Realistic depiction or stereotype?

Have you ever found yourself watching a video about how to make a waterfall braid when you started your search on wild animals in danger of extinction? It may seem unreal but the click from the mouse seems to follow the rambling directions that my brain gives, which leads to maze-like jumps from web page to web page, changing topic with no reason whatsoever.   
While using the Internet in this bizarre way, I found a video. This particular video is the creation of the English teacher, poet and battle rapper Mark Grist. 

I was initially drawn to the video because of its name and author.  After having done an analysis of a similar work (“You should date an illiterate girl” byCharles Warnke) from the perspective of the Systemic Functional Linguistic, I was particularly interested in men’s perspective on women.

Grist’s piece of spoken-word poetry immerses us in the daily nature of a meeting between a group of friends. His words, accompanied by the situation portrayed in the video allow us to feel as if we were having a conversation with Mark Grist. In addition, his use of colloquial language mixed with references to different authors makes his poet a delightful work to listen to. 

In his depiction of the woman he likes, he conveys a verbal image of her as having depth and versatility. He defines her as being able to be cheeky but also expressing herself in an appropriate manner, making use of a wide range of vocabulary. Not only does she read the classics but also magazines, menus, poems, cereal boxes.  She is not a book snob. On the contrary, she enjoys several different types of texts. The woman described is independent and considered an equal by the poet.  And even though physical appearance is mentioned, she is not considered only for it. The author makes it clear that her uniqueness derives from her capacity of looking for varied ways to entertain herself and enrich her knowledge.

But as his words sank in, I could not help but wonder: Isn’t his portrayal a bit unrealistic? He does portray a woman that is more realistic that those who generally appear in advertisement and some books. Women who look pretty at all times and are only interested in spending money. But is literacy really a sign of intelligence or is this just another stereotype, albeit a positive one? Are all women who read witty and versatile? Furthermore, are women who don’t make from reading a pastime not witty and unable to win an argument?  I know this is the description of a particular woman that lives in his mind, a woman he would like to meet but isn’t he putting too much effort in building an image that generalizes the characteristics of women who read? I certainly think so.

Go to Files for the written poem with links to a description of the authors, magazines and stores mentioned.