Buddhism Blog Cartoon Showing Stereotype - Click me for picture, please.
Stereotypes are everywhere. There’s one for every type of person. I don’t see the big deal. A lot of people get offended, and while I understand getting irritated after hearing the same one over and over again, I think it’s important to be able to laugh at yourself and your situation. For example, I am a woman with big boobs and a bad driving record, stereotype being I’m an idiot who can’t drive. I get it, and I laugh at it! So for this blog, it wasn’t hard at all finding stereotypes on the subject of Buddhism. The picture I chose is, I suppose, a negative stereotype, but I feel it does it in a way that isn’t vicious, its honest fun. I feel that the picture sort of pokes fun at the religious views of Buddhists, given how grand the ideas of reincarnation are shown. I think it’s a fun stereotype because it does make the Buddhist look ridiculous, it shows through the dialogue that it’s supposed to be taken with a grain of salt and a sense of humor.
On a slightly different note, Zen Wrapped in Karma Dipped in Chocolate is an amazing book. The author is incredibly hilarious and I’m enjoying it thoroughly. In reading his chapter entitled, “Where Do We Go When We Die?” I think he writes some pretty amazing lines. Seeing as my cartoon deals with reincarnation, I figured this chapter would be the best one to quote from. As stated on page 56:
“Yet I do know where my mom went when she died. She didn’t go anywhere. She’s right here, typing this, reading this, getting confused after having read this as to what the hell the author was trying to say. That’s because my mom was a manifestation of the eternal present. So am I. So are you. So’s this book. So’s the toilet you’re sitting on while reading it. There is nowhere for her to have gone. There’s nowhere you can go after you die either. There’s only here.”
I love the views on how to experience the present, the here and now. Spending so much time focusing on how to be reincarnated as something better than you already are seems ridiculous.
I liked how you discussed your view of stereotypes. I agree with you that they aren't really offensive just somewhat annoying. Most of them are just poking fun at others and aren't meant to be offensive. Perhaps, however, a Buddhist might find it differently, I wouldn't know, as I am not a practicing Buddhist.
ReplyDeleteI think that you took a very different and interesting approach to stereotypes. I also agree with you and think that not all stereotypes are offensive. There are negative stereotypes that some people may get offended with, such as the ditzy girl who is known as the "dumb blond" or the super-genius but petite boy in school who is labeled as the "school nerd." There can also be the even more offensive stereotypes, including the one where if a girl is popular amongst the boys and is always dating someone or around the opposite sex, she's seen as "an easy girl who goes around." In these cases, stereotypes can be a negative thing for those who are labeled under them. They can also be positive, however, depending on the individual person's interpretation. For example, I have friends who are extremely smart, done well in school, gotten into medical school, the works. They can be considered "nerdy," but they just don't take it offensively in the same way that someone else might. Therefore, I think stereotypes has a lot to do with a person's interpretation, and the person being labeled vs. the person doing the labeling may have different interpretations.
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