How are racial issues such as stereotyping centrality and stacking reflected in the Olympics?
Tom Green 01/05/2007 Mr McCormick
How are racial issues such as stereotyping centrality and stacking reflected in the Olympics?
There are different examples in the Olympics, which deal with racist issues. Six main examples of this are quite well documented such as race, stacking and centrality, incorporation of non-whit athletes, Berlin Olympics 1936, ‘Black Power’ and South Africa’s apartheid views.
Stereotyping has played a part towards racial issues in the Olympics. Attitudes towards minority groups often include negative stereotypes. These minorities have then tried to promote a positive image to remove their negative stereotype. Stereotyping affects the role of stacking and centrality, many racial issues all fall back to what the majority think minorities are like. For example, the two Zulu tribesmen that competed in the games of 1904, mainly just for the attraction of larger crowds because of poor attendance. They were basically used for ‘novelty value’. Stacking has come about from expanding immigration policies. It involves a country with a large multi-national presence e.g. England or USA etc.