The Pit Bull and Owner Stereotypes

I'm afraid Aurora, CO Councilmember Bob Fitzgerald gets a lot of ink on my site - certainly more than he deserves - but while arguing for a pit bull ban he managed to say something that bears repeating in a discussion about stereotyping: "We don't want 'those people' here." Bob was talking about pit bull owners.

Bob is not alone in his feelings of ill will toward pit bull owners. But what is it that causes so many people to instantly judge pit bull owners not worthy of the same rights, privileges, and respect that most other dog owners enjoy? Why are pit bull owners so undesirable in a community?

If Bob were referring to a particular race of people with those words, he would be out of office faster than you could blink. On the other hand, if he were talking about criminals and murderers, he would get applause. Reaction to his words among pit bull owners was more of the former; we tend to see ourselves as responsible, law-abiding citizens with equal rights, and it shocks and angers us to hear someone say otherwise. On the other hand, reaction to his words among non-pit-bull owners did not provoke outrage, and I'm sure quite a few nodded their heads in agreement. Most people who are not familiar with responsible pit bull owners tend to see all pit bull owners as the type you hear about in the news - criminals, gang members, drug dealers, and thugs. And yes, Bob is right - no one wants "those people" in their upstanding community.

"We don't want 'those people' (pit bull owners) here." - Bob Fitzgerald, Aurora, CO Councilmember

"I hate to see [Portage] become a magnet in the future for people who have these dogs (pit bulls)." - Portage Police Officer Adam Malchow

"I can't help but believe part of the allure of owning a pit bull is the danger. If it's not, then why bother?" - Harry Smith, CBS Early Show co-anchor

"Those who go to shelters seeking out breeds like Pit Bulls have an agenda that goes beyond just having a family pet. They are looking for something that is linked to violence, something that is intimidating..." - Jeff Graham, Mayor of Waterton, NY

"They [pit bull owners] have their reasons for owning this breed. Either they are criminals, using the dogs to protect their club house or their grow-op, or they fight them, or they are not very bright. Educated people are not attracted to pit bulls." - Animal Advocates Society of B.C.

The Psychology Behind Stereotypes

Let's briefly talk about "confirmation bias". In psychology, confirmation bias is the process by which a person forms a theory and then searches for things that prove their theory while ignoring things that are contradictory. This is how stereotypes form and grow. The seed is planted, and each event that confirms the stereotype causes it to grow, while events that refute the stereotype are minimized or rejected. We can apply confirmation bias to the stereotypes of pit bull and pit bull owner. Events which confirm that a pit bull is a killing machine are counted and recalled over and over, while hundreds of thousands of normal, sweet, friendly pit bulls are completely ignored and events involving a heroic pit bull are fudged a little (perhaps the breed is not mentioned). Similarly, in the news, connections are frequently made between drug dealers and pit bulls, while responsible pit bull owners don't make the news at all.

The second element to consider is familiarity. Dr. Aaron Beck, in his book "Prisoners of Hate", suggests that hatred and violence toward others stems in part from a lack of familiarity, which results in a dehumanizing effect. The minority group is perceived as "outsiders", and as such it is considered acceptable for the majority to marginalize them and strip them of their rights. People who are unfamiliar with pit bull owners are reacting to the stereotype, not reality. Some individuals' only exposure to pit bull owners has been in a negative sense - perhaps they live near an irresponsible pit bull owner or were bitten by a pit bull. These individuals have strong confirmation bias and are very difficult to persuade that what they are familiar with is neither normal nor acceptable among responsible pit bull owners. On the other hand, individuals who have pleasant, normal experiences with responsible pit bull owners come to realize that pit bull owners are human beings just like them. It is vital that responsible pit bull owners do everything they can to foster familiarity and acceptance through demonstration of model behavior and actions which humanize them in the eyes of the majority group (non-pit bull owners).

As a responsible pit bull owner and a member of the pit bull owning community, it is up to you to combat the stereotype. If you do not rise above the stereotype, you are adding weight to the arguments of those who want to ban the breed-type (and, in the process, pit bull owners). You can fight the stereotype in many ways, through both words and deeds.

How to Fight the Stereotype