Running head: PRECEPTIONS AND RELATIONSHIPS IN PICKING COTTON

The Perceptions and Relationships in Picking Cotton

Sadie Hobbs
University of Kentucky

Abstract

PRECEPTIONS AND RELATIONSHIPS IN PICKING COTTON

The perception process is a series of steps that determine how we interpret the environment
around us. This process can be distorted due to stereotypes, prejudice and self-esteem. After
reading the Common Reading Experience it is very clear that each of the three issues can occur
in one lifetime. Through research there was evidence that the problem of distorted perceptions
were still prevalent. Stereotypes cover a broad spectrum of characteristics. In this essay there was
a use of the stereotypical blonde and African-American. This was supported with outside source
involving economical stereotyping. Prejudice was another issue that affected the ability to
perceive. Ronald was convicted and proven guilty because the jury had formed and opinion.
Prejudices have been around for many years and through research continue to grow. Self-esteem
is a definite factor in perception. When there is low self-esteem present, the ability to
communicate is limited due to the mindset of the person. Ronald and Jennifer both suffer from
unstable self-esteem and self-concepts. It is important to be aware of the perception process in
order to not pass judgment or totally abandon someone who was never given a chance.

Perceptions and Relationships in Picking Cotton

PRECEPTIONS AND RELATIONSHIPS IN PICKING COTTON

Sorry I just had a blonde moment, is unfortunately a commonly used statement that
replaces the action of being wrong or forgetting. Why does this phrase exist? Because at some
point a person thought there was correlation between being blonde and dumb. This
inaccurate correlation is stereotyping. Stereotyping, along with many other issues, paralyze our
ability to perceive accurately. (MindTap) Perception is the act of judgment or forming an opinion
before there is an interaction. This can essentially cut off an interaction between person and
person or cause conclusions to be drawn too quickly. In the CRE Picking Cotton, conclusions are
drawn too quickly. Told from two perspectives, the story of Jennifer Thompsons rape and trial is
told, along with the conviction of innocent Ronald Cotton and his battle to stay positive.
Perceptions can be powerful and determine a lot, just as in the CRE Picking Cotton each
character struggles with the perception process, due to prejudice, stereotype and self-esteem
issues.
Prejudice largely affects perception. Unfortunately, while people are aware of the issue,
prejudice still occurs. According to (MindTap) prejudice can be defined as judging a person
based on the characteristics of a group to which the person belongs without regard to how the
person may vary from the group characteristic. In Picking Cotton prejudice acts put protagonist
Ronald Cotton in jail for eleven years of his innocent life. Ronald Cotton is taken to court
January 1985 and proven guilty. Why is an innocent man proven guilty? Because Ronald was
perceived to be a criminal based on African American characteristics that they had been exposed
to. At this time it can easily be said that majority of the African American population that passed
through that court room were criminals because racism was still very active. Blacks were even
removed from the jury during the case. There was no concrete evidence that convicted Ronald,
but they did know he was an African American male that had a record of misdemeanors. That

PRECEPTIONS AND RELATIONSHIPS IN PICKING COTTON

was enough evidence to temporarily ruin Ronalds chance of freedom. The problem with the act
of being prejudice is that it is not recognized till after the fact. Ronald served eleven years before
unbiased DNA testing proved further. This isnt the only instance of prejudice events recorded.
Nelson (2002) wrote a book over prejudice of ageism. He said that younger people have this
belief that the elderly are always unpleasant. To further justify his findings he mentions an
experiment. The experiment consisted of subjects completing a questionnaire dealing with
perceptions of the elder population. The end results accompanied his presented prejudice
statement. The results said that old people are grouchy and are always sick. By being prejudice
the ability to perceive properly is distorted. When perception is distorted conversations may not
even occur. This becomes a real problem because communication is key to fully understand the
person. In Picking Cotton Ronalds lawyer advises him not to speak. His lawyer believes that
Ronald will only make things worse however when he does get his chance to speak he moves the
courtroom. Prejudice doesnt just happen due to race but both age gender and more. While
prejudice played a large role in Picking Cotton there were many other factors that caused
distorted perceptions and relationships.
Stereotypes have always influenced the way people think and interact with others. In
Picking Cotton stereotypes directly affect Jennifer and Ronald. Jennifer is labeled as a
vulnerable, attention thriving blonde. Jennifer struggles when Ronalds defender asks her why
her door was unlocked and why she didnt have pants on. The defender had this idea that because
she was alone and vulnerable she was asking to get assaulted. While Ronald was still proven
guilty, this stereotype put on Jennifer brought questions to the table and negatively affected her.
One of the most prominent stereotypes affected Ronald. Because Ronald was an African
American male, he stood no chance to be proven innocent. The jury believed there was a strong

PRECEPTIONS AND RELATIONSHIPS IN PICKING COTTON

correlation between being black and a criminal, so the decision was easy and incorrect.
Stereotyping isnt always incorrect, but that does not mean that it can be applied to anyone that
falls under the same category. Horvth, & Janky (2014) presented economic stereotyping. A
basic tenet of our theory is that low status tends to be perceived as a noisy signal of laziness. In
their study they found that people believed the poor population is lazy and not eager to work.
They then go further to say the middle class status proves deservingness. In addition to race
and economic stereotyping there is a great deal of gender stereotyping. Steinmetz, Bosak,
Sczesny, & Eagly (2014) explains that women are stereotyped to be warm, caring, and socially
skilled, while men are labeled to be more assertive, forceful, and dominant. These stereotypes
are very relevant today. Gender stereotypes can play a big role in the way a relationship is
shared. In some cases the woman plays the dominant role, or now very relevant same sex
relationship. With same sex relationships its not true that both play the same role. In the CRE
stereotyping also touched on relationships. After Ronald was proven innocent, Ronald and
Jennifer became best friends. Due to the circumstances and stereotypes placed on both, this
relationship was very unpredictable. Perception not only can be observed on the outside, but
also can be personal.
Self-esteem is a persons belief of his or her own worth. When a person has low selfesteem they typically cannot speak up about their beliefs or defend themselves. In Picking
Cotton, Ronalds self esteem fluctuates due to the constant juggling of the court case. When
Ronalds self esteem is at its lowest, he states that he is content with being in jail. At this time
Ronald believes there is nothing he can do, therefor he remains quiet and to himself. When
Ronald gets feedback from his lawyers saying that there is a possibility that he can go back to
court, the mood of the book changes. Ronald becomes confident and plans how he can prove

PRECEPTIONS AND RELATIONSHIPS IN PICKING COTTON

himself innocent. Mr. Cotton isnt the only character or experiences self-esteem issues in the
book. Jennifer starts by having self-esteem issues directly after the incident. Many people believe
that because she is physically okay, that she is mentally okay. This is not the case. Her boyfriend
ends their relationship leaving her lonely and disconnected from the world. Just as Jennifer starts
to get her life together she is notified that she has wrongly accused Ronald. She now has to live
with the fact that she imprisoned an innocent man for eleven years of his life. Fortunately enough
Ronalds self esteem was high enabling him to reach out to Jennifer. He explained that it was
going to be okay. Because Ronalds esteem was high he was able to communicate. Stamber
(2006) says that people in relationships with low self-esteem were more likely to have different
perceptions of their significant other. This is very relatable to Ronald as his perception
continuously changed.
The factors that determine how we perceive can be vey powerful. Stereotyping and
prejudice fall hand in hand. Each issue causes a conclusion to be drawn too quickly. This
occurred heavily in Picking Cotton but it can also be said that this happened in the past and is
currently happening. Self-esteem also affects the way we perceive directly. Ronald and Jennifer
both struggle with self-esteem, eventually leading to their friendship.

References

PRECEPTIONS AND RELATIONSHIPS IN PICKING COTTON

Cannino, J., & Cotton, R. (2009). Picking Cotton: Our memoir of injustice and redemption. New
York: St. Martin's Press.

Horvth, , & Janky, B. (2014). Ethnic Stereotypes and Preferences on Poverty Assistance.
Economics The Open-Access, Open-Assessment E-Journal, 2014-35.
MindTap. (n.d.). Retrieved October 12, 2015.
Nelson, T. (2002). Ageism: Stereotyping and Prejudice Against Older Persons. Cambridge,
Massachusetts: A Bradford Book.

Stambor, Z. "Low Self-esteem Distorts Perceptions of Partners." Monitor on Psychology 37.5

(2006): 10. Print.

Steinmetz, J., Bosak, J., Sczesny, S., & Eagly, A. (2014). Social role effects on gender
stereotyping in Germany and Japan. Asian Journal of Social Psychology, 17(1), 52-52.