Lesson 9 Vocabulary
English word English Definition English Example sentence
1 to stereotype ~ to make a general statement about a large group of people People stereotype Americans as being fat and loud.
2 to be stereotypical to be a good example of a stereotype, to reinforce a stereotype I am a bit short and not very fat--I am not a stereotypical American.
3 to be fair to reflect the truth Looking at the bodies of weight lifters does not provide a fair representation of the typical male body.
4 to represent ~ as ~ to convey an idea about a group of people, usually via the media In rap songs, black people are represented as rich and violent people.
5 to be represented in the media to have the image/identity of a group shown on TV, radio or other media Australian aboriginals are not often represented in the media. They are a kind of mysterious group of people.
6 to help facilitate the stereotype that ~ to reinforce an idea English teachers who go womanizing and drinking all night help facilitate the stereotype that foreigners are crazy.
7 to ascribe characteristics to ~ to put your own ideas on a group of people/a person People ascribe many negative characteristics to Doberman Pincers. People think they are violent and aggressive.
8 a representation of ~ an image of something, usually in the media America Mura in Osaka is not a good representation of an American village.
9 to be ingrained of a belief or characteristic, to be part of A spirit of rebellion is ingrained into the culture of the western US.
10 to perpetuate ~ to cause something to continue, to help something continue Country music helps perpetuate the idea that all men in southern states wear cowboy hats.
11 to typecast an actor to choose an actor for a certain role based on stereotypes The director needed a really intelligent character in his movie, so he chose a Japanese guy. He was typecast because of his race.
12 a cliché an idea that was popular at one time, but has become tired and old An accountant with a calculator in his shirt pocket. What a cliche!
13 a caricature a drawing that makes someone look funny by exaggerating their appearance. I love looking at caricatures of famous people.
14 to view someone as being ~ to look at a person or group with a certain idea in your head I view Eskimos as being round-faced, pale people with black hair.
15 to be racist to make decisions about the way you will act/choose based on race Skinheads are racist. They like to beat up black people and Mexicans.
16 race the ethnic makeup of a person, determined by a person's ancestry/DNA The Indian race currently has the most people on the planet.
17 racial prejudice to judge people based on race Racial prejudice is a problem in America, as the beating of Rodney King shows.
18 racial profiling when a person in power makes decisions/choices based on a lower person's race More black people than white people are stopped and searched by American police. This is a perfect example of racial profiling.
19 gender the sex of a person, male or female Gender is a function of biology.
20 ignorance the state of not knowing certain facts Ignorance is the root cause of fear; if you don't understand something, you will probably be scared of it.
21 prejudice judging people before you talk with them or come to know them personally If I see a person with baggy pants, I sometimes think he must be a rough and violent person. It is a form of prejudice.