Stereotyping a Stereotype Essay Example for Free

Stereotyping a Stereotype Essay Junot Diaz’s â€Å"How to Date a Browngirl, Blackgirl, Whitegirl, or Halfie† seems to play into and highlight the racial stereotypes that affect the way Americans see each other; however, Diaz is in fact working to show that even people who believe they understand the full extent of stereotypes, especially men, find themselves subordinate to the ones they are stereotyping. In this story, Diaz shows how female stereotypes actually control the actions of a males seeking intimacy. The man will revert to basic instinct and base his decisions on a widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person. The short story focuses its instruction on the ultimate goal of reaching physical intimacy with a girl, but illustrates the definitely different courses of action necessary to take depending on what ethnicity the target girl is. This is where Diaz proves that even by mastering the â€Å"predicted† behavior of females through racial stereotypes, the male while appearing to have control of the situation is actually lower than the female. The text has an almost aggressive tone is used to show that the author clearly knows what he is talking about in terms of girls. This tone adds serious credibility to the author and makes the instruction all the more believable. Instead of using phrases such as â€Å"I would recommend,† â€Å"I think,† or â€Å"I believe,† Diaz uses the imperative and says â€Å"Clear the government cheese from the refrigerator,† â€Å"Leave yourself a reminder to get it out,† and, â€Å"Hide the pictures of yourself with an Afro† (Diaz 143). This forceful use of language is more believable and it creates a sense of power, superiority, and confidence in the reader because he is apparently taking instruction from an expert. After all, the reader using these instructions is looking to maximize his chances of getting anything from a â€Å"Kiss,† to a â€Å"Girl just [giving] it up right then† (Diaz 147). Diaz first points out that the reader should be aware of his own social class and ethnicity. The last thing the reader wants to do is foil his chances of achieving intimacy with his date by ignoring potentially embarrassing pictures or icons of a lower social class that would not impress the girl. Such things as the notorious â€Å"Government cheese† or the â€Å"basket with all the crapped-on toilet paper† definitely want to be hidden away (Diaz 143, 144). By doing these small things, the reader is putting himself at an advantage by leaving no room for the date to find weakness in him. If the date cannot find anything embarrassing, the reader is in control of the situation. According to Casey S. Torstenson in her article â€Å"You Don’t Know Me,† she says â€Å"To follow the advice of this story will, in all likelihood, get the [reader] closer to some form of physical intimacy, but this intimacy will be the result of a carefully manipulated†¦ impression he creates for his date, rather than the more inherent and objective truths of who he truly is† (Torstenson). This statement means that by hiding anything potentially incriminating, the male has a better shot at getting intimate with the girl, but that he is defying the age old saying that every set of parents say to their kids, â€Å"Just be yourself. † Diaz proves my argument in this section because the reader, although seemingly in control of the situation, is forced to manipulate it in a way that is pleasing to the girl, not to him. Diaz does not suggest anywhere in the text that the reader should do what he might find appealing, instead, the only positive thing in the text for the reader is the ultimate possibility of a hook-up. If the reader manipulates a situation based on stereotypes (ie where to take the girl to dinner depends on what the color of her skin is) he is subordinate to the girl because he has to play his cards just right in order to get what he wants. The date is in complete control because every decision the reader makes is based on what the girl will do, not what the reader wants. In doing so â€Å"Diaz emphasizes the way in which the social forces of race and class undercut both individuality and objectivity† and make the reader subordinate to his date (Torstenson). After the reader establishes his own security, it is then his responsibility to prepare for the evening. Diaz establishes that the first thing to do, no matter the race of the girl is to say hello to the mother. Once again, the author instructs the reader to inadvertently give up control. The entire purpose of saying hello to the mother is to impress her and to come across as a gentleman. Saying hello does not benefit the reader at all nor does it make his chances of getting with the girl any better. He merely says hello to come across as somebody he is not, boosting his facade, tearing down his true character, and once again putting the date in power. After the introduction is over, the reader must take the girl to dinner. This part of the story is intriguing because depending on what race the girl is determines where there is to go. The local girls (Hispanic and black) can be taken to El Cibao, only so that the reader can impress them with his Spanish or give them the chance to correct his Spanish. For some reason, the black girl and the brown girl are entitled to eat at a nicer dining establishment than the white girls who are suppsoed to be taken to Wendy’s. Diaz claims that the black girl will be impressed by his ability to speak Spanish, or the brown girl will have the opportunity to correct his â€Å"busted-up Spanish† (Diaz 145). In the case of the black girl, she, although being taken to dinner, is in control of the situation because the only reason the reader takes her to dinner at a nicer place is in hopes that he can impress her. The reader let’s the stereotype that she does not speak Spanish control his decision making insomuch as that he is not at the restaurant to enjoy a meal, but only to get one step closer to intimacy. In the case of the brown girl, he hopes that she will correct him to make her feel important and smart. In this case, the reader is supposed to make himself come across as unintelligent to make the girl happy. Once again, the reader is subordinate to the girl because he is not being himself and is forced to act in certain ways that are uncharacteristic of him. However, suppose the girl does not speak Spanish. What is the reader supposed to do then? He is not being himself and following instructions, so if the instructions are not correct, the reader will be unknowing of his next move. The reader becomes dependent on these stereotypes and completely relies on them to work. The reader is at the will of the stereotypes. If they turn out to be false, then the reader will be lost with no direction and all of his expectations will be shattered leaving him in less control than he already is. In the case of the white girl, he expects that the white girl will put out much sooner than the girls of color and will not require the type of attention and time that the colored girls apparently deserve. What if the stereotype is false again? The white girl will be unimpressed by eating at a greasy fast food restaurant, and the reader will not get what he wants. As in every other instance, the reader relies on the validity of the stereotype. If it is true, then everything works out according to plan, but the only way for the stereotype to be true is if the white girl does absolutely everything according to Diaz’s chronology of events. Diaz leaves no room for spontaneity. Everything is scripted. However, the script is only as long as the girl wants it to be. She is fully capable of doing what she wants. The girl is in complete control of the very stereotype that the reader relies so heavily upon. Thus, the reader is subordinate to his date. Flattery is his next tool. Once the dinner is over, Diaz tells the reader to act interested in the girl and touch her gently; almost in a suggestive manner. He tells the readers to say things like â€Å"I like you,† and â€Å"[I] love [your] hair† (Diaz 147, 148). The basic assumption here is that girls will appreciate being complimented and be more willing to act more intimate with their charmer. However, even still, the girl is in complete control of her actions. Although the reader is wooing her, in the end it will be her decision whether or not she decides to put out. No stereotype can predict that event. They can offer a glimpse into a surface personality, but a sequence of events over the course of a couple of hours cannot physically be predicted exactly. Even so, the male will rely on a shallow concept that offers a glimpse into the future if he feels that it has the possibility of yielding pleasurable results. With this thought, it is clear that the stereotypes used in the story are geared towards pointing out how the potential for intimacy will make men revert to relying upon stereotypes and that they are not actually in control, but the stereotype that is controlled by the woman is in charge. â€Å"How to Date a Browngirl, Blackgirl, Whitegirl, or Halfie† was most certainly written with the intent of showing how the male race relies on stereotypes to court women and how these stereotypes give the man a sense of security, control, and confidence. â€Å"Diaz consciously [provides] stereotypical male figures for dramatic effect† in order to illustrate how, â€Å"boys discuss members of the opposite sex as creatures to be used as devices for sexual gratification† (Alford). However, the underlying message in the text is that men rely on these stereotypes so much, that they in fact lose control of the situation because it is not the man in control but the stereotype. While Diaz points out the presence of stereotypes amongst women of different races, he clearly wants to point out the truth that men stereotyping is a stereotype. Works Cited Alford, William R. â€Å"Sex, Race and Power. † 2000. http://the-big-pic. org/drowntext. html. Diaz, Junot. Drown. â€Å"How to Date a Browngirl, Blackgirl, Whitegirl, or Halfie. † New York: Riverhead Books, 1996. Torstenson, Casey S. â€Å"You Don’t Know Me. † Florida: Switchback, 2006. http://www. swback. com/issues/004/You_Dont_Know_Me. shtml.