When I first heard of this assignment the movie Anger Management popped in my head right away. After thinking, I realized that if this scene popped in my head as soon as I heard what the assignment was, others would do the same; so, it was back to the drawing board for me. I looked into past commercials for an hour or two and found one that really stuck out. During this Pepsi commercial, a little boy attempts to join a monastery. Once his head is shaved, he begins the long process of trying to fit into their community and eventually, after a few years, succeeds.
The stereotype depicted in this commercial is one that we see quite often in Western Religions; however, it is not always the correct way to view them. As Warner states in his book, not all monks appear the happy, smiling go lucky ones, some can be quite the opposite. Monks are people just like you and me who believe that they are on a special path to liberation, much like Christianity. Christians go to church every Sunday and pray whereas monks feel meditation is the best way. Not all monks dress completely alike; conforming is a choice that not all monks partake in. After reading this book, I realized that all monks are not the same and that declaring yourself one does not mean you are stripping yourself of your personality. Monks are still able to show emotion and are just like everyday people.
In conclusion, this commercial depicts a monk typical of the stereotype seen in today’s society; not necessarily how every monk truly acts. Even though this commercial shows a humorous depiction of the conformity a monk must go through just remember, it is not always accurate. Growing up, always seeing the typical stereotype of a monk, I could not help but laugh. Now, as we are learning more in class, I am starting to see what Buddhists truly believe in and the stereotype we have of a typical monk is not always true. Monks are just like us, people who live their lives in such a way to reach liberation.
Katherine,
ReplyDeleteI hadn't really given much thought to the stereotype of Buddhist monks conforming, so I really liked that you used that as your example. I think it's interesting to see that while people can believe in the same things, they don't have to do or feel the same things.
I agree that Westerners often stereotype about the behavior of Buddhist monks - one common stereotype being that we think they all act the same. Monks are people too! As elementary as that sounds, Westerners seem to somehow overlook that -- they are people just like us.
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