Do you consider yourself a forward-thinking individual, but are somewhat annoyed by over-the-top activists? Were you somehow irritated by Occupy Wall Street, even if you agreed with some or more of their ideals?
If so, you're not alone, as new research from the University of Toronto, in which 400 Americans were quizzed on their feelings towards activists, shows that negative stereotypes about everyone from feminists to environmentalists are ingrained in our society.
Researchers found that the most common words used to describe activists were negative, no matter who they were referring to. When asked to describe a "typical feminist," participants used terms such as "man-hating" and "unhygenic," while when asked to describe a typical environmentalist, responses ranged from "tree-hugger" to "hippie."
Published in the European Journal of Social Psychology, the latest study looks at how individuals resist social change, their stereotypical ideas about activists (the agents of social change) making them more resistant to adopting the behaviors that such activists promote, even if they are positive ones, which hinders the success of those fighting for the rights of LGBT, school funding and Wall Street reform, Salon.com reports.
Researchers write that negative terminology used to describe an activist group plays "a key role in creating resistance" to activist ideals, as many participants viewed them as "eccentric" and "militant."
"Unfortunately, the very nature of activism leads to negative stereotyping," Psychologist Nadia Bashir, lead author of the study, told Salon.com. "By aggressively promoting change and advocating unconventional practices, activists become associated with hostile militancy and unconventionality or eccentricity. [People] may be more receptive to advocates who defy stereotypes by coming across as pleasant and approachable."
