Media and Stereotyping in Modern Society: The Dangerous Game

Dr. Michel E. Abs

Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches

Heterogeneity and diversity are essential characteristics of modern society, which is no longer purely ethnic or religious. The time of a closed, homogeneous society has passed, and it has been replaced by a society of many nationalities, races, cultures, and languages. This diverse society is shaped by invasions, migrations, globalization, the investment needs of multinational corporations, differences in living standards, the aspirations of people, and generational shifts. It is the result of a huge dynamic movement that began with the Industrial Revolution and continues to interact with increasing momentum in parallel with technological progress and modern science.

In the midst of these transformations, communication and media play a primary role and are considered the strongest players for their ability to influence minds at both the individual and collective levels. The danger of this sector is proven day after day with its diversity, creativity, and innovation.

On the other hand, human nature tends towards similarity. As the saying goes, “Birds of a feather flock together.” People tend to gather based on common affinities or characteristics, preferring homogeneity over difference. This gathering is spontaneous because it is easier and more direct. Similarity and homogeneity facilitate the creation of a team spirit and the strengthening of bonds, making affiliation based primarily on common elements spontaneous and easy. All of this leads to cohesion and solidarity among group members.

In light of this reality, it is clear that the logic of stereotyping applies among the various groups that make up society, and that stereotyping is widespread. Stereotyping is not a new issue in human culture, nor in our culture. We find it in stories and literature, and Lebanese folklore abounds with stereotypical images, such as those that exist between villages, religious groups, professional groups, and social classes.

Stereotyping is an idea or a ready-made opinion that is accepted without thinking and repeated without being subjected to critical examination. It is held by a person or group and determines, to varying degrees, a person’s ways of thinking, feeling, and behaving by giving them preconceived images of a group or thing. Stereotyping differs from scientific classification in that it is not based on scientific or statistical study or field observation, but rather on dictations from the group about a group or matter.

The most dangerous area of stereotyping lies in racism. The stereotype contains two dimensions: first, the economy of thinking or avoidance of thinking - accepting stereotypes as they are without review or criticism; and secondly, justification - judging some groups with certain characteristics because one defines oneself as enjoying the opposite.

Stereotyping relates to all dimensions of life and is strongest, most dangerous, and deadliest on the ethnic and religious levels due to the disastrous consequences it can bring to society. Stereotyping is associated with the act of prejudging, which refers to an uninformed evaluation involving an evaluative dimension relating to one social group given by another. Prejudices - or judgments - can be negative or positive like stereotypes.

Ignorance is the dangerous element here because the biased person judges others even if they do not know or see them. Instead of using personal experience or objective information that has been studied in depth, a person uses stereotypes to form an opinion without questioning it due to its ease. As a result, prejudices feed on stereotypes and this is where the greatest danger lies.

Stereotypes and prejudices may be a reason for spreading intolerance among the groups that make up society. Fanaticism is a kind of passion where a person excessively defends their beliefs and opinions in various aspects of life. Fanaticism is unconditional support for an idea or issue. The problem lies in the blindness resulting from this passion that may sometimes lead the fanatic to act violently, irrationally, and sometimes finally with their conviction that their idea is the best and only logical one. They may underestimate others’ opinions and consider their presence as not beneficial or even harmful to what they believe in or aspire to.

Intolerance appears in religious, ethnic, and ideological realms where people find that their identity or beliefs are the only valid ones and persecute and punish those who are not of their identity and do not believe in the same way.

Intolerance may go beyond the needs of securing the interests of the normal and direct neurotic group to the need to control the environment, including other groups. This may be the cause of the abolitionist tendency that may control fanatical groups armed with stereotypes and prejudices that form or create a rigid collective identity with its own values, culture, and standards.

However, when fanaticism intensifies, it may create its own dynamics, blind the group’s insight, ignore its interests, and lead it to destruction. This reflects negatively on society as a whole and the crisis turns from a group crisis to a community crisis. In many cases, ethnic, racial, or religious identity becomes stronger and destroys national identity, representing a real threat to social and political peace.

At this stage of analysis, we must pause before fundamentalism and the extremism that may result from it. Fundamentalism is a logic that calls for full respect for a belief with all its implications. Extremism is behavior that deviates from normal social behavior and is a radical approach to seeing the world and planning to change it. Both are often sources of violence and may lead to terrorist acts, constituting a threat to civil peace and social stability.

Imagine what the media can do if it turns into fire in front of this fuel scene we presented above! The media, the best tool for knowledge and awareness, can be transformed in the hands of people who lack wisdom or morals into a tool for social explosion. Imagine how capable the media is of building stereotypes and prejudices, inciting fanatic strife, extremism, fundamentalism, and not accepting diversity and differences between people. Imagine how difficult and dangerous your mission is, O media professionals, to convey ideas or information and be messengers of civil peace that every society needs for its growth and progress.

The danger lies not only in what is said but also in what is not said, which may enter the collective unconscious and affect the minds and souls of the public. Fortunately, by virtue of development, if there is a written law in the media, there are many unwritten laws engraved in the values and morals of media professionals. These laws direct their behavior, raise their level of professionalism, and give their message of knowledge its sanctity towards society and history.

Very few have entered the dangerous game - the game of intrigue and playing on stereotypes, prejudices, and destructive feelings. They are few that are spoken out against every day by the overwhelming majority of knowledge messengers whom we call - and who proudly call themselves - the media.