Perkins believes that stereotypes are not a simple process and contains a number of assumptions that can be challenge which are listed below in relation to Hotel Babylon.
- Stereotypes are not always negative. In Hotel Babylon, the Asian woman on her computer is stereotyped as smart and is polite when she thanks Adam for saving the diabetic woman.
- They are not always about minority groups or the less powerful. In relation to Hotel Babylon, this is shown through white people having the better jobs at the front of the hotel where the customers can see them the most.
- They can be held about one's own group. Linking this to Hotel Babylon, the most of the time, negative assumptions are made stereotypically which make the people that are similar to the characters in Hotel Babylon and are watching it think that it is wrong. For example, blonde people aren't always dumb.
- They are not rigid or unchanging. In Hotel Babylon, some stereotypes often change a lot for example white people are normally the doctors, where as in Hotel Babylon a black guy was the one to save the diabetic woman.
- They are not always false. In relation to Hotel Babylon, The blonde woman that is the manager of the hotel, isn't dumb which shows that not all stereotypes are true. However, some stereotypical views are that blonde people are pretty which is true in Hotel Babylon.
Festinger can be used to explain the popularity of programmes like hotel Babylon or other TV dramas, his theory of cognitive dissonance involves conflicting attitudes, beliefs or behaviours. This produces a feeling of discomfort leading to an alteration in one of the attitudes, beliefs or behaviours to reduce the discomfort and restore balance etc. In relation to Hotel Babylon, the audience will see the discrimination and racism to the minority ethnicities, making the audience change their beliefs about the different ethnicities, as they will see it is wrong to be prejudice, racist and to discriminate.
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