STEREOTYPES AGAINST REPUBLICANS 1

Stereotypes Against Republican Millennials

Daniella M Montagnino

Glendale Community College

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Stereotypes Against Republican Millennials

“Republicans are men of narrow vision, who are afraid of the future,” (Jimmy Carter).

Republicans are: dumb, evil, racist, hypocrites, stupid, idiots… Typing the words “Republicans

are” into the Google search bar provides results that complete the statement and those results are

as follows: dumb, evil, racist, hypocrites, stupid, idiots…etc.”. Stereotypes against Republicans

began against an older generation that the stereotypes may have once applied to but now have

been imposed on younger generations who now feel silenced and/or discouraged from voicing

their opinions in a world that only sees republicans as dumb, evil, racist, and hypocrites.

A stereotype is “a widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular

person or thing,” (via google search). Stereotypes are often over exaggerated but may hold truth

at some point in time or another but still can be hurtful to people that it may not apply to

anymore.

The visual argument was a detailed, single-frame cartoon found in a high school

newspaper attached to an article online. The image depicts a young man with sorrowful,

exhausted eyes standing against a blue wall plastered with the blue Democrat symbol of a

donkey. The young man is wearing a red shirt and a red bandana with the Republican party

symbol of an elephant on it and his lips are sewn shut while he holds a sign that reads “I

DISAGREE”. The illustrator of the cartoon targeted her young, millennial generation readers

using muted primary colors of red and blue featuring a person who looks about the same age,

making the image more relatable to young persons, representing the discouraged and silenced

young members of the Republican party. The image is used to address the issue of millennials

who feel silenced from sharing their views with peers around the due to possessing an unpopular
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opinion from the majority of their Democrat peers. (Rogers, 2017) The cartoon creates a tone of

disheartening discouragement in a time where the media keeps shouting for people to stand up

for what they believe. But the only time the media wants to hear your opinion is if it matches

their own. This image represents the discouragement millennial republicans feel in a world that

stereotypes them as racist, hypocritical, dumb, and homophobic.

The blog “The Truth About Millennial Republicans” is about the argument and

stereotypes against the actual existence of millennial republicans. The blog inspires and

addresses young millennials to speak up about what they believe regardless if the majority is

against them. This blog encourages the young generation that their voice is just as important as

any other political party and to not let the stereotype imposed on them stop them from believing

that they can have a positive effect on this country. “What people…fail to realize is that

increased exposure to a problem in society is…needed to evolve…with technology in the palms

of our hands, makes change more vocal, more believable, and more popular…change leads to

venomous arguments over social media, but since we are able to broadcast thoughts instantly for

the world to see, stupidity and ignorance often does not have time to think something over before

it becomes an afterthought,” (Petite, 2016). The tone of the blog humorous toward the

stereotypes abut millennial Republicans. The author uses casual, non-academic language since

he is addressing young adults in a manner that is casual and non-academic. The author appeals to

logos by explaining and highlighting today’s societal issues with the claims and arguments

against the republican party.

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The two rhetorical devices used are similar in the way that they both address the issue of

stereotyping against millennial Republicans who receive the backlash and stereotypes imposed

on them by older, past generations. The visual argument and the written arguments express that

Republican millennials are being crushed by the stereotypes that supposedly “represent” the

political party in which they are affiliated with.

The media today does nothing to help alleviate or dispel these social implications but

rather encourages the use of the stereotypes. Directing harsh names to undeserving individuals

such as those affiliated with certain political parties should not be allowed. The media talks about

equality and showing temperance for others who do not share our opinions and yet we continue

to bash those who have opposing views even when they have done nothing to deserve names

such as racist, evil, hypocrite, idiot, etc. Society should encourage the idea of promoting what

you love rather than bashing what you hate to prevent such hostility among young generations of

differing political opinions. As Abraham Lincoln once stated in his speech at the Republican

State Convention, “a house divided against itself cannot stand,” (Lincoln, 1858). The discussion

and sharing of political views among people should not be stopped but rather encouraged. It is

important for millennials to know what is going on today and it would do well to help the

country grow as whole for future generations.

Imposing stereotypes on younger generations that no longer apply to them causes that

generation to feel silenced or discouraged from speaking. Stereotypes are labels, and labels,

especially false ones, can hurt. Calling someone a racist, or a hypocrite, or stupid because of their

political affiliations does not make the argument or social crisis anymore valid or relevant.
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References

Carter, J. (n.d.). Quotes About Republicans (104 quotes). Retrieved February 15, 2018, from

https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/republicans

Google Definition of Stereotype. Retrieved February 15, 2018, from

https://www.google.com/search?q=definition%2Bof%2Ba%2Bstereotype&ie=&oe=

Lincoln, A. (n.d.). House Divided Speech. Retrieved February 19, 2018, from

http://www.abrahamlincolnonline.org/lincoln/speeches/house.htm

Petite, S. (2015, June 27). The Truth About Millennial Republicans. Retrieved February 15,

2018, from https://www.huffingtonpost.com/steven-petite/the-truth-about-

millennia_b_7679886.html

Rogers, K. (2017, October 24). Despite a mantra of tolerance at SPHS, conservatives are often

left silent. Retrieved February 15, 2018, from http://tigernewspaper.com/despite-mantra-

tolerance-sphs-conservatives-often-left-silent/
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OUTLINE

I. Introduction (I honestly have no idea going to be placed here. So just pretend its

super well written and informative)

a. Conservatives are: dumb, evil, racist, hypocrites, stupid, idiots…

b. Background (this is a place holder, what is seen below is the background, but

I think I need to add more to it?)

i. Today, I typed the words “Conservatives are” into the Google search bar

and the search results that completed my statement are as follows: dumb,

evil, racist, hypocrites, stupid, idiots…etc.”.

c. Thesis (hi, below is the thesis, I think its pretty okay considering I still don’t

know what I’m doing)

i. Stereotypes about Conservatives began against an older generation that the

stereotypes may have once applied to but now have been imposed on

younger generations who now feel silenced and/or discouraged from

voicing their opinions in world who only sees conservatives as dumb, evil,

racist, and hypocrites.

II. Definition of stereotype (um, yeah okay this is good)

a. A stereotype is “a widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a

particular type of person or thing,” (via google search). Stereotypes are often

overexaggerated but may hold truth at some point in time or another but still can

be hurtful to people that it may not apply to.

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III. Rhetorical Analysis of Text 1: visual argument (also a place holder, part A/B below is

the real deal)

a. The visual I have presented and used as a basis for my paper was a detailed,

single-frame cartoon I found in a high school newspaper attached to an article

online. The image depicts a young man with sorrowful eyes standing against a

blue wall plastered with the Democrat party symbol of a donkey. The young man

is wearing a read shirt and a red bandana with the Republican party symbol of an

elephant on it and his lips are sewn shut while holding a sign that reads “I

DISAGREE”.

b. The illustrator of the piece targeted her young, millennial generation readers using

muted primary colors featuring a person who looks about the same age

representing the discouraged members of the Republican party. The image is used

to address the issue of millennials who feel silenced and/or discouraged from

sharing their views with peers around them due to possessing an unpopular

opinion from their majority Democrat peers. [THIS MAY BE EDITED OR

MODIFIED BEFORE BEING ADDED INTO FINAL DRAFT]

i. Maybe mention the tone of the image? Cultural resonance?

IV. Rhetorical analysis of text 2 : written blog (The Truth About Millennial Republicans) ( hi

also a place holder)

a. The blog “The Truth About Millennial Republicans” is about the argument and

stereotypes against the actual existence of Millennial Republicans today. The blog

inspires young millennials to voice their opinions and political views regardless if

the majority is against them. Their opinion is just as important as the next and the
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stereotypes are not only overexaggerated but also cliché and should not be taken

seriously or be regarded as relevant.

b. INCLUDE AT LEAST ONE QUOTE FROM ARGUMENT: “What people sometimes fail to

realize is that increased exposure to a problem in society is what is needed to

evolve…with technology in the palms of our hands, makes change more vocal,

more believable, and more popular…change leads to venomous arguments over

social media, but since we are able to broadcast thoughts instantly for the world to

see, stupidity and ignorance often does not have time to think something over

before it becomes an afterthought.”

V./VI. Similarities and differences

VIII./VIIII. Social implications and solutions for prevention

IX. conclusion