Tag Archives: Stereotypes

Module 2 | Post 1 Playing with stereotypes

Why White people are Funny.   I found this video on the National Film Board site of Canada.  This is playful poke at the white community from the Inuit perspective.  Filmmaker Mark Sandiford and Inuit writer and satirist Zebedee Nungak created this short video as part of a larger series called Unikkausivut – Sharing our Stories.  I like this video because it is humorous and allows the outsider a window into the perspectives, humor and values of the Inuit people through their amusement at the behavior, attitudes and oddities of visitors to their communities.   This is an example of how stereotypes can provide a useful role in breaking down boundaries and potentially eliminate a defensive or painful reaction to white or colonial behavior and impacts on Inuit people.

https://www.nfb.ca/playlists/unikkausivut-sharing-our-stories/viewing/qallunaat_why_white_people_are_funny

Module 1 Post 2: Aboriginal Peoples and News

People’s misconceptions of Aboriginal peoples are often due to what they see or read in mainstream media. I found this video that talks about how misconceptions can be driven and perpetuated by the media. Interestingly, it also touches on journalism, and how journalists often lack a solid background or knowledge on Aboriginal peoples; therefore, they are more likely to “buy into” and promote the myths that are already established.

In searching for how Aboriginal peoples are portrayed in the media, I stumbled on this article News Stereotypes of Aboriginal Peoples.

The article examines how Aboriginal people are typically shown on the news when an individual is either: a warrior, drumming, dancing, drunk, or dead (WD4). It speaks of various stereotypes that are based on untruths and how they are perpetuated by selective media coverage and false assumptions.

The article is posted on a site called “Reporting in Indigenous Communities”. Upon further exploration, I found out that this site’s purpose is to guide and educate journalists that are reporting news in Indigenous communities. It describes ways in which reporters can help serve Indigenous communities by providing quality news coverage. This site also has many valuable resources such as historical overviews, glossaries of terminology/definitions, government acts, residential schools, Indigenous media/blogs, and many more.