Fundamental Attribution Error In The Short Film 'The Lunch Date'

In the short film, The Lunch Date, the white woman who misses her train commits fundamental attribution error. Fundamental attribution error is defined as the overestimation of a person's personality and the underestimation of the situation that person is in. For example, after the woman in the short film misses her train, she enters a restaurant to order a salad. She leaves her food at her table to get a fork, when she comes back she finds that a black man is eating her salad. She believes that he is a homeless man who just stole her food, but in reality she just at the wrong table and begins to eat the salad that the man paid for. She commits fundamental attribution error by judging the man's outward appearance such as race and his choice of clothing.

The woman in this short film is a great example of normative social influence.

This is defined as people following the social norm in order to be accepted. It is very easy to tell that the woman in this film also believes that she is a little bit better than everyone else around her. For example she is carrying shopping bags like others are, but hers are from expensive stores such as Bloomingdales. She is also dressed as other women are, but just a little bit nicer.
Early in the short film the woman is seen rushing to get to her train, while doing so, she drops some of her belongings. A black man quickly bends down to help her, but she refuses his help. In doing so the woman displays prejudice. She showed that she has an unjustifiable, negative attitude towards a group. By telling the man to stop touching her things she makes known that her prejudice is explicit, or an attitude that was deliberately formed and easy to

sense.
While watching the short film, I was a little uncomfortable when the woman began to eat the man's salad. It was surprising to me that the woman would just assume that the salad is hers. It was very obvious that the woman had stereotyped all black men as homeless. A stereotype is defined as a generalized belief about a group. This sent me the message that in the period of time this movie was created, there was still very blatant stereotyping going on. Matthew 7:1-2 states “ Judge, that you not be judged. For with the judgement you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you.” After watching the short film, I am more aware of stereotyping and of the times that have do so. I realize that stereotyping is wrong no matter how it occurs and I am definitely going to think more before I judge a person.