Stereotypes, Metaphors, Signs and Symbols

On this posting, I will talk about stereotypes, metaphors, signs and symbols. I believe these four media concepts are very important and might define what we think as human beings, media producers and viewers.
According to Wordnet, a stereotype is "a conventional or formulaic conception or image) "regional stereotypes have been part of America since its founding"  http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=stereotype
There are several examples of  stereotypes, for example that most people from India are doctors, engineers or information technology specialists, some of them working at International Call Centers.
http://globalvillagetoday.files.wordpress.com/2009/10/india-inc-cover1.jpg

http://globalvillagetoday.files.wordpress.com/2009/10/india-inc-cover1.jpg

http://image.shutterstock.com/display_pic_with_logo/68543/68543,1172963854,5/stock-photo-hispanic-male-gang-stereotype-2799963.jpg

Or for instance, Hispanics (also called Latinos) living in the United States are either from Mexico (crossed the border illegally) or from the Caribbean island of Puerto Rico.
The media stereotypes women as well. For example, in the music industry in which young girls who want to become famous have to be skinny, blond so that they can become successful singers who will be exhaustively admired by other young girls, attracted to men and followed by paparazzies.I can use the example of Colombian-born singer Shakira, who in her early years as a Spanish-Pop singer had black hair, and voluptuous body. A few years later, in order to captivate the American audience, she died her hair blond, had to go through multiple surgeries and training to appear skinny and conquer the American/commercial world, like Britney Spears and the newest, Lady Gaga. Now, when you do a  Google image search on Shakira you will only see pictures of her as blond and skinny.I literally had to dig in to find an image of her as a brunette and chubby singer. Check this out!

http://userserve-ak.last.fm/serve/_/31503669/Shakira+9st8.jpg

http://www.terra.com/addon/img/musica/113c1c6shakira_1996_01_mzcp.jpg

AFTER





 



                  BEFORE
I truly believe that this latter stereotype about women is wrong. It induces girls and young women to do whatever it takes to copy their favorite 'perfect body' celebrities. The American research group Anorexia Nervosa & Related Eating Disorders, Inc. says that one out of every four college-aged women uses unhealthy methods of weight control—including fasting, skipping meals, excessive exercise, laxative abuse, and self-induced vomiting. (http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/issues/stereotyping/women_and_girls/women_beauty.cfm)


Now moving onto another concept, according to Sartar a metaphor is "a fundamental mode of communicating meaning in which a relationship between two things is suggested through analogy or a simile. (Methaphors) they communicate the meaning of an unknown by transposing it into the terms of the known.
Most of us use metaphors to describe or explain something underneath an idea. Here is a great video that explains some common metaphors:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFgRj-5d5Ac&feature=related

Many world leaders used and currently use metaphors to explain socioeconomic and political issues and make concepts a bit easier for all people to understand. For example here is a famous quote from Thomas Jefferson using a metaphor: "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time, with the blood of patriots and tyrants."http://quotes.liberty-tree.ca/quote_blog/Thomas.Jefferson.Quote.EFEC

In conclusion, metaphors are a great way of explaining and understanding certain abstract topics that can be confusing or just need more clarification. It is vital to use them on a daily basis.

And last but not least, we have symbols and signs. A sign is something that stands for something else, while a symbol is something that represents something else by association, resemblance, or convention. Something visible representing something invisible. A symbol can be embued with rich layers of meanings.http://www.symbols.net/signsymbols/

 A great example of a symbol is the Ying yang that symbolizes the abstract concept of perfect balance in the Chinese culture. "This symbol represents the primal opposing but complementary forces found in all things in the universe. Depicted as it is, it also outlines the necessity of balance in all things." http://www.whats-your-sign.com/yin-yang-symbols.html 

http://z.about.com/d/taoism/1/0/0/-/-/-/yinYang.gif

http://z.about.com/d/taoism/1/0/0/-/-/-/yinYang.gif

Another one is the symbol for "going green" or recycling. he universal recycling symbol (♲ or ♻ in Unicode)  It is an internationally recognized symbol used to designate recyclable materials. It is composed of three chasing arrows that form a Möbius strip or unending loop. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recycling_symbol

http://www.istockphoto.com/file_thumbview_approve/4361345/2/istockphoto_4361345-recycle-symbol.jpg

http://www.istockphoto.com/file_thumbview_approve/4361345/2/istockphoto_4361345-recycle-symbol.jpg

http://comps.fotosearch.com/comp/UNC/UNC214/stop-sign-mark_~u14629813.jpg

 A good sign example is the universal STOP sign http://comps.fotosearch.com/comp/UNC/UNC214/stop-sign-mark_~u14629813.jpg