semantics help: what word fits this description.

[hope7]

I'm writing a poly-sci paper and not knowing this word is really hindering my flow:
What do you call it when the worst representatives of a group (political group, religious group, ect) are highlighted to make the whole group look bad.

I know many might think stereotyping is the word I'm looking for. But stereotypes seem like specific action traits such as 'white people can't dance', or 'asian people don't do sports'. I am looking for a word that describes a specific case where a the 'jerks' of a group are highlighted to imply the general traits of evilness and stupidity for the whole group. Not specific actions traits.

Examples of this I see:

How terrorists are used to make all Muslims look dangerous. I've seen people (online) who use this logic to be anti-muslim. http://youtube.com/watch?v=HfDdWV9IJbM

How creationists are used to make all Christians look stupid. The simpsons do this a lot with ned flanders, its all in good fun though.

How police brutality vids are used to make all cops look bad. Whenever they go up, people are always like, 'see? all cops are pigs'.

How Penn and Teller used the people displayed in this clip
(http://youtube.com/watch?v=kcrF346sS_I)
to make all conspirators look bad. lol at 'nobody can convince me' guy.

How Bill implies all lesbians are bad in this clip
http://www.afterellen.com/blog/sara...bian-gangs-taking-over-america?comment=370305

michael moore did this by showing those paranoid militia guys at the begging of bowling for columbine.

South Park does this for just about every group.

The closest word I could think of is stereotyping. But stereotypes are just general notions held by the population, not actions carried out by a specific individual/group. The word I'm looking for defines specific acts of highlighting the worst in any particular group to make them all look bad.

 

[speakeasy]

Scapegoating.

 

[hope7]

'scapegoating'

Hmmm, also close.
'Scapegoating is the act of blaming something on a particular person or group of people whether or not they are responsible.'

But not quite it. The group is not being blamed. The act I'm looking for are when the specific traits of stupidity and evilness are implied towards the whole group.

 

[Jimbo2k]

I want to say Stereotyping...but I'm pretty sure you are looking for a different word that I cannot think of either.

Speakeasy:
A Scapegoat is something completely different such as someone to blame to get out of something you did.

 

[hope7]

Yeah, I'm looking for a different word than stereotyping. Stereotypes seem like specific action traits such as 'white people can't dance', or 'asian people don't do sports'.

I am looking for a word that describes a specific case where a the 'jerks' of a group are highlighted to imply the general traits of evilness and stupidity for the whole group. Not specific actions traits.

 

[speakeasy]

Demogoguery?

 

[Bonhomme]

Damn. I'm not coming up with anything better than "stereotyping," either.

Basically, trying to convince people to hate a group via faulty logic.

Have a go at a thesaurus, jumping off "stereotyping," and see where it takes you.

 

[g g g unit]

generalizing (pardon the spelling)

 

[Firepower]

Try the word "typification." Stereotyping is a variety of this concept.

Also try post hoc, ergo propter hoc - an Aristotlean Logical Fallacy that often applies.

 

[hope7]

So it seems that there is no such word for the defination I'm looking for. I'm pretty surprised because I see specific examples of this all the time, especially as of recently. I think its important to coin a word for this term so people won't get deluded by this tactic.


-------------------------------------------------------
Here are the 4 strongest examples from the original post of the act I am describing:

How Penn and Teller used the people displayed in this clip
(http://youtube.com/watch?v=kcrF346sS_I)
to make all conspirators look stupid/malicious. lol at 'nobody can convince me' guy.

michael moore did this by showing those paranoid militia guys at the begging of bowling for columbine. He made all 2nd amendment defenders look like paranoid idiots.

South Park does this for just about every group. I'm not complaining, its all in good fun. My recent favorite was when they made fun of the hippies. lol at the hippies who called everyone an 'eichmen'.

How terrorists are used to make all Muslims look dangerous. I've seen people (online) who use this logic to be anti-muslim. http://youtube.com/watch?v=HfDdWV9IJbM
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I think the phrase should be simple (two words only). The words should be recognisable enough so people would be inclined to use them. But, the words should be vague enough so that we can effectively add the meaning. If the words have really specific deminitions, it would be hard to add new meaning to the thre.

Here are some terms that could be used to come up with the phrase:

Demonize, portray, depict, impious, iniquitous, inept, vilify, malign, denigrate, degrade
connotation, implication, association, overtone
Disproportionate, selective, discriminatory, represent, Demagoguery, typification
ideological, metonymy
cherry picking
Negative, generalization, premeditaded
Stigma, stigmatization
post hoc, ergo propter hoc: a Latin phrase meaning "after this, therefore because of this," is a logical fallacy confusing cause and effect with chronology. Just because Irving wakes up every morning before the sun rises doesn't mean that the sun rises because Irving wakes up

 

[Nighthawk]

'Negative stereotyping' is the closest option I think.

'Tar everyone with the same brush' serves a similar concept.

 

[g g g unit]

That video about muslims is some funny sh1t!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Ripper]

What do you call it when the worst representatives of a group (political group, religious group, ect) are highlighted to make the whole group look bad?

Misrepresentation (of the particular group in question).