Why This is Good

Stereotypes are obviously negative. Most of us don’t consider ourselves racist and would condemn blatant bigotry if we witnessed it in real life or in a TV show or film. However some stereotypes are so accepted and ingrained in our culture that they can creep into your writing without you even realizing that they are prejudiced. These portrayals have become so prevalent and so accepted as funny and normal that many writers insert these caricatures into their writing not based on any real knowledge of the people they’re portraying, but because pop culture has made these racist and bigoted caricatures acceptable.

I’m all for free speech, and I would never want to encourage writers or any other type of artist to refraining from expressing themselves creatively in order to avoid offending a certain person or group. I’m a huge fan of the stand-up comedian Russell Peters, as well as shows like The Simpsons, South Park and Family Guy, and obviously they do not tip-toe around any controversial issues or try at all to avoid offending anyone. We should all be able to laugh at ourselves and have a sense of humor about the world around us and those in it. I’m not against honest intelligently written comedy and thoughtful commentary. What I am against, however, is the use of clichéd stereotypes in an ineffective attempt to add humor to a script or a movie. It is not just offensive, it is ignorant, narrow-minded and lazy. Using stereotypes to get a cheap laugh is not only trite and irritating, it is proof that you haven’t done your research. Writing a gay male character who is overly effeminate, flamboyant and prissy a la Jack from Will and Grace shows that you probably haven’t done enough research and are not writing creatively. It’s ignorant to think that all gay men behave this way, and it’s insulting the intelligence of your audience to assume we will always find this behavior to be funny. Even if it weren’t offensive it would be clichéd, as this stereotype has been done to death. Think of new and well-rounded ways to portray gay men. And step outside your comfort zone and actually get to know gay men in real life. You’ll find that, like everyone else, their sexuality is only a tiny part of who they are and there are as many different types of people in that community as there are in society as a whole.

I also frequently read black women being stereotyped negatively. They are given the clichéd treatment of being the ghetto-fabulous girls with huge attitudes, constantly snapping their fingers and spouting tired catch phrases like “Oh no you didn’t” and “Don’t go there, girlfriend.” Please.  Don’t perpetuate such a ridiculous stereotype in order to get a laugh. No one with any intelligence or sensitivity is laughing and you’re more likely just offending your reader and alerting them to the fact that your writing is hackneyed and based not on your own experiences but on images you’ve seen and copied from other films and TV shows.

I only mention these two stereotypes because they are so pervasive, but they exist in many forms. Any grouped or type of person can and is stereotyped-young attractive blonde women as ditzy or slutty, elderly people as fumbling, crazy and irritable, middle-aged women as horny and sex-starved and preying on teenage boys (they wish), Asians (see Chinatown, Pretty in Pink or Breakfast at Tiffany’s), Southerners (Deliverance, Waterboy)  and the list goes on. The point is that it’s lazy writing and proves you’ve done insufficient research. If you aren’t willing to get to know the type of people you are writing about then don’t write about them. If you aren’t willing to branch out and get to know other people, than you aren’t mature enough to try to write about them. Better to avoid the subject than flagrantly prove your ignorance and lack of creativity.

For further reading, check out this article.