Stereotype
American racism truly revealed itself during World War II. Towards both the Nazi Germans and the Imperialist Japanese, America made many stereotypes. During war time, this is effective, because it infers that a whole group is, or does something based on insufficient or irrelevant information. The example of propaganda shown above infers that all Japanese people look ugly and fish-like. Also, the caption reads, “Good material waste in scrap help to saving face for Jap. Thank You,” which is highly offensive. The phrase has several meanings. The first is that Japanese people are poor and can only look at their ugly faces through pieces of waste. Additionally, there is incorrect grammar, stating that Japanese people are stupid. Lastly, it is considered highly rude that Japanese people are called Japs, since it is offensive slang and is used as a disparaging term for people of Japanese birth or descent. Thus, the stereotype propaganda technique was proven to be highly potent, as Americans thought that all of the Japanese were ugly, stupid, and weak, and that it would be easier to kill them. This gave the Americans hope and strengthened the war effort.
Miles, Hannah. Digital image. WWII Propaganda: The Influence of Racism. N.p., 8 Oct. 2011. Web.
<http://artifactsjournal.missouri.edu/2012/03/wwii-propaganda-the-influence-of-racism/>.
Miles, Hannah. Digital image. WWII Propaganda: The Influence of Racism. N.p., 8 Oct. 2011. Web.
<http://artifactsjournal.missouri.edu/2012/03/wwii-propaganda-the-influence-of-racism/>.