Influence of newspaper for ethnic stereotypes

Bekzhanova A.B.

Taussogarova A.K.

Tokenova A.B.

Cultures and peoples have become increasingly integrated into each other, and the inter-ethnic relations an important part of social reality.

This article considers ethnical information as one of the factors of the formation and content changes of ethnic stereotypes. Furthermore, it highlights how mass media and ethnical information influence positively and negatively self-consciousness of readers. The ethnical information plays a key role in interethnic relations. Stereotypes have considerable influence on perception of the world, help us or act as an obstacle in effective interaction with people. Psychological processes (memory, attention, attributions, and emotions) help to support that knowledge which is mastered by the person in the course of familiarizing with the culture and society. Thus, we see that stereotypes it is often result of manifestation of our ethnocentrism. But it is necessary to specify and, there is also a process of imposing of a stereotype. They can be created and supported through mass media, newspapers and art products (cinema, literature). Influence of external factors on own cultural constructs and psychological processes of the person turns a stereotype into a stubborn problem.

When individuals or groups from different cultural backgrounds meet, certain preconceptions they have of each other influence their interactions. According to the social constructionist approach, culture is not necessarily based on nationality alone. Biases based on gender, age, social class, occupation, appearance, etc. may equally influence behavior and communication outcomes, as they can constitute cultural barriers between individuals as well.

There is a variety of definitions of the term stereotype that generally agree about its basic nature but differ in certain additional aspects. For example, Allport (1954) understands a stereotype as “an exaggerated belief associated with a category. Its function is to justify (rationalize) our conduct in relation to that category” (ibid, cited in Gardner, 1994: 3). Taylor (1981) defines a stereotype as “consensus among members of one group regarding the attributes of another” (ibid, cited in Gardner, 1994: 3).

There seems to be common agreement that stereotypes are beliefs about the characteristics of an out-group or its members. These beliefs can be based on a number of variables ranging from gender, sexual orientation, level of education, and social class to nationality. The characteristics associated with another party can be of a positive or negative nature. Asians are often said to be good at math, while Mexican’s have the reputation of being lazy; Blacks are said to have a natural feeling for rhythm, while Native Americans are accused of having a tendency towards alcoholism – to name just a few common stereotypes.

How we know, in modern science there is an understanding that any culture needs to be studied and interpreted, first of all, in the context of its historical development of traditions and values, a so-called cultural relativism. This approach implies studying of an originality of each culture not on the basis of general universal signs, and first of all, through a prism of historical development of its own signs. In a similar case to become insignificant whether the studied custom is moral or not, the sense purchases that context which value it plays in the life of people.

I think that, ethnocentrism plays a significant role in interethnic communication. Its main function is that culture carriers, positively estimating the traditions and values, unite in the society and keep historical value of the people. There is a respect for standards of behavior, laws of society and cross-cultural communication with other people in everyday life. It is important to understand that ethnocentrism this special psychological property applicable for representatives of all cultures which can sometimes be interpreted in a negative or positive key.

Perception of a picture of the world through a prism of own cultural filters limits possibilities of full perception of surrounding reality. Each culture treats reality (events, acts and behavior of people) often distorting and representing them definitely. Therefore for improvement of cross-cultural communication it is necessary to expand knowledge of other cultures significantly. For this purpose we use newspaper, media.

Without getting rid of own, historically developed cultural filters it is necessary to learn to show flexibility to facilitate perception of the world from the different points of view, thereby seizing new skills and knowledge.

The premature, based on stereotypic thinking valuable estimates in understanding and systematization of knowledge in the cross-cultural and intergroup relations don't promote improvement of a situation in this area of public life. Stereotypes can be true or not, reflect positive or negative characteristics of groups. However when we hasty on the basis of our stereotypes give an assessment to events or people, we lose an opportunity to understand and estimate all completeness and a variety of the cultures surrounding us. Communication development pushes together more and more and connects us with these cultural manifestations. If we begin to show in the life and activity more flexibility in relation to ethnocentrism and stereotypes, we will see in variety a potential reserve for development and by that we will increase level in cross-cultural cooperation. News and opinion articles in the press largely depend on outside sources, and in this sense, press discourse is intimately linked to the public discourses of the other elites, mostly politicians, scholars, lawyers, writers, etc. Whereas opinion articles and columns are written by writers who may be more or less closely related to the 18 T.A. van Dijk newspaper as well as by independent outside writers, news discourse is organized, produced, and written by journalists, even when they use various sources. However, in all cases, except when owners control editors, journalists decide and are responsible for what is published in the newspaper.

In conclusion, stereotypes, although apparent cognitive mechanisms, do find their way in political discourse and in political discourse, both levels of individual identification – ethnic and political – are interconnected. Therefore, in order to support the social and political changes taking place on both the societal and global level, media discourse should be cultivating the notion of necessity for change in the sphere of social and intercultural relationships, including perceptions about state, nation, ethnic and cultural identity, and global citizenship.