The world in black and white

The world we live in is buzzing with diversity. Different nationalities, cultures, ideological beliefs, and political views have turned reality into a fascinating but complex web. The human brain likes clarity and structure, which is why we arrange reality into simple categories: man, woman, young, old, white, black, brown, yellow, etc.  Each group evokes certain images that are much more one-sided and less complex than the group is in reality.

In #FakeImages you’ll discover what stereotypes are, how they influence our perception of people and how they can lead to prejudices.

I’m not a racist but..

We all relate to stereotypes and prejudices. They usually determine our behaviour. Our positive or negative impressions of a particular group influence how we deal with individuals from that group.

Stereotypes and prejudice can also lead to discrimination, hate speech and hate crimes, such as banning particular people from pubs or clubs, denying them a job or an apartment, posting hate messages about them on social media, or physically and verbally harassing them. Structural discrimination occurs when people from a less influential group systematically have fewer opportunities for work, housing or education. In extreme cases, certain types of state discrimination can culminate in mass violence and even genocide. This is where stereotypes and prejudice are transformed into hatred, discrimination and violence.

#FakeImages will teach you more about racism, antisemitism, homophobia and islamophobia. Find out how you can respond to hate.

The power of deception     

We base our world view on information derived from sources such as stories, films, music, books, or traditional and social media. However, these sources are not always truthful. Misleading information arises in many forms, such as a journalist who does not check his sources properly, an advertiser who chases after clicks, or people who deliberately spread fake news. How do we distinguish between what is real and what is not? Why are we susceptible to false information? And above all, how can we resist the power of deception? Misleading messages occur in different contexts. Think of propaganda, bad journalism, fake news, satire websites, and conspiracy theories. Each context uses similar techniques. Once you learn to recognise them, you will become more alert to misleading messages.

#FakeImages brightens your gaze and makes you aware of these forms of deception.

JUST FOR LAUGHS

People like a laugh, but there is little consensus about the definition of humour. What you find funny very much depends on your age, gender, social class, and cultural or religious background. There are many kinds of humour: clownish slapstick, sophisticated puns, biting sarcasm, etc. Testing or challenging the limits of what is commonly permissible is frequently the essence of humour, and so humour and sensitive subjects often go hand in hand, such as with stereotyping jokes about particular groups of people or beliefs. But where are the boundaries? Are we allowed to laugh at everything, or are there certain things about which it is better to remain silent? And where, for example, does humour begin to become racism and hate speech?

#FakeImages is about exploring your boundaries between humour and hurting someone.