A few days ago I made a series of polls that consisted in guessing the national origin of some celebrities (from certain countries) I assumed were unknown for most, over here.
The results didn't surprised me, but a comment did made me think how stereotypes can enhance prejudice.⤵️
The anonymous commenter saw the pic of a celebrity she assumed is from Guatemala; she also question her celebrity status. Honestly, I used an ordinary picture of the celebrity, so I think that maybe that influenced her answer, but then she said this :⤵️
🔁That was after I asked her why she has doubts about the pic been one from a celebrity.
Her final answer had me thoughtful, what a celebrity should look like? If the celebrity had another phenotype, would the commentor respond be different? Would the commenter even suspect that the celebrity is not actually from Guatemala? Would the celebrity appear to be above average in her eyes? Hard to tell, with such vague and short comments.
Nevertheless, her answer and the fact that she went anonymous, doesn't give a good impression.
The other polls reinforced what I suspected; our notion of nationality is linked to "racial" or ethnic stereotypes. It's mostly a monoethnic perception we got. Why does that happen? Systematic racism may be the answer, and it doesn't visibly perpetuates.
For instance, in Hispanic America, there is this engrained idea that been Hispanic, or even been latino, is been "Mestizo" (a person who is ethnicaly Spanish and indigenous).
According to that idea you gotta "look" hispanic to be hispanic. Therefore, under that logic, you're less hispanic if in appearance you look "foreign" (afrodescendant, Asian, northern european or even indigenous).
The sad part of it is that in Hispanic America, the exclusive mix of Spaniards and indigenous, is a myth, created by catholicism and the new born nations that were once Spanish colonies. Not that it didn't happen. In fact, it happened, but it wasn't a unique phenomenom.
In Hispanic America the enslaved Africans were numerous, and an Asian population existed and exist there. In that region a variety of ethnically mix populations increased, and made of Hispanic America one of the most diverses demographics worldwide. Unfortunately the elites that governed the different countries of the region decided to keep a caste system that makes of all Latin America (Hispanic & Luso America) the region with the highest rates of social inequality.
🇧🇷In Brasil things didn't evolved the same way. That's another story.
I will not talk about the US, because I don't know in dept how it is over there. What I can say is that there is definitely a link we conciously and unconciously create between stereotypes and ethnic origin, based on the comunity we live in, and the medias we watch. Is that bad? It can seem harmless, but I think is not.
Creating a generalization of where is someone from, relying on stereotypes only, leads to putting that person in one box; and to forming a dangerous conection between nationality and nationalism. Been so, it excludes the possibility of considering a multiethnic and/or multicultural origin.
⚠️Famous that I took as reference for the polls I made.
Aroa Gimeno (Spanish actress)
Ishbel Bautista (Mexican actress)
Georgina Mazzeo (Venezuelan top model)
Kalimba (Mexican actor & singer)
Mauricio Ochman (Mexican-American actor)
Canserbero (Venezuelan singer)
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