Alvarado’s racial stereotypes (1978)

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Exotic• Ethnic groups are presented as

exotic.• An example of this is Gustavo

Fring from Breaking Bad. His character appears exotic in comparison to the other main characters as he regularly speaks in fluent Spanish and eats food native to Chile. This is a positive representation as it implies that he is more highly educated as he speaks two languages fluently.

Dangerous• Ethic groups are presented as

dangerous.• An example of this is Yusef Khan from

EastEnders. Yusef and his family had poured oil on Zainab and set her on fire. And he later commits attempted murder on Masood Phil and Denise before dying. This is a negative representation of ethic groups as it is stereotyping them as violent. This stereotype portrays them as dominant as they appear to be in control of the situation.

Humorous• Ethic groups are represented as funny.• An example of this is FatBoy from EastEnders. His

character is used to add an element of comic relief to the soap which can sometimes feature some hard hitting storylines. He does this by not taking things to seriously and exhibits a positive outlook. This is a positive representation to an extent as it portrays them as socially friendly but may also portray them as incapable of being serious.

Pitied• Ethic groups are represented as weak and in need, we

feel sorry for them.• An example of this is the many charity appeals on TV such

as water aid which raise money for poor countries in Africa by showing images of children malnourished or diseased. Although they are made to look pitied on purpose to increase donations. This is a negative stereotype of ethnic minorities as it portrays them as in need of aid from others rather than being self sufficient. This portrays ethnic minorities as sub-ordinate due to the fact that they are in need of help from a dominant figure/s.