Opinion Column

Rationale:

This task is part of the ”Language and Cultural Context” segment of the course, in which I decided to write an opinion column because it fits to the topic I wanted to write about. This topic is the way that certain minorities or social groups are portrayed in popular T.V. series or films. An opinion column helps me give facts who are meant to support my opinions, but in which I will also establish facts that I want people to know.

The purpose of this text is to reflect about how the typical stereotypes of people are to some extent affecting these people negatively. Taking the characteristics of a social group and exaggerating them may be taken  as an offense. On the other hand it entertains people and has a sense of humor to it, so it can be seen from two points of view. My goal is to let people know and for them to reflect about this topic, taking in consideration how other people may feel about it.

The way I achieved this, was through the use of pathos, given that it appeals to the pity or compassion people may feel towards the ones who would be affected.

Opinion Column:

Throughout history, films and T.V. series have portrayed certain minorities or social groups. Language is key when these stereotypes come into place, given that an accent or the use of grammar can represent a type of social groups. I'm questioning if this stereotyping through the use of language is, to some extent, negatively affecting social groups. I will explain this point of view through examples of popular T.V. series and contrast how these stereotypes are being used.

For instance, the indian culture is stereotyped in “The Simpsons“, through the character of Apu. This characterization contains a wide range of linguistic devices that are used to represent this social group. a way this is done, is the pronunciation he uses. It's the typical Indian accent shown on almost every T.V. series, in which for example the stressed syllables are pitched in a higher tone.

This way, we typify the indian culture through the accent they have. Although in real life, the indian accent may not that noticeable and some people may feel offended by this stereotype, given that they are being told their pronunciation is not the best.

Another characteristic that stereotypes Apu, is the grammar he uses. Indian people usually don't handle the English language very well because it isn't their native language, so their grammar is pretty basic. This linguistic characteristic typifies the Indian people as well. However it also addresses almost every not native English speaker, given that their english may present some mispronunciations and errors in grammar.

This typification may, to a certain extent, discriminate people and separate the Indians from the Americans, given that the T.V. series makes this differences in language more noticeable. They may even feel different from other people and exclude themselves because they may feel ashamed to show their way of speaking. However, we can all agree that it is done for humor purposes and to entertain people, so we can say that it is positive as it is negative. From there on, it's up to every person to judge how good or how bad this characterization may be. For example, an American will probably not even care about this topic because it doesn't affect him , but by the other hand, an Indian that has just come to America and sees “The Simpsons“ for the first time may feel like the americans are mocking him. Same happens with Chinese stereotypes throughout this T.V. series.

The stereotypes can also be good. They can show characteristics that embellish a social or cultural group. Even if some people may see certain characteristics as bad, the ones that I'm going to explain are usually seen as good attributes a person may have.

An example of this is the character Gloria from Modern Family, which is an introverted latina that is one of the main characters in the series. This character usually speaks in high tones and has authority given she speaks securely.

When it comes to language, latinos usually speak in a higher tone and with more confidence. This is exactly how Sofia Vergara impersonates Gloria in the series. An extroverted character that stands out and that makes herself noticeable. According to the stereotype, latinos speak a characteristic English, which is pronounced similarly to the indians, having mispronunciation and a Spanish accent. When it comes to grammar, hers is usually basic as well.

This characterization can be seen from a positive point of view, given that she is a fun, emotive, unreserved character. Sofia can be seen as a strong woman that is respected and that is very sociable. I think we all can agree that that is a positive characteristic.

This impersonation of a ”latina” is for humor's sake and we all have laughed at how Sofia Vergara speaks and acts. There is also a negative aspect to the characterization of Gloria, given that she may seem a little aggressive in the way she is and in the way she treats people. It is similar to the case of Apu from the Simpsons, given that even if the characterization may be a bit rude to the culture. It is not done to hurt anybody, but how much it affects people is only judged from different perspectives by different people.

Language has been used to impersonate different cultures throughout films, using linguistic devices to refer to these ways of being. These ways of acting. However, to which extent does it really discriminate, even if it is only for humor's sake? Maybe a good way of answering this question is doing a survey and asking the affected people what is their posture towards this situation. In my opinion, we as people should accept our characteristics and be content to have a cultural ethnie that makes us different. Not be so sensitive about being characterized and just live in harmony with ourselves, accepting our language.