Research Supported Reaction Paper

Babe
Prof. Warren
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Babe
In the video clip the class saw of Babe, it is apparent that the story with the animals
symbolizes the everyday world of humans. In this clip, the different animals on the farm
represent the different cultures of the world. n the farm, all the different species of animals
differ in how they loo! and what they value. "espite livin# on the same farm, which could
symbolize the world, some of the animals are set in their ways and would not even tal! to some
of the other animals. $ost of them believe in and, in turn, promote stereotypes. $any are
pre%udiced, and some fully believe that certain animals are superior to others. &owever, the clip
also shows the pi#, Babe, who is youn# and uncorrupted by the society on the farm. &e has
trouble understandin# why the other animals have the views that they do and he tal!s with many
different animals and listens to them carefully in the short clip. 'herefore, in the movie, Babe, it
is easy to see that cultural views shape communication between individuals.
(irst of all, stereotypes and pre%udice affect how people view different cultures, thus
affectin# the way that individuals communicate with or about people from different cultures.
)ulia Wood defines stereotypes as *predictive #eneralizations about people and situations+ ,2--.,
p. /01. 2lso, (red )andt defines pre%udice as *the irrational disli!e, suspicion, or hatred of a
particular #roup, race, reli#ion, or se3ual orientation+ ,2--/, p. 401. In this movie clip, the mice
that appear between scenes seem to reflect the stereotypes in this society. (or instance, the first
time they appear they say, *Pi#s are definitely stupid.+ 'hen, as the scene be#ins, one of the first
thin#s that viewers hear is (ly, the mother do#, tellin# her puppies that pi#s, duc!s and sheep are
stupid.
)oy $oncrieffe says that *labelin#,+ such as in the above e3ample, *is pervasive and
inevitable+ ,2--5, p. 51. She says that *we all label ourselves and others to si#nal different
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aspects of our identities+ ,p. 71. 2lso, she says that labelin# *depends on relationships of power
,with power understood as domination1+ ,p.51. &owever, sometimes this type of labelin# can
ensue *at a distance with minimal and, often, no contact between the labeler and the labeled. 'his
distance facilitates a lac! of accountability to the labeled not only for how they are cate#orized
but also for the outcomes of this cate#orization+ ,p. 771. 'his is demonstrated throu#hout the
clip.
ne e3ample of this revolves around the do#s. 8ot once do the viewers see the do#s tal!
to the sheep or (erdinand, the duc!. 'he only thin# that the viewers see is the do#s tal!in# badly
about those animals.
$oreover, as stated earlier, the do#s view pi#s as stupid. 'his is another e3ample of how
labelin# affects communication. 9ven thou#h the do#s do tal! to Babe, they do it in a dero#atory
manner. (ly seems to ta!e pity on Babe since he %ust lost his mother, and acts as thou#h she is
needed in order for him to have any sort of direction.
In addition, another e3ample of how stereotypes and pre%udice affect communication is
when $aa, the ewe, tal!s to Babe about the wolves. She calls them *vicious,+ *cruel+ and *brutal
sava#es,+ and she tells Babe that she would hate to see a *#entle soul+ li!e him *mi3in# with the
li!es of them.+ &owever, there is no attempt on her part to communicate with the wolves.
$oreover, she does not say that some of the wolves are *vicious+ and such: instead, she lumps
all wolves to#ether into one cate#ory as she tal!s to Babe.
$ichael Pic!erin# su##ests that stereotypes promote pre%udice ,2--7, p. 2/1, and the
e3ample with $aa and Babe shows this because after Babe leaves $aa there is a seed of
pre%udice that has been planted in Babe a#ainst (ly and her family. &owever, when (ly comes
bac! home and starts bein# nice to Babe, he realizes the hole in $aa;s stereotype, which rectifies
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the pre%udice seed. &e understands that althou#h $aa mi#ht be correct about some wolves, her
#eneralization could not possibly apply to (ly and her family. 'hus, he decides to *never thin!
badly of any creature ever a#ain.+
2nother thin# that chan#es people;s cultural perspectives and influences the way that
they communicate with others is past e3periences. In the movie clip, (ly e3pects pi#s, sheep, and
duc!s to be dumb not only because of the stereotypes that she assi#ns to them, but also because
of her past dealin#s with some of them. 'herefore, as before stated, she treats Babe in a
dero#atory manner because of this. 2lso, $aa does not %ust thin! that wolves tare sheep apart for
no reason: she has either seen it herself or has heard of it from someone else;s personal
e3perience. 'herefore, she avoids any contact or communication with wolves and advises others
to do the same. 'hese are both e3amples of the influences of e3pectations. )ulia Wood says that
*e3pectations affect our perceptions in a variety of communication situations+ ,2--., p. </1. 2
#reat e3ample of this in her boo! is a comic strip ,p. <61. In the comic strip is a little boy with his
dad. 'he little boy is loo!in# up at icicles han#in# on the roof of their house and is very e3cited
about them, but the dad is eye=level with the icicles and says that they are not as bi# as the ones
he saw when he was youn#er. &owever, when the little boy as!s the dad to bend down to where
he is, the dad loo!s up at the icicles and becomes as e3cited as the little boy was previously
because he is now seein# the icicles from a new perspective. In this e3ample, the dad;s past
e3periences with icicles ma!e him e3pect somethin#, and when that e3pectation is not met it
affects his e3citement ,the way he communicates1 to his son.
In li#ht of all this information about the different cultural views, a >uestion that could be
as!ed is, can people really #et alon# with others that are different? 'he simple answer to this is
yes, but it must be a choice. (or instance, Babe sees how the other animals on the farm act
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towards one another, yet he ma!es the choice not to act that way. Instead, he #oes around the
farm tal!in# to all the different animals and hearin# all that they have to say, whether he a#rees
with it or not. &e is nice and tries to help everyone that he meets, and he is willin# to be friends
with all that he comes into contact with. In other words, he en#a#es in person=centeredness,
which )ulia Wood defines as *the ability to perceive another as a uni>ue and distinct individual
apart from social roles and #eneralizations+ ,2--., p. 6..1.
'here are many choices that Babe could have made. &e could have chosen to be resistant,
which Wood says *occurs when we re%ect the beliefs of particular cultures or social
communities+ ,2--., p. 7561. 2lso, Babe could have chosen to be tolerant, which means that
*people accept differences althou#h they may not approve of or even understand them+ ,p. 75/1.
&owever, Babe chose to be understandin#, which means that he realizes *no customs, traditions,
or behaviors are intrinsically better than any others+ ,p. 75/1. In fact, althou#h he is not allowed
to in the short clip of the movie, viewers can tell that Babe wants to move even beyond respect,
or *beyond %ud#ment,+ and wants to participate in other cultures, which means that he desires to
*incorporate some practices and values of other #roups+ into his own life ,p. 75/1. 2n e3ample
of this is when Babe wants to #o to wor! with the sheepdo#s and when he wants to eat where and
how they eat and sleep where they sleep.
In conclusion, the video clip of Babe shows how communication is impacted by the
cultural views of individuals. When stereotypes and pre%udice are the basis for peoples; cultural
views, then people are promotin# ideas that could be wron# and that breed animosity between
individuals. 2lso, many people %ud#e others based on past e3periences: however, often the
e3pectations that people form are false, and individuals need to be willin# to see thin#s from a
different perspective in order to correct their misconceptions. @astly, it is possible to #et alon#
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with people that are different. &owever, as Babe illustrated, it ta!es ma!in# a choice and bein#
willin# to accept others for who they are, re#ardless of if their views are different.
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References
9yben, R. A $oncrieffe ). ,9ds.1. ,2--51. The power of labeling: how people are categorized
and why it matters. Sterlin#, B2C 9arthscan.
)andt, (. 9. ,2--/1. An introduction to intercultural communication: identities in a global
community ,/
th
ed.1. 'housand a!s, D2C Sa#e Publications.
Pic!erin#, $. ,2--71. Stereotyping: the politics of representation. 8ew Eor!, 8EC
Pal#rave.
Woods, ). '. ,2--.1. Communication mosaics: an introduction to the field of communication ,/
th

ed.1. Belmont, D2C 'homson Wadsworth.