Stereotypes are a love-hate relationship, in my opinion.
Defined, they are generalized biases we create based on what we can make sense of, in our given surroundings. This generalization eases feelings of uncertainty regarding the unknown and help make predictions about people, places or objects. However, stereotypes can be broken, they aren't always correct and it's important to remember they are a generalization- not the exception or rule.
I believe that when we are younger we feel more entitled to pass judgment and act on decisions. Middle School would be the peak of these years: discovering your adolescents and changing your image. Becoming a joke, cheerleader, gothic, preppy, punk, emo, etc. are all examples of stereotypes in the school distract, every class has them and every stereotype has people to keep it alive. I feel like we partially learn these stereotypes based on our own assumptions as well as learning them from movies, siblings and TV series. The former list relates to our surroundings, what we take in and how we translate it.
Stereotypes can me very hurtful and demeaning, but then they can also be humorous and truthful. Hence my love-hate relationship idea. I grew up playing all kinds of sports and loved to be outside, being a young girl only interested in sports I was considered a tomboy. But I didn't 100% fit that stereotype because even in a summer dress and flip flops (looking all girly with my hair curled and nails painted) I would still kick a ball and run around.
But as we grow up our stereotypes change like our image, but I think stereotypes help us animate our image. We know what we like from what we have seen and experienced, and we know what we don't. We associate ourselves with others like us and in some cases avoid those who fit a different stereotype. But like I stated before, I think it's important when categorizing stereotypes to remember it's a generalization (second-hand foundation) not the except and not the rule.
Stereotypes say more about the person handing them out than the person they’re addressing. I believe that stereotypes, as you mentioned in your post, help us make sense of the world. In this way they are somewhat like judgments; they are like a filing system our brain has created in order to process people, places and things we encounter. However I also strongly agree with your thoughts on how stereotypes can be broken.
ReplyDeleteIt is true our minds need this type of filing system to make it through a day functionally. Can you imagine encountering every new person, place and thing, without any preconceived judgment or stereotype? We would be constantly in awe of every new fact we learned, and hence be very unproductive. We would be like infants encountering the world for the first time! However your post points out a good point that hurtful or harmful stereotypes can be detrimental to the way we communicate in others. For this reason I think we all love to see stereotypes broken; it gives us an ironic juxtaposition of what should be with what really is.
Thanks for sharing!
In response to your not the exceptions and not the rule post. I highly agree with you when you discuss those facts about stereotypes in today’s society. Even though we all use stereotypes to decided where people come from, their personalities, and most of all their character. For the most part stereotypes relate all the way back to our cultures themselves. The ways we are brought u and the types of live we are exposed to, as individuals are what make up these stereotypes. I agree with you when you say as we grow up stereotypes change just like our images. Although we have these beliefs about different ethnic groups, as we mature those stereotypes seem to fade away. You can really see it happening in today’s society. This generation is starting to date and interact with people of different ethnicities which is making the youth a bit more educated and they see things through a more open minded life.
ReplyDeleteHi Phoenix,
ReplyDeleteI strongly agree with your claim on sterrotypes and their different effects on people. Mainly, I feel that how we accept stereotypes explains how we react and respond to them. People who are very anal and insecure might take a stereotype as being "demeaning" and "hurtful" as you expressed. Others who are strong willed and confident in who they are and what they represent might find them amusing. Your description on how stereotypes can evolve with age and how they can animate our image is a valid point that I didnt think of. As we grow and find ourselves we accept new things and in turn we emerge and develop into the adults we choose to be. Overall, your response was concise and very descriptive.
Good Job
-g23