Rituals and Stereotypes analysis

In this analysis I will be discussing stereotypes and rituals as well as relating them to zombies in pop culture. Stereotypes are generalizations or ideas about a particular group of people that other people classify them as, based on their perception even though the perception is not true amongst the whole group of people (Changing Minds Org, 2013, par.1). A ritual is “an act or series of acts regularly repeated in a set precise manner” (Merriam-Webster, 2013, sect. 3).

Stereotypes among zombies are present in pop culture; most people’s perception of a zombie is a slow, mindless, flesh-eater. However no one really knows what a zombie is because there has never been one, for now it is a fictional character in society. For all we know zombies could be somewhat intelligent, fast, and enjoy vegetables. The most popular stereotypical view of zombies is the mindless, flesh-eater which we see in our society; such as the TV series the Walking Dead which happens to be my favorite zombie related entertainment. However stereotypes can be positive or negative, this particular stereotype has a neutral effect. Mainly because zombie attributes don’t really matter, they are fictional characters only for the entertainment of society.

Rituals however are not present related to zombies in pop culture, but I am still going to provide an overview of rituals and a few examples. A great example of a ritual is when religious people pray before every meal or attend church regularly. My family practices this ritual; they attend our Baptist church regularly and pray before every meal as well as before going to bed at night. Another example of a ritual is Thanksgiving, at least for a majority of American families, people gather every year on this day and feast with family and friends. I believe rituals play an important role in society for different cultures, depending on where you come from and what believe in reflects what rituals you may practice or participate in. 

References

Changing Minds Organization. (2013). Stereotypes. Retrieved on April 19, 2013 from http://changingminds.org/explanations/theories/stereotypes.htm

Merriam-Webster Dictionary. (2013). Ritual. Retrieved on April 19, 2013 from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ritual?show=0&t=1366681801