Saturday, May 13, 2006

"The stereotype is not simplification because it is a false representation of a given reality. It is a simplification because it is an arrested, fixed form of representation that, in denying the play of difference (that the negation through the Other permits), constitutes a problem for the representation of the subject in significance of psychic and social relations."

--Homi Bhabha


Though Bhabha obscures an often overlooked truth with his legendary BAD writing, his point is not lost on me. Prejudice is not wrong because the stereotypes constructed are incorrect; very often stereotypes really do reflect the behaviors of many (sub)cultures. The problem is that those stereotypes take on a different meaning outside the boundaries of their own cultures, therefore their representation is skewed by the very act of attempting to represent them.

1 Comments:

Blogger Jess said...

Beautifully put. I agree...I really have nothing to add.

9:52 PM  

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