Constantin Deaconescu - http://www.freeimages.com/photographer/roijaune-65065
Stereotypes and expectations are forced upon us from the moment we are born, whether it is to be an aggressive, dominant male, a passive, ladylike female, an intelligent, hardworking Asian, a fancy, posh British person, or some other stereotype. We group people together, and often judge them before we even meet them. These stereotypes affect other's expectations of us, and indirectly affect our behaviors and performances (Peteya). When we perform as expected for our specific stereotype(s), we reinforce these stereotypes. It is a vicious cycle that repeats from generation to generation. Discussed below are some commonly recognized stereotypes in our society.
Americans
African American Americans:
African American Americans are stereotyped to be dangerous, ghetto, unfaithful, lazy, gangster, and slang-using. |
Caucasian Americans:
Caucasian Americans are stereotyped as being morbidly obese, lazy, dimwitted, white supremacist, stubborn, gun-wielding, arrogant, and proud. |
Canadians:
Canadians are stereotyped as being hockey-loving, welcoming, kind, maple syrup-loving, french-speaking, and apologetic. |
Mexicans:
Mexicans are stereotyped as being liars, lazy, illegal immigrants, taco-loving, Spanish-speaking, and yard-working. |
Asians
Chinese:
Asians are stereotyped as being smart, good at math, having no social life, being all-work-no-play, having perfect grades, driven, bad at driving, rice-loving, not fluent in English, and squinty-eyed. |
Indians:
Indians are stereotyped as being smart, religious, spice-loving, tech-support employees, and hard working. |
Europeans
Irish:
Irish people are stereotyped as being, alcoholic, potato-loving, ginger, pale-skinned, freckled, leprechaun-loving, and milky tea-drinking. |
British:
British people are stereotyped as being posh, tea-drinking, monarch-loving, top hat-wearing, and pub-loving. |
French:
French people are stereotyped as being snobby, wine-loving, baguette-eating, beret-wearing, and culinary experts. |
Australians
Australians:
Australians are stereotyped as being knowledgeable about the wild, outback, kangaroo-loving, vegemite-loving, tan, and meat-eating.
Australians are stereotyped as being knowledgeable about the wild, outback, kangaroo-loving, vegemite-loving, tan, and meat-eating.
As you can see, most of these stereotypes are very negative, disrespectful, and downright offensive. Think about how that affects our society, and how our society has caused that. When we see someone for the first time, we automatically mentally assign stereotypes to them, whether positive or negative. This can affect our behavior towards them, and our expectations of them. We may avoid talking to someone because they are part of a group that we fear. This can lead to harmful discrimination, which is why we, as a community, should work to eliminate negative stereotypes.