Stereotypes. We all think that they are bad and try our best to stay away from them. Yet how many times have you looked at someone's feature and felt like you knew their whole story? "Oh, that all-state athlete on the wall? I bet he had a 2.0 during high school" or even better (or worse) "Oh, someone got a 40% on the test? I guarantee you it's that girl with the blond hair" We can try all we want, but society has several stereotypes that never seem to leave.
 |
| now you wouldn't expect this, would you? |
In class we discussed how stereotypes restricted the way people in the nineteen hundreds looked at Native Americans. Especially through the movie industry, Native Americans were portrayed as brusque, strident, and impassive. However in reality, these people are so much more complex. This really goes to show that a person cannot be described in a couple words. We are multiplex people, amalgams of various qualities and personalities. Because of this variety, stereotypes will never be accurate, and therefore never beneficial. In a way, these stereotypes still exist. For example, when I typed in "Native American" in google, the top 50 images that popped up were all stereotypical faces- stern, dressed in feathers. Only by specifying, was I able to get a "reality" picture. As humans, we are unfortunately, like google; whenever a specific group is mentioned, a very standard picture pops into our heads. This instinct is what keeps stereotypes alive, even years after we realized how detrimental they are to individualism.
 |
| stereotype |
 |
reality
|
So how many types of tea are there? You've probably heard of green, white and black tea, but did you know that those categories are extremely superficial?
 |
| that's right, you didn't (stop stereotyping) |
No comments:
Post a Comment