Using Cartoons to Teach Students about Stereotypes and Discrimination: One Teacher's Lessons fromSouth Park

Abstract

Cartoons can be useful teaching tools in helping students examine stereotypes and discrimination. Cartoons engage students and reflect popular culture, which often makes them good examples of societal stereotypes. Stereotypes are popular beliefs students can hold about their social world and often lead to discrimination. This reflective essay illustrates how one teacher used an episode of South Park, a popular animated cartoon series, to help students examine their preconceived beliefs about gay people. The paper gives examples of how the cartoon provided elements of humor and relief to a potentially touchy subject. The cartoon also opened possibilities for students to voice their prejudices by projecting them onto cartoon characters, rather than calling attention to themselves. Finally, the paper warns teachers not to focus on superficial stereotypes to the detriment of helping students overcome stereotypes with more dire social and political consequences.

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