What do you see when you look at me?

Breaking Stereotypes

In today’s society there are an immense number of cultures, religions and nationalities. These factors vary from country to country and each country has its own opinion of other cultures, religions and nationalities. In a society exposed to numerous religions, cultures and ways of thinking, stereotypes and labeling have become common in making sense of the world and the people in it. We have heard them all. African Americans are lazy and incompetent workers. Hispanics are all drug-dealers. The Irish are heavy drinkers. Feminists are man haters. People with tattoos are dangerous and probably been to jail. Academically successful students don’t know how to have fun. These are all stereotypes. Stereotyping is a problem that refuses to go away. It recurs, across various contexts and discourses, as a divisive and troubling issue, and remains a central source of contention in the politics of representation. Many stereotypes exist: different ones towards racial groups, women, the elderly, the mentally ill, fat people, homosexuals, the physically handicapped, and individuals with AIDS, to name just a few. Stereotypes can have negative outcomes both for the individuals who are the target of prejudice and for society at large. Stereotypes are a set of beliefs about the personal attributes of a group of people. It was journalist Walter Lippman who first coined the term "stereotype" to refer to our beliefs about groups. He borrowed the term from the printing process in which a "stereotype" literally was a metal plate that made duplicate copies of a printed page. Lippman believed this term describes how we continuously reproduce the "picture in our heads" that we have about a group whenever we encounter members of that group. In other words, Lippman recognized the human tendencies to categorize people into groups, and then to see individual members as a reflection of that group, rather than as the unique person they are. Although stereotypes may be products of individual cognitive processes, they also maybe consensually shared within a society. Collectively held stereotypes may be especially pernicious as they are often widespread in a society.

I have been stereotyped many times, and honestly it doesn’t hurt me. When I am offended however, I let people know. I am a feminist, and I am proud of it. I refuse to be hurt by the labels that society puts on me. But what about the person who takes the negative stereotypes into heart? What about the person who doesn’t stand up for themselves? Life is a self-fulfilling prophecy and labels stick. Do you really want to be responsible for re-enforcing these stereotypes and putting a label on a group of people or a culture? Next time think before you speak. Our words are powerful and our actions even more powerful. If we all took steps towards breaking stereotypes, our world would be a better place.