Stereotypes are insidious little beasts. Although we
try to subvert them, they still manage to slip into our thinking. And they
reared their ugly heads in our recent class discussion regarding homosexuality.
Although I understood where they were coming from, I was disturbed by the frequency of comments like, “My friend is a lesbian and she dates beautiful girls!” This statement — always tinged with a note of pleasant surprise — is telling in two ways. First, it reinforces the stereotype that noticeably, attractively feminine or “lipstick lesbians” are rare to come by and therefore surprising. Secondly, it suggests that homosexuals are more accepted or acceptable if they are what society deems attractive. That was certainly true for Matthew Shepard — a young gay man who was easily embraced based largely on his soft features and generally innocent appearance. But it’s true for everyone, regardless of gender or orientation. Just open an issue of In Touch magazine and you will see how our image obsession is growing.
Of all the classes about different forms of rhetoric, this homosexuality discussion was the most potent example of visual persuasion — and the most stark reminder that people can be judged even before they speak.
Today’s world is not unlike Jimmy Stewart’s in “Rear Window.” Like him, we’re all voyeurs, largely dependent on visual impressions. While he watches — and analyzes — his neighbors through his little window, we judge behind the comfort of our laptops.
We rely on images to judge people because the media shoves them in our faces. Maybe it’s time they tone down the visual rhetoric and employ a different form of attention-grabbing. Like stereotypes, visuals only scratch the surface when it comes to describing and understanding people.
Although I understood where they were coming from, I was disturbed by the frequency of comments like, “My friend is a lesbian and she dates beautiful girls!” This statement — always tinged with a note of pleasant surprise — is telling in two ways. First, it reinforces the stereotype that noticeably, attractively feminine or “lipstick lesbians” are rare to come by and therefore surprising. Secondly, it suggests that homosexuals are more accepted or acceptable if they are what society deems attractive. That was certainly true for Matthew Shepard — a young gay man who was easily embraced based largely on his soft features and generally innocent appearance. But it’s true for everyone, regardless of gender or orientation. Just open an issue of In Touch magazine and you will see how our image obsession is growing.
Of all the classes about different forms of rhetoric, this homosexuality discussion was the most potent example of visual persuasion — and the most stark reminder that people can be judged even before they speak.
Today’s world is not unlike Jimmy Stewart’s in “Rear Window.” Like him, we’re all voyeurs, largely dependent on visual impressions. While he watches — and analyzes — his neighbors through his little window, we judge behind the comfort of our laptops.
We rely on images to judge people because the media shoves them in our faces. Maybe it’s time they tone down the visual rhetoric and employ a different form of attention-grabbing. Like stereotypes, visuals only scratch the surface when it comes to describing and understanding people.
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