Buddhists supposedly have you beaten.
She gave an interesting discussion of the effects of these expectations within and across social boundaries. Of course, for those who do match some aspect of the stereotype, you get no credit because that's just the way you are supposed to be and the mythical status means you are never smart, disciplined, or talented enough. For those whose talents, interests, and personalities are otherwise, you are looked at as if you were defective just for being normal, just for being you.
But, of course, the "positive" stereotype is not really positive. Asians may be viewed as a "model minority," but supposedly possessing these virtues gets turned into a character flaw by virtue of being apart from the norm. Hard work gets turned into works too hard, isn't independent enough. Disciplined becomes "isn't creative or resourceful." By supposedly making the majority look bad, it surely doesn't reflect problems in mainstream white American culture, but is made to reflect badly on the minority -- truthful or not. So, these "positive" stereotypes are not really positive.
This led me to think of Steven Chu. Surely, being a Nobel Prize winner in physics and Energy Secretary at a time when energy is of crucial national importance makes him a role model for anyone. But, of course, communities love when members of their own excel and they have every right to be prouder than proud. The question is what happens when your quite legitimate role models also reinforce stereotypes? Should the role be played down if the person both helps and hurts the community by being nothing but positive?
- Cinco De Mayo And American Cultural Celebrations
Thinking about Cinco de Mayo. On the one hand, in these days of vilification of Mexicans, surely it is a good thing to have a mainstream celebration of Mexican culture. It must be helpful to have time set aside to create a positive association with all...
- Floyd Landis, Hypotheticals, And Cheating
In my class Wrong Science, Bad Science, and Pseudoscience, we've been looking at science in society and last week the question turned to sports-based applications and cheating. One can cheat with technology if one gains an unfair advantage. The question...
- Are Certain Groups Comedically Out Of Bounds On Ethical Grounds?
I was having a conversation last night with Hanno and C.Ewing and my routine came up. Hanno raised questions about the end portion -- the Eskimo jokes. Having had friends who spent time in Alaska, he was well aware that, unbeknownst to me (although a...
- Will The "cultural Barriers" Be Overcome In Philosophy Departments Too?
Second-year Emily Hatch discusses how modern philosophers should interpret female stereotypes in classic philosophy texts in a Women in Philosophy meeting Thursday evening. "Female philosophers find a room of their own" Two female philosophy undergraduates...
- Ada Lovelace...who Is Ada Lovelace?
"Ada Lovelace voted tech heroine" by Zoe Kleinman March 25th, 2010 BBC News Ada Lovelace has emerged as the most popular role model in a day dedicated to celebrating women working in the fields of science and technology. So far, 2,239 people around...
Philosophy
Steven Chu, "Positive" Stereotypes, and Asians as "Model Minority"
We had a candidate give a wonderful talk last week on the effects of stereotypes on members of the Asian American community. It is made interesting by the fact that many of the stereotypes are on their face positive -- hard-working, smart, disciplined. For everything prescribed by the Protestant work ethic, the Buddhists supposedly have you beaten.
She gave an interesting discussion of the effects of these expectations within and across social boundaries. Of course, for those who do match some aspect of the stereotype, you get no credit because that's just the way you are supposed to be and the mythical status means you are never smart, disciplined, or talented enough. For those whose talents, interests, and personalities are otherwise, you are looked at as if you were defective just for being normal, just for being you.
But, of course, the "positive" stereotype is not really positive. Asians may be viewed as a "model minority," but supposedly possessing these virtues gets turned into a character flaw by virtue of being apart from the norm. Hard work gets turned into works too hard, isn't independent enough. Disciplined becomes "isn't creative or resourceful." By supposedly making the majority look bad, it surely doesn't reflect problems in mainstream white American culture, but is made to reflect badly on the minority -- truthful or not. So, these "positive" stereotypes are not really positive.
This led me to think of Steven Chu. Surely, being a Nobel Prize winner in physics and Energy Secretary at a time when energy is of crucial national importance makes him a role model for anyone. But, of course, communities love when members of their own excel and they have every right to be prouder than proud. The question is what happens when your quite legitimate role models also reinforce stereotypes? Should the role be played down if the person both helps and hurts the community by being nothing but positive?
- Cinco De Mayo And American Cultural Celebrations
Thinking about Cinco de Mayo. On the one hand, in these days of vilification of Mexicans, surely it is a good thing to have a mainstream celebration of Mexican culture. It must be helpful to have time set aside to create a positive association with all...
- Floyd Landis, Hypotheticals, And Cheating
In my class Wrong Science, Bad Science, and Pseudoscience, we've been looking at science in society and last week the question turned to sports-based applications and cheating. One can cheat with technology if one gains an unfair advantage. The question...
- Are Certain Groups Comedically Out Of Bounds On Ethical Grounds?
I was having a conversation last night with Hanno and C.Ewing and my routine came up. Hanno raised questions about the end portion -- the Eskimo jokes. Having had friends who spent time in Alaska, he was well aware that, unbeknownst to me (although a...
- Will The "cultural Barriers" Be Overcome In Philosophy Departments Too?
Second-year Emily Hatch discusses how modern philosophers should interpret female stereotypes in classic philosophy texts in a Women in Philosophy meeting Thursday evening. "Female philosophers find a room of their own" Two female philosophy undergraduates...
- Ada Lovelace...who Is Ada Lovelace?
"Ada Lovelace voted tech heroine" by Zoe Kleinman March 25th, 2010 BBC News Ada Lovelace has emerged as the most popular role model in a day dedicated to celebrating women working in the fields of science and technology. So far, 2,239 people around...