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Neuroscience and the Changing Media Stereotypes of Muslims
read the full article at the source provided:
excerpts:
Popular film and television has relied on stereotypical portrayals of Muslims and Arabs since its existence. There is, however, a quiet revolution afoot inside television and film, and the predictable box of the Muslim-as-terrorist is slowly fading. But will this shift make a difference in ending America's growing prejudice toward Muslims?
How Stereotypes Change
What we know about stereotyping has evolved considerably over the last 25 years in the wake of the "affective turn" and the use of noninvasive fMRI scans. The affective turn refers to the realization that human behavior is dictated by emotion over and above reason. Neuroscientists can now paint a clear picture of what happens in the brain when someone deploys a stereotype. The vast majority of the time, stereotyping occurs automatically without conscious reflection. It calms the fears and anxieties built up about an "out-group," which is of course conditioned by a complex set of social, educational and other factors.
Neuroscientists have found, after strapping people to fMRI scans to measure changing levels of fear that images of out-groups elicit, that stereotypes are very malleable and capable of changing rapidly. Early theorists of stereotypes knew this all along, such as Walter Lipmann when he pointed out that stereotypes are the result of individuals conforming to situational demands and social customs, and not necessarily the result of deep hostilities held toward a particular "out-group." Stereotyping is an emotional response to a perceived threat to the buildup of stress.
Importantly, neuroscientists have found that the introduction of positive images of "out-groups" does indeed lower levels of fear of the other, and it reforms the hardwired automatic processes.
Perhaps the most profound real world example of this research is found in the so-called "Huxtable effect" -- or the capacity of television's "The Cosby Show," to transform white prejudice toward blacks.
The Changing Media Portrayal of Muslims
Over the last five years, major television dramas such as "Law and Order," "CSI" and "Grey's Anatomy" have begun to introduce Muslim characters -- and when they do, their ratings tend to increase. The now completed show "24" had, by Season 7, reformed the "Muslim-as-terrorist" frame by introducing several positive Muslim characters, including a particularly interesting Muslim imam that offered spiritual consolation to the show's main character, Jack Bauer, when he became critically injured. In ABC's crime drama television series "Bones," Season 5, a Muslim medical Doctor who had served in the Iraq war is introduced. In Showtime's "Sleeper Cell," a Muslim FBI agent infiltrates a terrorist cell and recurs as a leading character throughout the show.
More nuanced Muslim characters that go beyond the stereotypical frames are a good start, yet neuroscience shows that we need significantly more positive and multidimensional content to effectively reduce prejudice. A shift in media portrayals to showing Muslims as emotionally complex, nuanced and humanizing can itself be a catalyst not only for reducing stereotypes about Muslims, but also for improving American citizen diplomacy with Muslims internationally and domestically. A shift in positive images can promote a greater sense of positive identity development for American Muslims, and it will improve our democratic processes by giving the public access to portrayals that further positive and inclusive Muslim-West relations.
read the full article at the source provided:
excerpts:
Popular film and television has relied on stereotypical portrayals of Muslims and Arabs since its existence. There is, however, a quiet revolution afoot inside television and film, and the predictable box of the Muslim-as-terrorist is slowly fading. But will this shift make a difference in ending America's growing prejudice toward Muslims?
How Stereotypes Change
What we know about stereotyping has evolved considerably over the last 25 years in the wake of the "affective turn" and the use of noninvasive fMRI scans. The affective turn refers to the realization that human behavior is dictated by emotion over and above reason. Neuroscientists can now paint a clear picture of what happens in the brain when someone deploys a stereotype. The vast majority of the time, stereotyping occurs automatically without conscious reflection. It calms the fears and anxieties built up about an "out-group," which is of course conditioned by a complex set of social, educational and other factors.
Neuroscientists have found, after strapping people to fMRI scans to measure changing levels of fear that images of out-groups elicit, that stereotypes are very malleable and capable of changing rapidly. Early theorists of stereotypes knew this all along, such as Walter Lipmann when he pointed out that stereotypes are the result of individuals conforming to situational demands and social customs, and not necessarily the result of deep hostilities held toward a particular "out-group." Stereotyping is an emotional response to a perceived threat to the buildup of stress.
Importantly, neuroscientists have found that the introduction of positive images of "out-groups" does indeed lower levels of fear of the other, and it reforms the hardwired automatic processes.
Perhaps the most profound real world example of this research is found in the so-called "Huxtable effect" -- or the capacity of television's "The Cosby Show," to transform white prejudice toward blacks.
The Changing Media Portrayal of Muslims
Over the last five years, major television dramas such as "Law and Order," "CSI" and "Grey's Anatomy" have begun to introduce Muslim characters -- and when they do, their ratings tend to increase. The now completed show "24" had, by Season 7, reformed the "Muslim-as-terrorist" frame by introducing several positive Muslim characters, including a particularly interesting Muslim imam that offered spiritual consolation to the show's main character, Jack Bauer, when he became critically injured. In ABC's crime drama television series "Bones," Season 5, a Muslim medical Doctor who had served in the Iraq war is introduced. In Showtime's "Sleeper Cell," a Muslim FBI agent infiltrates a terrorist cell and recurs as a leading character throughout the show.
More nuanced Muslim characters that go beyond the stereotypical frames are a good start, yet neuroscience shows that we need significantly more positive and multidimensional content to effectively reduce prejudice. A shift in media portrayals to showing Muslims as emotionally complex, nuanced and humanizing can itself be a catalyst not only for reducing stereotypes about Muslims, but also for improving American citizen diplomacy with Muslims internationally and domestically. A shift in positive images can promote a greater sense of positive identity development for American Muslims, and it will improve our democratic processes by giving the public access to portrayals that further positive and inclusive Muslim-West relations.
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