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Stereotyping of certain characteristics that humans have has always been one of the most practiced customs of many cultures. Stereotyping, which is the demeaning of one group against other with the use of certain characteristics (Klein, 1990), is most often borne of the traditional beliefs that certain culture has, especially based on their beliefs and practices. Media has had its hand in spreading these stereotypes to people, many of which are unconsciously passed on due to the viewpoints of their creators (Robertson, 1998). While many organizations have fought for their changes and for the added awareness of the coming generation and the general masses in order to prevent such from happening, their efforts are slow to be noticed and thus also has virtually very little effects to the rest of society.

There are several types of stereotyping, all of which contributes to the degradation of certain types of groups from the other groups; one of these is called “ageism”, the labeling and discrimination of people based on their age. This paper will focus on the ageism specifically of adults, and how stereotyping has contributed to the portrayal that they have in the media. Because media which include newspapers, magazines, television ads and programs, and others is the widely accepted source of information for the general mass, this paper will focus on the analysis of the possible ways in which media has been stereotyping adults and their characteristics.

However, the stereotyping of adults and their situations are widespread and commonly accepted. Presented in this paper are the certain stereotypes that society place upon their adult contemporaries, and how they are being depicted by the media, especially with regards to common stories, selected books, and movies.

The Omniscient and Wise

One of the most popular perspectives that many of the people consider for the adults, especially for those adults who already well into their age, is that of the omniscient and wise. There are several portrayals of this adult character. It is present from Harry Potter’s (2001-2004) Dumbledore to The Matrix’s (1999) Oracle. They are mostly shown as all-knowing, almost unaffected by the situation that surrounds the main characters. They are not the main characters, and they remain in the background, but they are also portrayed as having an inevitable hand in the way events within the storyline. They may have some weaknesses (as Dumbledore’s weaknesses were shown in the latest book and the misgivings of the Oracle concerning the predictions that she may have).

Another famous character is Ben Kenobi from the trilogy Star Wars. Ben Kenobi (not to be confused with his incarnation in the new Star Wars trilogy as Obi Wan Kenobi since their characters are different so far) trained Luke Skywalker into the ways of the Jedi, all of which Luke immediately accepted right after he realized his guardian aunt and uncle were dead. He embodied all the knowledge that Jedi’s have accumulated over the centuries in which they functioned before they eventually died down; yet not only does he have all the wisdom of the Jedi’s which he eventually passes on to Luke, he also holds the key to Luke’s past.

The characteristics of these characters may vary, yet their wisdom remains the same. They are the guide to the main characters, the whisper to their ear, the steady hand on their elbow, the shadow to the lead’s character.

The Bumbling Idiots

And yet for every wise and omniscient character, there is still the stereotype of the adult dunderhead. While there are several examples that may best illustrate these characteristics that many insist to continue putting on the adults, it may also be best shown through the animated Disney film Mulan (1998), which was one of the most successful animated films that was hailed to be the steadfast breaker of female stereotypes. Yet the stereotypes of this movie of the adult situation can be seen in many ways, especially with the show of the ancestors. One of the scenes in the movie involves Mulan’s ancestors fighting about the fate of their ward and methods in which they will be able to bring her back; most, if not all of the members, referred to are of older ages and were depicted either as mostly traditional and lightheaded, and oftentimes irritable to other members of the ancestor members. Their argument concerning the safety of their granddaughter (or great-granddaughter, or whatever relations they have with Mulan) mostly comes off as bickering, which unusual considering the ages which the characters are in. In the end, they decide to send the Guardian dragon Mushu to bring her back.

At the same time, there is also the scene of Mulan leaving her home but not before praying to the ancestors for guidance, yet when she arrives from the war she does not set a foot on the ancestors’ shrine for guidance except to thank Mushu right before the credits role. In a culture wherein it is the ancestors who are acknowledged to be the guides for the contemporary living, there is a practice of asking for their assistance during trying times, and to thank them with prayers and offerings. It is perhaps a bit strange to find that Mulan, portrayed as a dutiful daughter through rebellion, yet still found time to ask guidance from her ancestors, dismissed this action in the end.

And so yes, the ancestors certainly did not approve of their ward’s blatant disregard of their wishes, nor were they pleased with Mushu’s apparent disregard of their orders, but all is well, and because they are bumbling adults, they accept it without conditions. This shows that they are easy to accept changes in their plans and situations, but only if it is for the better.

The Evil Parent or Stepparent or Guardian

This is probably the adult character that most readers are familiar with: beginning and going beyond the usual fairy tales that we are subjected to. The one thing in common that Cinderella, Snow White, and Hansel and Gretel have (besides their “happily ever after”, of course) is their problematic pasts due to the emotional abuse that they receive from their parents most often their stepparents. Some other variations may have either the guardian or even the parent of the children themselves.

These characters show that, yes, there is the side of the adults that may be evil. No excuses are given concerning their background, they just are. Snow White’s mother wished her dead to be the most beautiful person in the world. How did that come to be? Is there a reason behind her vanity? Cinderella’s stepmother wished her daughters to become better than Cinderella is there a reason for this beyond greed? Did she have a horrifying past that rendered her incapable of showing someone’s else’s child an ounce of love? And for Hansel and Gretel, depending on which stories the readers have taken, did the parents care for their children so much as to leave them to die in the forest, or did they hate them so much that they refused to feed them? Was it the father who hated them? Or was it the mother?

No matter, these characters are deemed to be present everywhere, lurking in the corners of every main characters’ lives, ready to wreak havoc. They are the reason for every main character’s angst and drama, but what is usually forgotten is that they are also the reason for the main characters’ pushing forward towards his happily ever after. They are immediately judged as wishing evil deeds to be done to the main character of stories.

The Mysterious-and-Yet-Not-Entirely Adults

Meanwhile, there are also the adults who, while may also be classified among those who are above, also exudes more mysteriousness about their purpose in the main characters’ lives. The main character may either trust them, hate them, or even be indifferent to their presence, but they are always there in replacement of the possible wise and omniscient character that was discussed earlier.

However, they have rather turned into wise, omniscient, and fairly devious character. They are the mysterious adult who, despite the main character (usually younger) will virtually protest against. This is best exampled by the character Dartanus from the show Beastmaster (1999-2002), who is the guide of Dar, the main character of the show. Dartanus’s purpose is to guide Dar towards his destiny of becoming a supposed king of their country, and while he does this, he certainly seems to also happily annoy Dar as his pastime, or at least forces the main characters into the track of finding his destiny. However, another character that many may not recognize but others might, is the mysterious Yoruichi from the animation Japanese series Bleach (2004). While Yoruichi, the wriggly cat whose true form is a human, is not exactly back to back with Dartanus on the mysteriousness, the background of the character continues to be a question to the viewers even as Yoruichi guides the main character Ichigo in his quest to infiltrate a new dimension.

These adults are the ones whose mysteriousness is blatant to the main character and to the person, but they are immediately stereotyped based on the characteristics that they show to the readers and viewers upon entrance. They are the ones who not help with deciding, but pushes the main character into what they believe is the correct path despite some protests. Their only difference with the omniscient and the wise adults is that while they may laugh or smile, they rarely display affection on the main character. No affection at all.

Conclusion

Every culture has stereotypes and labeling. It is part of every process that a culture can have. Some may be blatantly displayed, especially with the discrimination that some media have over them, while some may do so under the guise of flattery and pretend, yet does not dole out equality to those who are of younger age. The lack of stereotyping must result to equality.

As such, adulthood stereotyping continues to have a long way to go before it can be changed by society, if society seeks for it to change at all. Labeling, although discouraged by politically correct people, is an essential part of cognition of a person. Extremities pose as problems and are uncomfortable, open-mindedness and attempts to cool down the possibility of radical stereotyping may help in the watering down of these intents. Most of all, the general mass must learn to become more critical of the situation that surrounds them and not to accept everything that media offers them.

References

Klein, G. (1990). Reading into Racism: Bias in Children’s Literature and Learning Materials. London: Routledge.

Robertson, G. (1998, September). “Snow Whitey?” Canadian Dimension.