TWO
BARNARD FACULTY MEMBERS WARN OF THE DANGER OF
STEREOTYPING
By
Penny Van Amburg
In the wake of the September 11 attacks on the
World Trade Center and the Pentagon, two Barnard
faculty members warned that it will be a continuing
challenge to combat stereotypes of people who
look different.
The
noon discussion on Monday, Sept. 18, was facilitated
by Ennis Edmonds, director of multicultural
affairs, and included Steve Stroessner, assistant
professor of psychology, and Linda Beck, assistant
professor of political science. The three spoke
with students, faculty and administrators in
Sulzberger Parlor.
Edmonds
led off the discussion by saying that imagining
the acts of September 11 reflected beliefs of
all Muslims would be comparable to saying that
the IRA violence was endorsed by all Irish or
the actions of the Ku Klux Klan represent the
beliefs of all white Americans.
Beck,
who does research on Muslims in sub-Saharan
Africa and teaches courses on Arabs and Muslims
in America, expressed her dismay in the lag
time in the media's coverage of abuse and violence
directed against by Muslims and other groups
in the US following the September 11 events.
These incidents, which are not restricted to
Muslims or Arabs, but have been directed to
anyone who looks like "the other," include a
murder in Arizona. She cited as the positive
the inclusion of Muslims in the ecumenical service
held last week in Washington and President Bush's
visit to a mosque to deliver a message to the
country encouraging tolerance.
Stereotyping or 'racial profiling' is not new
nor will it go away quickly, Beck noted. Many
incidents occurred after the Oklahoma bombing,
when people erroneously jumped to the conclusion
that they were the act of an Arab terrorist
group. Such events and their aftermath seem
to make it acceptable to risk falsely accusing
someone from a particular group. Racial profiling
as part of our security efforts versus individual
rights and freedom of expression will be issues
all of us will be grappling with in the days
and weeks ahead.
After
the discussion was opened up to the group, one
student, a Muslim American, talked about her
strong identification with her religion and
described some of the feelings she has been
experiencing since last week. Afraid to go out
at night, she has been approached by new acquaintances
who offer friendship and support, and also admonished
by others to "just go home." Encouraged by some
friends and family members to play down her
religious affiliation at least for a while,
she has resisted and feels it would be shameful
for anyone in this country to have to hide her
religious beliefs for fear of reprisal.
"There
are 1 billion Muslims throughout the world and
this is just a travesty that people identify
this with the Muslim religion," the student
said.
Stroessner
described some basic tenets of stereotyping,
for example, that it often occurs when people
are anxious and have no sense of being able
to control their environment. He also said that
stereotyping was a form of shorthand -- that
it serves to simplify our world by reducing
the amount of information we need to process.
People
often use stereotyping to explain the events
in their lives and to feel better about themselves,
Stroessner noted. To make things even more complicated,
we have the issue of "meta-stereotypes" - when
people, out of spite or anger, take actions
that deliberately confirm what someone else
is thinking about them.
Other
concerns raised by the group focused on the
wave of patriotism now under way and how we
interpret the flags and lapel pins we are seeing:
Are they a show of sympathy and respect for
those who have suffered? Do they indicate a
desire for the US to take retaliatory action?
Is the very act of wearing a red, white and
blue ribbon opening the wearer up to being stereotyped?
Can we as a College formulate some visible way
to express our belief in religious tolerance
and the rights of Muslims to be protected from
reprisals?
"Does
wearing the flag mean we think we have a right
to bomb other countries?" one student asked.
Stephanie
Pfirman, professor of environmental science,
responded that this view of those who wear the
flag is, in itself, a stereotype.
American's
general lack of knowledge about the countries
involved and their cultures was cited as a major
issue that contributes to stereotyping and makes
it difficult to determine what an appropriate
response might be to these acts. The discussion
concluded with a resolve to have a community
forum on what the US response should be to September
11.
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