Harry Potter Puppet Pals
The above video shows the very real problem of the harm of social stereotypes in a humorous way. This video depicts Neville before he has embodied the Gryffindor stereotype. The video even goes as far as to make Neville look different than everybody else by making him into an inanimate food object. Due to Neville being portrayed as something inanimate, it becomes easier for the audience to dislike and outcast Neville. It's much harder to be rude and mean to someone when they are just like you, but if they are portrayed as something without feelings, treating them bad becomes much easier. It has been shown in multiple studies that when people are made out to be material objects, it becomes easier to treat them with disrespect. The video here suggests that since Neville has not embodied the Gryffindor stereotype, he is nothing better than a piece of squash. This addresses the problem of someone being rejected and ignored just because they do not embody the group stereotype. The entire video Neville just wants to fit in and be accepted by his peers, but everybody continues to hate him. This is the main problem with social stereotypes, unless someone perfectly fits the stereotype of their group, they will not be accepted. While this video is very light hearted and amusing, it shows that stereotypes are being encouraged everywhere. This video is a perfect example of how something with good humorous intentions, such as a puppet Harry Potter video, can actually accurately depict a very real problem in society.