Stereotypes. A widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing. Providing a dictionary definition is easy, but portraying the effects is not. However, in Ken Kesey’s novel, One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest stereotypes and the victim’s reactions are incorporated seamlessly. Chief Bromden, along with the other patients in the mental hospital, is subject to prejudices being held against him. While the patients create stereotypes among themselves about other patients in the ward, the “outsiders” also hold their stereotypes against the insane, and the patients find that these, in fact, hurt more. The novel depicts the internal and external stereotypes present pertaining to the patients. Stereotypes, as seen in the novel, are also apparent in other social issues such as Islamophobia. Islamophobia, a dislike and prejudice against Muslims, is fueled by stereotypes. Just like how a prejudice against mental patients is supported by stereotypes, Muslims are also targeted with the support of false stereotypes. Stereotypes against Muslims have nurtured misconceptions about the Muslim identity and religion, retaliation against the Muslim religion, and the irrational fear against Islam.
One of the biggest effects of stereotypes is the creation of misconceptions about the Muslim identity and religion. The media has harvested and spread the idea that Islam is not a religion of peace and that Muslims in fact, mean harm. Through portrayals of a few terrorist attacks as motivated by the religion of Islam, negative attitudes towards the Muslim population have spread and the general public is under a false cloud of negativity. Often times, the public believes that what the media is saying is true, and they quickly fall into a haze of untruths and illusions. Society falls into a trap that makes them believe that Islam is not a religion of peace and that it is okay “to blame a faith with more than a billion followers for the actions of a violent few,”(“The Nature” 2). This ideology is absurd and is in fact, plain bigotry. Logically, blaming such a huge mass of people for just a few individuals does not make sense. Similar to this, in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, when the mental patients went out for a fishing trip and stopped at a gas station, they were met with acts of blatant disrespect. Since they were from the mental ward, the attendants jumped to negative assumptions and even felt the need to “see if there was a wrench or something handy,” (Kesey 235). The attendants were under the illusion that they needed to protect themselves against the patients, like how many people are under the illusion that they need to protect themselves against Muslims and Islam. Although the patients were being seen as insane when they were doing nothing wrong, the attendant felt the need to possibly attack back, something that the attendant saw as sane, but in reality, his self-defense is not sane at all.
Another outcome of brewing stereotypes is the retaliation against the Muslim religion. In efforts to “stop all the Muslim terrorists”(qtd. in Wakefield) who are apparently stripping citizens of their rights, many of the narrow-minded people ironically resorted to doing what they fear most will happen to them. They begin taking away the liberties from the Muslims, not the other way around that they initially assume. Hirsi Ali, a political figure in the UK, declared that the best way to stomp out the “[violent] ideology,” (qtd in Wakefield 18) is to strip the Muslims from practicing many of their rituals. She expresses that a “ban [of] the veil in schools [and]. . .closing down Muslim schools,” (qtd in Wakefield) are the key ways to shut down the religion in the UK. Ali also establishes that her basis is that since Islam dictates every aspect of life, it should not be allowed. Depriving Muslims of both freedom and natural rights, in her eyes, is the correct way to approach this “problem”. Ironically, although she makes an argument that Islam dictates every aspect of a Muslim's life, she is, in fact, dictating Muslims lives even more by proposing to not let them follow their beliefs. Ali’s notion is held by many other Islamophobes and is plainly disturbing. In a New York Times article, it states that "If Islamophobes are successful in their efforts to strip American Muslims of the same protections that Christians enjoy, it’s they — not the Muslims they irrationally fear — who will be responsible for curtailing religious liberty," (Uddin 12). Islamophobes are essentially hypocrites when they begin taking what they believe to be "necessary precautions" towards Muslims. They are scared that being around Muslims will lower and restrict their liberties and rights when in reality, they are the ones doing so when trying to "protect themselves" from seemingly "right-stripping" people (qtd in Wakefield 18). This retaliation is ineffective and absurd because they are just taking away what they were so scared of being taken away from themselves. Just like the retaliation against Muslims, In One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest there is a retaliation against the patients by the surrounding characters. Nurse Ratched regularly put her patients in the shock treatment room which impaired their skills and health for days on end. Even if they had done nothing “wrong”, Ratched would still put them in to, in ways, contain the patients and maintain order. The “sane” people or the Nurses, were so afraid that the patients may act out, that they would punish them cruelly with no basis. They were under the impression that they were “stopping the insanity”, but all they were doing was becoming more insane themselves by stripping the patients of their rights to a normal life.
Finally, Stereotypes have instilled an irrational fear against Islam. Political figures, along with the media, both play a large part in the creation of stereotypes. They both fuel fear by portraying Islam as not a religion. In a public statement, John Bennett, a Republican state legislator stated that "Islam is not even a religion; it is a political system that uses a deity to advance its agenda of global conquest,”(qtd. in Uddin ). Large political figures have begun to strip Islam from its title and classification as a religion. Although Islam has been prevalent for thousands of years, suddenly, people think it is sane to degrade its title. Islam starts being perceived as an ideology/cult rather than an actual organized religion. An absurd fear is created that this “cult” may take over, when in reality, it was never, and will never be a cult. This irrational fear crafted by Islamophobic politicians is instilled in the citizens who then deem it as a true fact.
The widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing has ruined true facts about a different religion, people, and places. Like how in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, some of the characters held misconceptions, retaliation tactics, and fear against the mental patients, Muslims also face the same misconceptions about the Muslim identity and religion, retaliation against the Muslim religion, and the irrational fear against Islam. Although in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, the patients sometimes did succumb to the stereotypes and expressed that“…you have to laugh at the things that hurt you just to keep the world from running you plumb crazy,”(Kesey 154), succumbing is the worst thing one can do. Instead of taking the easy way out and accepting defeat, challenge yourself. Challenge yourself that you will fight for your rights. Challenge yourself that you will break stereotypes. Challenge yourself that you will be the driving force to end Islamophobia. Challenge yourself that you can.