Talking About Stereotypes…

Welcome once again!

Before we dive into talking about Society, I want us to look at Stereotypes!

(It falls under Norms, as an Element of Culture)

What is A Stereotype?

A Stereotype is a mistaken idea or belief that many people have about a thing, or group of people, that is based on how they look on the outside, which may be true, untrue or partly true.

In Social Psychology, a Stereotype is an over generalized belief about a particular category of people. It is an expectation that people might have about every person of/or a particular group of people, and this expectation can be about a group’s personality, preferences and/or ability.

In other words, Stereotypes are commonly known public beliefs about a certain social group or type of individual(s).

Stereotypes are often confused with Prejudices, because like Prejudice, a stereotype is based on a prior assumption.

Like other untrue opinions, stereotypes might be used as reasons to discriminate against another person.

Stereotypes are often created about people of specific cultures and races, but they’re not just centered on races and cultural backgrounds however.

There are also Gender Stereotypes and Sexual Orientation Stereotypes.

For example, if you say that men are better than women, you’re stereotyping both men and women. If you say that all women like to cook, you’re stereotyping women. (These are examples of Gender Stereotypes)

Sexual Orientation Stereotypes, occur when you have negative views on gays, lesbians and transgender individuals.

People who have negative views on LGBT individuals are homophobic!

(I’ll discuss LGBT in my future posts, as well as my views on such individuals)

The term Stereotype was invented in the late 18th century for a method of printing.

In the mid-19th century it meant the faithful reproduction of everything which could be printed, whether words or pictures.

It made the printing of cheap editions possible, and was used in printing newspapers.

The term got its psychological meaning in the 20th century.

Examples of Stereotypes

Depending on the group of people you are referring to, there are many stereotypes.

But note that, anytime a person groups races or individuals together to make a judgement about them without them knowing, it is still considered stereotyping.

Racial remarks, Sexual remarks and Gender remarks are the biggest stereotypes.

Stereotyping Based On Race

For Racial Stereotypes, I’ve heard a whole lot!

The ones I hear more often are that of those towards Black people, and it hurts me to the core.

One I hear is that, Black people are mostly poor, and we rely on others for a living.

Towards Black Africans, I’ve heard that we’re undeveloped and are corrupt to the core.

When I hear this, I just feel so sad and angry at the same time.

But let’s face the fact, Black (Americans) of the past built America, that is, when they were slaves.

Stereotyping Based On Gender

Photo by bongkarn thanyakij on Pexels.com

There are also some common stereotypes said towards people based on Gender, male and female to be precise. Some are:

Men are mostly strong, and can do all the work
Men are the backbone of every family
Women aren’t as smart as Men
Women can’t do the job Men do
Women aren’t good at sports
Men are messy, unclean and dirty
Men, and also Women, who spend too much time on the computer or read, are geeks

Stereotyping Based On Culture

There are also some stereotypes which exist about cultures (and countries) as a whole.

White Americans are obese and lazy
All Arabs and Muslims are terrorists
Mexicans are lazy, and all of them come into America illegally
English people have bad teeth
Blacks outside the US are poor
Jews are greedy
Irish people are drunkards
All Asians are good at Math, and like to eat rice and also drive slowly

Stereotyping Based on The Grouping Of Individuals

All Politicians are philanders, and they think only of personal gain and benefit.
Girls are only concerned about physical appearance
All blondes are not intelligent
All teenagers are rebels
All children don’t enjoy healthy food
Only Elderly people have health issues

Stereotyping Based On Sexuality Orientation

Feminine men are gay
Masculine women are lesbians
Those who also believe in such stereotypes say that homosexuality is immoral, wrong and an abomination

Is it bad to Stereotype?

Stereotyping is not only hurtful, it is also very wrong.

Even if such a stereotype is correct in some cases, constantly putting someone down based on your preconceived perceptions will not encourage them to succeed.

And this is a fight Black People all around the world are willing to fight.

Stereotyping can also lead to bullying from a young age, because it encourages bullying behaviour that children my age, younger and also older, can carry into adulthood.

Stereotyping can also lead people to live their lives driven by hate, and can cause such victims of those stereotypes to be driven by fear.

For example, many people of the LGBT community are afraid to admit their sexuality, due to fear of being judged.

So yes, in my opinion it’s bad to stereotype whether it’s a fact or it’s false.

What about you? Do you also think it’s bad to stereotype, or otherwise? I would like also to hear your thoughts and views on Stereotyping 🙂

Thank you so much for reading and Have a Great Day!

Expect a new post on Why It Is Bad To Stereotype And The Effects Stereotyping Has On Our Mindset