??今日来看看呆板形象是如何影响咱们所运用的言语体系的~

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原题：how stereotypes shape the language people use

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?from the first instant our eyes alight on a television or phone screen, we are inundated with a curated set of images that (supposedly) depict the world around us. these images often show people of color through a stereotypical lens, and these stereotypes bleed into our everyday lives—our workplaces, our social lives, our politics. as a social psychologist at yale university, i am figuring out exactly how stereotypes hold us back, and what we can do about it.

从咱们第一眼看到电视或电话屏幕的那一刻起，咱们就被一组精心策划好的图像吞没了，这些图像（传闻）描绘了咱们周围的世界。这些图像常常经过呆板的镜头来展示有色人种，而这些呆板形象渗透到咱们的往常日子中——咱们的作业场所、咱们的社会日子、咱们的政治。作为耶鲁大学的一名社会意理学家，我正在研讨呆板形象是如何阻止咱们行进的，以及咱们能做些啥。

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?when i was a young black girl growing up in prince george’s county, maryland, i loved the movies. each year, my brothers and i would gleefully wait in line to get the best seat in the theater for the latest lord of the rings, harry potter, or superhero film.

当我仍是一个在马里兰州乔治王子县长大的黑人小女生时，我很喜爱看影片。每年，我和我的兄弟们都会兴致勃勃地排队等候，以便在影片院获得最新《指环王》、《哈利?波特》或超级英豪影片的最佳坐位。

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?even then, i was struck by the characters i saw. few looked like me or my family. those that did were one-dimensional, with limited speaking roles, often playing supporting roles to white characters. they were disproportionately poor and often criminal. they were rarely desired, easily disposed of, and never granted the nuanced and flawed inner worlds granted to white characters.

即便在那时，我也被我所看到的人物所震慑。很稀有人长得像我或我的家人。那像长得像我或我家人的人物都是浅陋的、台词很少，常常扮演白人人物的副角。他们大有些都很穷，而且常常违法。他们很少被人期望，很简略被处置掉，也历来没有像白人人物那样具有奇妙而有缺陷的心里世界。

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?these stereotypes puzzled me. prince george’s county, maryland, is a majority-black county—home to doctors, lawyers, politicians, and other black professionals. the black characters i saw on television didn’t reflect the rich, diverse, and joyful lives i saw around me. why does the media put people of color into boxes? how do these stereotypes harm us as individuals and a society?

这些呆板形象使我利诱。马里兰州乔治王子县是黑人占大都的县——医生、律师、政客和其他黑人专业人士都集合在这儿。我在电视上看到的黑人人物并没有反映出我周围丰厚、多样和高兴的日子。为啥媒体要把有色人种进行归类？这些呆板形象是如何损伤咱们自个和社会的？

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?i became a social psychologist to answer these questions. twenty years later, i now study stereotypes, determining how they maintain inequality and worm their way into day-to-day interactions. across dozens of studies featuring thousands of participants, i find that stereotypes influence how we relate to others, leaking into conversations through the very words that people use.

为了答复这些疑问，我变成了一名社会意理学家。二十年后，我如今研讨呆板形象，研讨它们如何坚持不对等，如何渗透到往常互动中。在数十项关于数千名参加者的研讨中，我发现呆板形象会影响咱们与别人的联络，经过我们运用的词汇渗透到对话中。

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?in one test, i focused on white americans. white people are subject to stereotypes, too. they’re labeled as more competent than black people and latina/os, and white people think that other racial groups see them as racist and entitled. i predicted that white americans, particularly those who want to connect across racial divides—white liberals—try to reverse these stereotypes through the very words that

they use.

在一项查验中，我把要点放在了美国白人身上。白人也会遭到呆板形象的影响。他们被贴上了比黑人和拉丁裔美国人更有才能的标签，而白人则认为其他种族集体认为他们是种族主义者，而且有资历这么做。我猜测，美国白人，特别是那些期望跨过种族间隔树立联络的人——白人安适主义者——企图经过他们运用的词汇来改变这些呆板形象。

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?i asked over two thousand white americans to introduce themselves to a black or white person online. as predicted, white liberals used fewer words related to competence (like “competitive” or “powerful”) when speaking to a black person.

我让2000多名美国白人在网上向黑人和白人做毛遂自荐。正如所猜测的那样，白人安适主义者在与黑人攀谈时，较少运用与才能有关的词汇（如“竞赛”或“健壮”）。

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?this “competence downshift” isn’t limited to a lab. i analyzed over 20 years of campaign speeches by white democratic and republican presidential candidates and found that white democrats used fewer words related to competence when addressing mostly-minority audiences (e.g., naacp ) versus mostly-white ones (e.g., american federation of teachers). white republicans didn’t downshift competence, likely because they’re less interested in getting along with people of color. sure enough, white democrats were more likely to address audiences of color than republicans.

这种“削减提及才能”并不捆绑于实验室。我分析了20多年来白公民主党和共和党总统提名人的竞选讲演，发现白公民主党人在向首要是少量族裔的听众（如全国有色人种协进会）宣告讲演时，比向首要是白人的听众（如美国教师联合会）宣告讲演时，运用的与才能有关的词汇更少。白人共和党人并没有削减提及才能，可所以因为他们对与有色人种共处不太感快乐喜爱。公然，白公民主党人比共和党人更有可以向有色人种听众宣告讲演。

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?for white liberals, this behavior may backfire. my colleagues and i are now testing whether white liberals who use less competent language are seen as patronizing by black observers. if so, they may reduce, rather than improve, their chances of cross-racial connection by downshifting competence.

关于白人安适主义者来说，这种行为可以会适得其反。我和我的火伴如今正在查验，较少运用与才能有关的言语的白人安适主义者，是不是会被黑人调查人士视为略胜一筹。假定是这样，他们可以会经过削减提及才能来降低而非前进他们跨种族联络的机缘。

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?these data suggest that people have a profound desire to reverse negative stereotypes, and this desire shows up in everyday conversation. stereotypes force us into rigid boxes, and we try to break free of them using the most primary tool available to us: our words.

这些数据标明，我们有一种激烈的期望来改变负面的呆板形象，这种期望在往常对话中体现出来。呆板形象迫使咱们进入呆板的分类，咱们企图用咱们最首要的东西——咱们的言语——来脱节它们。

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—— time

?文章来历：《年代周刊》????????