Shark Tale stereotypes troubling: CNYU Professor
© Jerome Krase, Ph.D.
I have not seen Shark Tale yet but I have read Dreamworks' "Shark Tale Movie Novel" published by Scholastic Inc. as well as uncomfortably viewing numerous television commercials and print advertisements promoting it as a "family comedy." The fact that such children's fare is being distributed by produced by DreamWorks SKG and DreamWorks Animation, which is led by Steven Spielberg is difficult to understand. The least one can expect from a media industry giant such as DreamWorks, and especially Steven Spielberg, whose powerful "Schindler's List" brought the reality of anti-Semitism home to a new generation, is respect for American diversity. In their defense, those who created and "starred" in the animation claim that using negative stereotypes of Italian and African Americans is harmless child's play. To excuse bigotry as entertainment is not merely disingenuous but frightening. The idea that ethnic, racial, and gender stereotyping in children's media is of little consequence is contradicted not only by common sense but mountains of scientific evidence. There is a long record of published research on the negative effects of negative stereotyping on children whose groups are stereotyped. From the classic studies on African American children of Kenneth Clark, which moved a nation toward equity in education, to more recent studies of young girls, the disabled, and new immigrant groups, there is a consistent finding that negative stereotyping in media for youngsters is harmful both immediately and in the future. A simple search will find that "A study of Asian-American schoolchildren has found that negative stereotypes can diminish a child's academic performance. On the other hand, positive stereotypes may spur better performance," was published in the journal Psychological Science. What is probably the leader in efforts to correcting and preventing bias, the Anti Defamation League, on their website argues that: "If young children are repeatedly exposed to biased representations through words and pictures, there is a danger that such distortions will become a part of their thinking, especially if reinforced by societal biases."
As an academic I am not one to propose censorship of this film but this kind of insensitive and discriminatory activity reveals a major weakness in our open and multicultural society. Portrayals of this sort to children have lasting effects and form the basis for future discrimination. In a democratic society we rely on the honesty and goodwill of leaders in the media to choose well and to use caution especially when dealing with children. Although to an adult such characterizations might indeed be humorous and ultimately harmless, for our children they could be devastating, especially when not corrected in early childhood and grade school curricula. Educators of all stripes should make their voices heard in this debate so that we can sensitize media creators and producers to the harm as well as the good they can perform. Shark Tale could be told and be even more amusing without the ethnic reference. Children might even learn about the varying behaviors of different species of fish rather than the stereotypical behavior of ethnic groups.
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