Stereotyping involves all generalizations or assumptions that are related to a person, or a group of people based on their class, ethnicity or race, gender, sexual orientation, social role, and occupation. Often stereotypes maintain and reinforce the power of the “in-group” while subordinating members of “out-groups.” In-groups are viewed as the “normal” and superior group that one aspires to join or be associated with. Out-groups are all other groups that are viewed as inferior. Stereotypes within the media are inevitable, especially in the advertising, entertainment and news industries. Constructing stereotypes through social roles portrayed by characters in films and on TV is a popular trend relating back as far as the advent of televised programming. The exploitation of controversial issues facing discrimination and stereotyping, appears to be a standard protocol for the media in attempts to boost ratings along with the success of commercial programming.
Law and Order SVU is a popular TV show, known for engaging in topics that reflect many contentious issues. A recently premiered episode entitled “Selfish,” was highly hyped and publicized because it featured the actor/singer Hilary Duff. The storyline focused on the disappearance and death of a two year old girl. The main characters, Detectives Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Stabler (Christopher Meloni) suspected the mother, Ashlee (Duff) as the top murder suspect. However, the twist in the storyline came about when it was discovered that the child had actually died from an untreated case of the measles. This episode then took an unexpected turn towards the matter of child immunization. The mother whose son infected Ashlee’s (Duff) little girl with measles was put on trial for second-degree murder. She was accused of child negligence because she refused to vaccinate her son prior to bringing him to a public playground.
Safety concerns surrounding immunization has become a controversial issue in the recent years for parents and doctors predominately within the US. Decades ago, when thousands of children and adults were dying from smallpox, measles, and other related incurable diseases, vaccine safety concerns were unheard of. People were terrified of the diseases themselves rather than the possible side affects of the vaccines. Today, fear of vaccine preventable diseases has diminished, while concerns regarding vaccine safety have increased. Anti-vaccination sentiment is growing fast in the US, due largely to the controversial dispute linking vaccines and autism. The gap between cultural stereotyping and those parents refusing to vaccinate is diminishing. While the majority of most Americans choose to vaccinate their children, more appear to opting against immunization. Many of the parents who chose against the vaccine have encountered conflicting situations when faced against those parents supporting immunization. In the episode “Selfish,” by putting this woman on trial for murder and child negligence, Law and Order SVU along with its main characters, perpetuates the growing stereotype of people viewed as “bad” or “negligent” parents for failure to immunize their children due to their own popular beliefs.
In an episode released during season nine of Law and Order SVU, entitled “Undercover,” Olivia Benson’s tough woman image is put under the spotlight. After finding a young woman raped and beaten in a park, Detectives Benson and Stabler realize the case goes much deeper because of the victim’s mother, and the realization that a corrections officer is involved. Detective Olivia Benson then decides to go under cover at Seal View prison. Towards the end of this episode it jumps forward to the future and reveals flashbacks of when Olivia was undercover in prison. At first the flashback scenes are vague but it is clear that Olivia was nearly raped by the same corrections officer that was involved with the rape of the first victim. Afterwards when she is relating the event to a therapist, Olivia is shaken, and her tentative demeanor is completely out of character. The tough character once portrayed on this show was demoted to the level of the very women Olivia Benson helps out.
So what connection does this episode have with cultural stereotypes? The stereotyping of women always being portrayed as the helpless victim when a man strikes has persisted throughout the history of film and television. Olivia’s partner Detective Elliot Stabler has always been portrayed as an unbreakable man able to take down anyone no matter the size. He has always easily defeated any potential perpetrators and is rarely depicted in vulnerable situations. The sexual assault and near rape of Detective Benson in this episode versus the bruises and few broken bones Detective Stabler has undergone throughout the ten seasons of SVU, support the stereotype of women being weaker therefore more susceptible than men are.
In the episode entitled “Transitions,” SVU dealt with controversial transgender issues, and according to its ratings was seen as one of the best of the recent Law and Order series. Disney Channel’s Bridger Zadina portrayed Henry/Hailey, a troubled male to female adolescent accused of the attempted murder of his irrational unsupportive father. Later on in the episode it is proved that Hailey’s guidance counselor Miss Blaine, was the one guilty of attacking Hailey’s father. Miss Blaine, also a transgender, spent lots of time counseling Hailey about her family issues. Miss Blaine now a high school counselor was once a victim of a string of heinous crimes directed at transgenders. In the midst of Hailey showing signs of physical abuse, Miss Blaine acted irrationally in defense of Hailey and attacked her father. While on trial Miss Blaine was treated like any other perpetrator, however she was also made out to be a victim due to her past. Although the episode attempted to make Hailey’s father out to be the bad guy, he was also still the victim. He required justice, just as Miss Blaine should have gotten for what happened to her all those years ago. In the end this episode supported the portrayal and stereotype of all transgender people as either victims or villainies in society.
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