Ethnic Stereotypes in the U.S.A. : the Dynamics of Ethnic Group Images Seen in Advertising and Jokes

Abstract

Images of ethnic groups, or ethnic stereotypes, are expressed, overtly and covertly, in various forms in everyday life. This paper investigates how and by what markers the dominant social group identifies individuals as members of a particular ethnic group by examining ethnic stereotypes historically observed in American advertising and portrayed in ethnic jokes. Due to limited space, the paper primarily draws illustrations from Asian and Black Americans, but images associated with Native Americans, Irish and Jews in the United States will be briefly mentioned as well. The paper, after identifying some ethnic attributes that constitute those markers, proposes to categorize into three types the ethnic attributes discussed in the literature of ethnicity.