Identity
The past three nights I’ve found myself a) stuck in New Jersey when I was supposed to be in Colorado, and b) watching a new game show on NBC, “Identity”. The premise is all about initial impressions. Contestants are presented with 12 strangers and 12 identities, and if they correctly match all 12, then they win $500,000. Along the way they are allowed one mistake and two other “cheats”: they can consult a team of experts (including a body language expert, a psychologist, and an FBI expert) or narrow their choices down to 3 strangers.
It’s an oddly compelling show. I’ve tuned in 3 nights in a row and I can’t remember the last time something on TV made me do that. But there’s also a large element of psychology here. Stereotyping, for sure. However, the show is tricky in breaking stereotypes with the strangers. The pro jump-roper last night wasn’t the young-looking girl, it was the muscular guy with lots of tattoos. The athletic-looking black guy wasn’t the boxer, he was a go-go dancer. I like that they flip things like that.
This is also a prime example of identity cues in our clothes and self-presentation. The witch doctor the other night was pretty obvious–who else runs around with a dead animal on his head? The lifeguard wears swim shorts and a wetsuit top. And so on.
There are a lot of ways to go into social psychology with this show (see also social categorization), and that might be why I like it. I don’t know when this will finally settle on the TV schedule, but so far it’s been at 8 p.m. ET on NBC. Try to find it in your area; it’s definitely worth a watch.
Pixies
One of the concepts that we just talked about in my class (in the social psych chapter) is stereotype vulnerability. Stereotypes do not only affect the thoughts and behaviors of the people who hold them, but also the people who may possibly be stereotyped. I talk about a couple of fairly innocuous examples in class, but this sketch from “Chappelle’s Show” does a really great job of demonstrating it. I wouldn’t show this in class though, because, like many things from Dave Chappelle, it pushes the boundaries. Not for those who are at all thin-skinned or easily offended.
This sketch was also cited by Chappelle as one that made him wonder if he had gone too far in his comedy and was perpetuating stereotypes instead of making fun of them. Because of this, the audience was invited to discuss what they saw and how they felt about it. It’s interesting to see what people have to say about this.
Audience discussion (contains some offensive language)
So, what do you think? Do you find yourself trying not to conform to certain stereotypes? As both a woman and a Latina, I certainly have been in this situation. What about you?
