"Tropes to Treasures"
May 15, 2019
Stock characters. Stereotypes. Tropes. Whatever you call them, they both exist and do not exist simultaneously. They are pervasive, and very sneaky. You sit there writing, and a stock character pops out of your subconscious mind without your realizing it.
A stereotype, according to Dictionary.com, is "a widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing." So you think of a particular place or kind of person, and a certain picture immediately appears in your mind. An "Arab" with a head-rag who is hateful to women and Jews. The country of Thailand as a haven of drug use and prostitution....
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