Expert: Ralph Salier - 10/19/2008

Question
It has occurred to me that racial stereotypes may be based on natural differences in body language.  White people have an entire vocabulary of body languages, flushing, turning pale, etc. which are absent or muted in blacks.

It occurs to me that blacks compensate for this in their body language by naturally using gestures which are larger than those whites use.

Thus blacks always seem to be shouting in terms of their body language to whites.  This produces two stereotypes.

1) the comic black who when showing fear or apprehension seems comcically exaggerated.

2) the angry black who when showing irritation seems to be shouting uncontrolled anger and on the verge of murdering someone.

This creates the two classic stereotypes of blacks in the US.

This is only one of my pet theories.  I am curious if anyone has ever looked at this issus in these terms.

Answer
Hi Mr. Huff,

Stereotypes are just that.  There is a vocabulary of gestures found in both white and black cultures with a fair amount of cross over especially in younger people, regardless of race. Much of this comes from music and music video and the cross over that results.  At some level it may also be environmental (gang related) and also from an educational perspecctive.  As for blushing or turning pale, this occurs in blacks as well as whites as a psyiological reaction to a given stimuli.