Stereotypes of Europeans/Whites

This article discusses the various stereotypes of Europeans/Whites present in Western societies. This article primarily discusses European/White stereotypes present in American culture, but the same or similar stereotypes are present in many other Western societies as well. Stereotypical representations of people of European heritage are often manifested in a society's media, literature, theatre and other creative expressions. They at times have very real repercussions for individual White Americans in daily interactions and in current events.

Stereotyping of Whites regardless of nationality

White people are stereotyped in terms of various factors, such as their gender, nation, class, sexuality and/or ability etc.

Also, in many urban comedies, whites are portrayed as exaggeratedly nerdy, tense, rich, unstylish suburbanites. The trend is often cited as having began with Eddie Murphy's experimentation with Whiteface.

Conversely, whites are portrayed as white trash on certain occasions, in movies like Gummo and The Heart is Deceitful Above All Things. Or sometimes they are portrayed as hopelessly typical people, such as in Can't Hardly Wait.

Good and bad whites (in various different media genres), are often separated through color-coded iconography, such as by means of their eye, hair and skin color and/or their clothing wear. Good whites are mostly visually depicted as being lighter, while bad whites are mainly portrayed as looking darker, in reference to some or all of the prior factors.

When interacting with non-white individuals (of the opposite [...]):

In many Westerns (for example), the white male explorer is represented as having to guard himself against the "temptations" of the "black woman abroad," i.e. the supposed dangers and allures of "darkness". The "white woman at home" on the other hand, is a symbol of the safety of what is known and familiar. For the white male, a partnership with the latter is also a way to avoid any kind of interracial relationship with the former, that would especially result with "mixed" children and thus supposedly degrade his "bodily spirit" to that of "earthly matter".

The white female on the other hand, is at times depicted as being able to exercise power over both non-white men and women. Because of the "privilege" of her whiteness, she may become the "civilizing center" of a narrative, but only in the absence of her white male counterpart. Such representations are most common within individual European colonial texts.

However, one could also argue that white characters and personalities are represented as "... individual and/or endlessly diverse, complex and changing" within the North American media. The same can't be said said for non-white individuals, who are mostly portrayed through a limited scope i.e. as objects that are oppressed, amusing, [...] and/or dangerous. Furthermore, in Western/North American media based representation, "... [w]hite [people] are overwhelmingly and disproportionately predominant, have the central and elaborated roles, and above all are placed as the norm, the ordinary, the standard."

Stereotypes of white males seen recently in black media are as sexually repugnant beings; indulging in such acts as playing with or tugging on their partner’s hair for enjoyment or having [...] intercourse through the open fly of the pants or boxers (much to the dismay of there normally black partners). Blacks and Whites are often considered polar opposites in terms of stereotypes (blacks are portrayed as more lively in comparison to the conservative white stereotype), as such, white males are often shown as having smaller or "below-average" penises compared to the "well hung" black stereotype. The worst of these stereotypes may portray white men as having a dominating hold over their none-white partner, in a slave/master-esquit manner.

British

It is increasingly commented in the British media that, in recent years, American films have portrayed white British characters as 'baddies', or conversely given British accents to evil characters. 1 2 3 A prominent example is that of the Imperial Officers in the Star Wars movies, most of whom had British accents. Such reports often neglect to mention that "goodies" Obi-wan Kenobi and C-3PO also had British accents. The latter of course fulfilling, by only minor deviation, another 'use' for British actors in the American media that of Butler or Gentleman.

Disney has given a number of villains and undesirable characters British accents. A few examples are Judge Frollo (although the character is French, he is voiced by Tony Jay, a British actor), Jafar, Maleficent, Professor Ratigan, and Lady Tremaine (Cinderella's stepmother). Scar, the megalomaniac lion from The Lion King also has a British accent.

Characters in movies set in historical periods are often given British accents, even if the story doesn't take place anywhere near Britain. This stems from an American stereotype that the British have a high regard for propriety. In some cases, British men are portrayed as so proper that they are considered prudish. A popular Family Guy sketch portrays a British couple where the man says "You know we could have [...] intercourse right now... but let's not!" Family Guy also features Stewie Griffin, a Rex Harrison derivative, who speaks eloquently and despises most women. This distaste for vulgarity is often connected with homosexuality in American media. One could argue that characters like Henry Higgins, C-3PO, and Stewie Griffin represent a prudish, if not gay stereotyping of British men, but this theory, among many others, is challenged by the popularity of James Bond movies.

Many of the most popular villains in cinema are British, or played by British actors (e.g., Hannibal Lecter; Emperor Palpatine; Hans Gruber etc.)

British characters in popular cinema are often upper class, with cut glass accents (Hugh Grant for example). Frequently they are portrayed as being callous bordering on the sociopathic (Greystoke, The Patriot, Gallipoli). Many of the myths that surround the Mutiny On The Bounty, in particular the conduct of Captain Bligh, originated from the various Hollywood films on the subject.

French

French are usually characterized as being snooty, upper class, efemminette cowards, wearing berets, crevates, and onions around their necks.

Germans

Germans and Austrians are often portrayed as wearing lederhosen, with blue eyes, blonde hair and large moustaches. They are often seen to be fond of beer, chocolate, David Hasselhoff, techno and war. A much more disrespectful approach to a German caricature, is that they are Nazis. In the American media, Germans are often shown as being authorative and high-strung. Germany is known for its [...] and car industry. Scientists often stereotypicly have German accents, likely because of Albert Einstein.

Russians

Russians and Eastern Europeans are usually portrayed as wearing heavy fur coats, with great beards, and a good taste for vodka. They are sometimes portrayed to be communists and/or Russian Mafia members.

Jews

Jews are often portrayed as bickering humorists, over-intellectuals who share exclusive social codes. They also are known to avoid manual labor and deal with large amounts of money and also are very cheap. They are often portrayed as nebbish and often dealing with mother issues; Woody Allen is an example of the Jewish neurotic. They also tend to be depicted more often than not speaking with New York accents even if they do not live there.

See also

• White trash
• Play the white man
• Wigger
• Dumb blonde
• Good ol' boy
• Ethnic stereotype
• Ethnic stereotypes in American media
• Ethnic stereotypes in popular culture
• Ethnic stereotypes in [...]
• Stereotype threat
• Racial profiling