Assignment 3-3 Stereotypes of Pirates

I'm sure that you have all heard about stereotypes. The true meaning of a stereotype is to characterize or give a fixed form to (Dictionary, 2011). In the Pirates of the Carribbean: Dead mans chest movie many stereotypes of pirates are portrayed. Some of the stereotypes of pirates include them being percieved as drunken, dirty untrustworthy womanizers, who are thieves, and love buried treasure. Even though this does not paint of pretty picture of pirates, the characters are still likeable. They do have a sense of humor, somewhat of a moral code, and stand up for those they care about. This movie feeds into our stereotypical beliefs of pirates because it is appealing to people.

Their are many example of stereotypes in the movie One includes the stereotype of pirates being drunks, where Jack Sparrow says, “Why is the rum always gone?” then he stands up and starts wobbling, and says, “Oh that’s why.” He was clearly already intoxicated as he said that. Even Jack Sparrows own crew has abandoned him before and marooned him on a small island. This follows the stereotype of pirates being untrustworthy.

The forces that have impacted our stereotypical beliefs of pirates are represented through cultural forces such as books, movies, and television. I believe that stereotypes emerge because people get assume things and like to categorize people. Then these stereotypes become ingrained in other people’s ideology about a certain group, race, nationality, illness etc. The media tends to romanticize these ideas. For example, with pirates life on the seas has been made to seem thrilling and fun. When in fact, many pirates dyed young and were persecuted (National Geographic, 1996-2009).  Many stereotypes are passed down from parents to children. Since these beliefs are also instilled at an early age, educating children to understand and have acceptance of these differences is key in eliminating stereotypes.

Dictionary. (2011). stereotype. Retrieved April 13, 2011, from Dictionary.com: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/stereotypes

National Geographic. (1996-2009). Blackbeard Pirate: Terror at Sea. Retrieved April 13, 2011, from Natio;nal Geographic: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/pirates/bbeard.html

Wilson, T. V. (1998-2011). How Pirates Work. Retrieved April 14, 2011, from How Stuff Works: http://people.howstuffworks.com/pirate5.htm