Russell Peters: Stereotypes & Prejudices never been funnier!!

When is it ok to laugh at comedy based on racial stereotypes and prejudices?

Well, my communications textbook states that the tendency to prejudice and stereotype members of other groups is one of the main barriers to intercultural communication.

But then, where does that leave Indian Canadian comedian Russell Peters?

Being Indian, he suffered extensive abuse and vilification during his school days for being a South Indian. He was mistaken for a "Paki" and this gave him some sort of solace, which has now formed the basis of his comedy. Though his act is littered with racism, his Indian upbringing and sexism, everyone I know loves him - particularly anti-racist people of colour. Russell completes 20 years of stand up comedy this year and is bring back all his classics, just as we love them!!

In the video below Russell imbibes exactly what I wanted to talk about.

He talks about the prejudice towards the “Blacks”. Prejudices are negative social attitudes held by members of one group towards members of another. It provides a basis for discrimination. Prejudices are said to be products of in-groups, very rarely are they a result of direct contact with the out-group. Most Indian parents live by the notion of blacks being dangerous only because they have "heared" so. They hardly check the validity of this information.

Peters later talks about Indian people smelling and the prejudice towards Indian food. To me it classifies under the exaggeration cognitive bias. Just because of a few smelly Indians it doesn't mean that the whole Indian population exhibits bad odour. It just a way of showing the superiority of the “Whites”. As for Indian food you know you all love it!!!

He then goes on to talk about his name and how Indians have a “specific” stereotype when it comes to Indian names. When I first came to Singapore and introduced myself, people here found it hard to believe it was my real name just because I was “Indian” without an Indian name.

Peters also targets people from other cultures suggesting:
“Chinese people cant drive” that is another prejudice that exists, and lets face it 'we love it'.

There are also positive stereotypes that he talks about like Jewish people are stingy ans so will have enough money once they retire, Japanese are smart and Gays are good with fashion. We use them as they help us make sense of the world we live in.

This video on Arabs took me by surprise. Peters was so right when he joked about them. Most of us do associate Arabs with violence!!! I thought he was really stupid to talk about them (keeping in mind my prejudice towards them) but I later realized that through his wit he is conveying a strong message, Arabs are just like you and me. They are normal people!!

Peters’ jokes are different; if told by a white person they definately wouldn't be funny or well accepted. However, they work for every genre of audiences, because they aren’t crafted for a white audience. Peters rationalizes with people on the above prejudices hoping to reduce the cultural communication barriers they cause.

Hippie Culture....

Most of these people were young. Most of them came from middle class homes. On the average they were well educated or could be if they wanted to. But they didn't want that, or for that matter anything else in our civilization except on their own terms. In many ways their terms had the glitter and attraction of the bright, the bold and the noisy. They objected to the ills that besotted society like war, social hatreds, money grabbing and spiritual waste. Their remedy was to withdraw into “private satisfactions”. "Tune In, Turn On, and Drop Out" was the motto of this counter cultural phenomenon of the 1960s and early 1970s that grew partially out of young America's growing disillusionment with U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. An individualist culture, whose social behaviour was determined by personal goals, attitudes and values of collectivizes. This new culture formed such a radical society that they were given their own name which is still used today. They came to be called the "Hippies". In this week’s entry I’m going to talk about the Hippie Culture that according to me is quiet bizarre but at the same time endearing.

The Hippies didn't follow the traditional beliefs and teachings of their elders but instead rejected them for an alternative culture which was their very own. The Hippie Culture brought together youth that rejected their parents' ideas, those that just wanted to get away, and a few that simply were outcasts, who could only fit in with a "free thinking" culture like this. Hence, Hippie Culture provided them with a sense of identity and belonging to a group. Most Americans believed that they were spoiled rich kids wasting their lives away. But to Hippies themselves this was a "way of life" and no one was going to get in the way of their dreams and ambitions. The Hippies were so different that the conservative American middle class could not relate to them and began to look upon them as aliens. Hence the hippies created their own ingroup rather than follow tradition.

Culture influences as well as interprets behaviours. One of the highlights of the Hippie Culture was the flagrant use of illegal drugs. There were many drugs that the Hippies used but "marijuana" topped the list. To some Hippies, drugs and music were the most important aspects of their lives. Some Hippies used LSD as they thought that it “put them in touch with your surroundings”. On occasions hippies would take bad LSD and would experience a "bad trip" or would "freak out" and sometimes they never came back. Even with this bad LSD everywhere people still used it, they went as far as to make a religion out of it.

The hippies communicated to the rest of the world through their protests. While the popular anthem of Sex, Drugs and Rock n' Roll sent shockwaves across middle America throughout the 1960s, the politically-charged message of peace, love and brotherhood also spoke directly to the newly-formed Civil Rights Movement, as well as the unpopular war raging in Vietnam. Some Hippies tried to make their own colonies where there was no racism and persecution.

Hippies didn't care about any of that. Their cultural beliefs represented their understanding of what they believed to be true. They were party animals. Many didn't work unless it was completely necessary, They never went to church nor did they care for saving their virginity until after they were married. They were anything but conservative and their families rejected them for it. Hippies easy going attitudes and fun and games lifestyles were put away when the topic of politics came up. Indubitably the instigator for their existence, politics played a huge role in their lives. This culture was passed down generation. Today, small groups of aging hippies continue to maintain the lifestyle, while in the Internet Age a fledgling band of "neo-hippies" have emerged in online Web communities.

Many believe, hippies at their best were trying for a "group sainthood" and saints running in groups were likely to be ludicrous. They depended on hallucination for their philosophy which hardly ever worked. People who can grow a beard and make love are supposed to move from the innocence of youth to the wisdom of adulthood; a quality this culture clearly lacked.

Communication in Relationships: If I were a Boy??? hmmmm....

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHLTwbEa968 What a week!! With Valentines' Day fast approcahing, what better topic to learn about than Communication in Relationships... In this entry, I will be discussing just that and will be referring to Knapp’s Model of Relational Development. For my media text this week, I have chosen the music video, "If I Were a Boy" by American R&B singer Beyoncé Knowles as it helped me understand illustriously the existing facts in relationships. Her third solo album, I Am… Sasha Fierce, was released in November 2008, and spawned the worldwide hit "If I Were a Boy". I also decided to use this music video as a reference, as I thought it would be interesting to analyze from the individual point of view of a guy and a girl (which according to me are poles apart without a doubt!!) with regard to communication in relationships.

In my opinion, the relationship between Beyoncé and the male lead (played by Ryan Locke), proves that the stages of Knapp’s Model are not linear, and that sometimes, people in relationships might want to take a step back, as a result of which relationships regress to a previous stage or skip a stage. I will try to identify the stages in the on screen couples relationship by exploring the typical behaviors they emphasize in the relationships.

The music video begins with Beyoncé reciting words such as “intimacy”, “commitment” and “ME” where as her husband stresses on “honesty” and “YOU” demonstrating the different aspects that the two prioritize in their relationship. It also proves my thesis. Men and women are often in relationships for different reasons. Though their main aim is the “US” factor. The song starts with her husband preparing breakfast and Beyoncé takes off to her job as police officer with an attractive male police partner with whom sparks are clearly flying. This shows that they are in Stage 5 i.e. Bonding of the "Coming Together" stages, as they are shown to be married, and this shows a sense of commitment, obligation and participation in the relationship. They have obviously passed the Initiating and Experimenting stages, They look pretty comfortable with one another or a bit TOO comfortable. As he is serving her breakfast she avoids contact with him. She is show to just take a bite n move out. She is at Stage 9 of the relationship the “Coming Apart” stage. She is shown to reduce communication as he tries his best to encourage it.
She is also shown to lead a very routine life. She is at Stage 8 where she is at a stagnant point in the relationship. She reciprocates the flirts of her fellow worker as it is something that excites her. While her curves are admired by her police partner, her husband is spending time at his office job looking up a pair of earrings to buy for her online. This shows a certain amount of relational identity; disclosure of feelings to the other party.
The husband calls Beyoncé, only to be ignored by his wife, who is out having a beer "with the guys." This exudes a strong sense of differentiation from her side, thus indicating Stage 6 of the "Coming Apart" stages; Differentiating. She disconnects his call and continues enjoying with her friends, reaffirming her individuality and refuses to encourage his advances.


The next scene that struck me was the night the husband gives Knowles the earrings and the two leave for a party at which he catches her dancing intimately with her police partner. She seems to have forgotten he exists. He on the other hand watches her every move. Jealousy squirted all over him. They seem to have a conflict and the scene where the two of them are in the car just shows that he has finally reached Stage 8. He finally realises what she realised long ago. Their going through the "motion of a relationship" which lacks fun and excitement.

As the husband confronts her at home, the role reversal is revealed. The husband is actually the police officer with an attractive female partner. Beyoncé is the office worker who has been snubbed. The video is about all of the little things that mean so much in a relationship.

Eminem: The Fall and Rise of a Superstar....... Verbal Communication......
Article: http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/eminem-the-fall-and-rise-of-a-superstar-1544787.html

I was surfing the net trying to pick out ‘just the right’ idea for my entry this week, when I stumbled upon an article termed, "Eminem: The Fall and Rise of a Superstar" by The Independent. This post is specifically going to explore the language used in Rap sensation, Eminem’s controversial lyrics, what it represents and how it has affected and is still affecting mainstream communication, culture and media in relation to verbal communication. Rapping, also known as rhyming is the rhythmic spoken delivery of rhymes, wordplay, and poetry. This quick repartee resulted in people incorporating the style of rap, into verbal communication. Also an element of the Hip Hop music genre, rapping is considered more of a mainstream phenomenon, as opposed to a mere underground movement. Rap music and culture has crossed social and ethnic barriers spreading to different parts of the world inspite of its humble beginnings in the United States.
One of the main reasons I chose Eminem as my subject (besides the fact that I absolutely adore him!!) is because he exemplifies the concept of verbal communication. He uses his music as a medium to express his ideas, opinions, feelings, emotions and relationships.A protégé of Dr Dre, rapper Eminem emerged to be one of the most controversial rappers to ever grace the genre. With his biting wit and incredible skills to vent on situations from his unhappy childhood to his contempt for the mainstream media, his success has become the biggest crossover success the Rap world has ever seen. His lyrics have bestowed upon him the best publicity any musician could afford. Being the first Caucasian rapper to make a significant impact in years Eminem became the fastest selling rapper of all time and in his song "White America", he attributes his selling success to him being more easily acceptable by a white audience, because he 'looks like them'. His messages speak to legions of youth who have few role models in the rap world and who relate to his white lower-class experience. Today, he is hailed as one of the the greatest rapper alive, filling stadiums as also the front pages of newspapers with consummate ease. This shows how language and words shape the thoughts and perceptions of others. “I'm sorry mama, I never meant to hurt you.....you selfish bitch, I hope you fuckin' burn in hell for this shit, remember when Ronnie died and you said you wished it was me, well guess what, I am dead, dead to you as can be...”

I believe language is influenced by our cognition (the words we use often influence the way we think). In the song 'Cleanin' out my Closet' Eminem sets onto a solemn journey revealing the deeply personal fury and pain he experiences. This is one of his most successful singles (reaching 4 on the United States Billboard Hot 100). In the song, Eminem introspectively examines his life, from his troubled childhood, to his marital conflicts and resentful feuds with his mother; thus verbally expressing them in a very dramatic yet appealing manner. Eminem emphasizes on his animosity towards his mother by chanting a sarcastic apology in the chorus of the song, claiming "I never meant to hurt you".

In the 70's while the White population enjoyed the "hip swaying" Rock 'N' Roll beats of Elvis, Rapping was embraced by the poorer Black and Hispanic communities as a medium of expressing their views about their status in society as also issues like race and gender. That is why artists like Eminem use expletives like the defiant double middle- finger salute to express themselves. This is their way of talking about their problems; without any restrictions or censorship, as that defines their reality and represents the raw aspect of their culture and socialisation. Hence, the "lingo" used in Rapping is viewed by them as a symbol of freedom and identity.

In terms of the properties of language, Eminem uses very unique and distinctive slangs in his lyrics. In comparison to other musical spheres, like Rock, Pop, Indie, Country and Jazz, where the language used is predominantly vernacular, Rap has its own system of symbols. Much of the jargon used in rapping, include terms such as "dis"," fly", "def", "chill", and "wack", have been embedded in the everyday vocabulary of a significant number of young people of various ethnic origins. The semantics or meanings of words used in Rap slang usually differ from mainstream English. Eg: "Screw" does not literally mean a metal fastener having a tapered shank with a helical thread, but an act of sexual intercourse. The rise of such slang and jargon could be attributed to the need of establishing their own way of communication and the difference in the meaning of words could also represent the different experiences of the Afro-Americans as Rap was just emerging as a separate music form.


In terms of the impact of Eminem’s lyrics, the language used propagates a particular lifestyle and culture, filled with poverty, abuse, sex and drugs. Hence, most of the terminology used in his music is symbolic and linked to his present lifestyle (which according to him he deserves). Many artists like Eminem tend to rave about money and power, due to the extreme levels of poverty they encountered living on the streets of America.
This Rap Legend was a simple guy named Marshall Mathers with a rap alter ego named Eminem, and that alter ego incedently had a lunatic doppelganger of its own named Slim Shady. This persona acts as a form of artistic freedom and expression for most artists.

In reference to barriers in communication, Eminem's slang and Rap jargon is not fully understood by many (my parents don't have clue as to what hes rapping about!!!). Only those who are regular listeners of his music and who expose themselves to the bold "Rap" culture, would beable to understand the slang used.