CNN/CMU promote gender stereotypes

Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
I saw this on the CNN homepage.



http://www.cnn.com/2004/TECH/ptech/0....ap/index.html



Unbelieveable, just unbelieveable. In the year 2004, we have people and seemingly liberal universities promoting such classic gender steretypes as the female gossiping secretary. Even gets "testy"? WTF, is that or isn't that a direct allusion to the stereotypical "pre-menstral symdrome" which any gender sociologist will tell is BS?



Is "her" personality more real (and therefore 'better') by being a stereotype? What is that telling our children?







Comments

  • Reply 1 of 4
    pfflampfflam Posts: 5,053member
    I used to teach at CMU . . .and in my department all of the "secretaries" were men except the more senior staff figures behind the scenes . . . they were all women.

    The "Office Assistant" was a man and he was very very competent.



    But I was not in the 'Robotics" area . . . CMU generally has alot of women in very high positions including women, and women of color in the Robotics dept> that I have met, and they were also very socially aware and critical people . . . but, I could imagine that some of the more geeky folks get pretty obliviouse to such things as 'negative-stereotypes' . . . they get so wrapped up in their work and they work sooo hard that they close off other considerations . . .



    But they should've probably thought about this with a little self-criticism . . .
  • Reply 2 of 4
    chu_bakkachu_bakka Posts: 1,793member
    I think it has more to do with the stereotypical male nerd... and his preconceived notions. But then again it is a COMPUTER PROGRAM.



    But then again how many MALE receptionists have you met?
  • Reply 3 of 4
    pfflampfflam Posts: 5,053member
    Now that I read the article, I have another set of excuses: the drama department at CMU is very well respected, it turned out a few "Stars" . . . however, if you think that Robotics Nerds are geeks . . . then you haven't hung around Drama Geeks . . . they are the absolute most removed from self-critique . . . unless its part of a play.



    But youu shouldn't take it too seriously . . .its an article about a project put together by students . . . there are lots of projects in the works at all times . . . this one got press because it is playfully about something that people can understand

    and people understand cliches and stereotypes because they are stereotypes and cliches

    Stereotypes and cliches are what they are because they condence a kind of popular understanding: they are a kind of short-hand of a collective idea.

    They can be detrimental, and most often are, but they are also the manner in which we first understand things that we don't have experience on the level of particulars

    Drama students try to work with common understading in order to develope "Characters' . . . I'm sure that's what they were thinking . . .





    You shouldn't get all college-studentish lefty huff-and-puffy about this . . . it isn't that big of a deal
  • Reply 4 of 4
    pfflampfflam Posts: 5,053member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by chu_bakka

    [ . . . ]

    But then again how many MALE receptionists have you met?




    um . . . see my post aboove yours
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