What is a Stereotype? Essay
What is a stereotype? Stereotypes that I am aware of are cultural, groups of individuals, sexual stereotypes, and men vs. women. "The definition of a stereotype is any commonly known public belief about a certain social group or a type of individual. Stereotypes are often confused with prejudices, because, like prejudices, a stereotype is based on a prior assumption. Stereotypes are often created about people of specific cultures or races. Almost every culture or race has a stereotype, including Jewish people, Blacks, Irish people, and Polish people, among others. Stereotypes are not just centered on different races and backgrounds, however. Gender stereotypes also exist. For example, if you say that men are better than women, you're...show more content...
I also appreciate people of a different culture because it gives me the opportunity to learn things about the different cultures. I do understand that there are people of different cultures that don't like my culture, but I look past them. I feel that if I was to encounter a like said person, I would probably run because I am strongly against being stereotyped. Of course it would be out of my control to change a person's view or way of thinking unless they volunteered to hear what is wrong about being that way. "Stereotyping is not only hurtful, it is also wrong. Even if the stereotype is correct in some cases, constantly putting someone down based on your preconceived perceptions will not encourage them to succeed. Stereotyping can lead to bullying from a young age. Jocks and preps pick on the nerds and the geeks; skaters pick on the Goths, so on and so forth. Stereotyping is encouraging bullying behavior that children carry into adulthood. Stereotyping can also lead people to live lives driven by hate, and can cause the victims of those stereotypes to be driven by fear. For example, many gays and lesbians are afraid to admit their sexuality in fear of being judged. It is a lose–lose situation, both for those who are doing the stereotype and those who are victims (Stereotype Examples)".
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Gender Stereotypes
In today's society, people stereotype to generalize certain groups; such as religion, beliefs, or even discriminating groups of people because of there race, gender, or appearance. Stereotypes can be very harmful and unfair. Gender stereotypes have been around since the beginning of time, and are still very prominent today.
As a child, I was brought up with the idea boys are strong, aggressive, and the leader; where as, girls are weak, passive, and the follower. My mother, made it clear to my sister and I, that playing sports was not acceptable for a young lady. Young ladies should be playing with dolls and playing house. Growing up, my friends and I would...show more content... When I approached Nathan I simply explained to him that girls could play any game boys can. Children need to be taught that no matter what your gender is you can do anything you set your mind to.
Now–a–days women do have jobs and are working their way to the top of the ladder. Working to the top of the ladder is very difficult for women and can be very competitive. In our society, we make gender assumption based on job title. For example, when we talk about doctors we automatically picture a man in a white robe. And when talking about teachers we again assume it is a female standing in front of a class wearing glasses. Recently women are becoming more involved in the medical field. Women are specializing in many different areas; such as cardiology and gynecology. As for the male they are also being seen on the other side of the spectrum. For example men are becoming teachers and nurses. Society should not make gender assumption based on job titles. In the past certain job titles specified certain genders. An example of this was seen in our police departments. The officers were once called "Policemen." In turn leaving out women. Women were rarely seen out in the streets protecting our neighborhoods. They were thought of as not being strong enough or capable of dealing with the tough world.
Stereotyping is a natural way of thinking but needs to be minimized. Gender stereotyping will never vanish. In the work place, women and men
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Essay about Stereotypes
Stereotypes
Pretend you are driving along on the highway. You see a person on the side of the road having car problems. This is person is wearing an Armani suit and driving a Porsche. The next day, you encounter the same incident but, this time, it is a man wearing baggy jeans with holes in them, a dirty shirt and he looks very unclean. Would you be more likely to stop for the man in the Armani suit, or the the second man? I know that I would stop for man #1. The reason I and most of our society would do so, is because we have a horrible habit. The habit is unintentional and we do it not meaning to hurt anybody This habit is stereotyping people by the way they look or talk based on what society considers normal. In the book, To Kill a...show more content...
Being a proper lady, Aunt Alexandra does not want the town ladies to think that she was raising her niece to be a tomboy. Therefore, she has Scout put on a facade. Against her will, Scout does everything a typical polite girl would do. She serves the ladies, wears a skirt, and brushes her hair. Scout goes through this tremendous effort because she does not want to be known as a tomboy simply because she would choose to climb a tree rather than bake a pie. Scout is able to make a deception. Should she change her ways to prevent getting a bad name or should she stick to her beliefs and deal with being called a tomboy. Unfortunately, Scout ignores her morals and changes her ways. Scout is not the only character having to rise above stereotypes. Her father, Atticus, must do so as well. Atticus, a white man, is asked to be a lawyer for Tom Robinson, a black manaccused of raping a white girl, Mayella Ewell.. After carefully examining evidence, Atticus realizes that Tom Robinson is 100% innocent. Therefore, Atticus goes to court, where he stands up for a black man in front of a white jury. Atticus gives sure proof arguments and evidence to prove that Robinson is innocent. Unfortunately, after a long recess, Robinson is found guilty of rape. Because Atticus stood up for the truth, and went against his own race, he is stereotyped as a traitor and a blacks lover by the Ewells.. It is truly unfortunate that both Atticus and his Get more
Essay examples
Stereotypes
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Stereotyping occurs daily and many may not realize it. Stereotypes are most likely inaccurate. Society plays a major role by influencing the public into making assumptions based on physical appearances. Often times, a person who stereotypes another, does not know the individual's personality nor their unique characteristics. As a result, stereotypes and misconceptions are based on a group's lack of judgement in which he or she complies to society's mindset. Stereotyping and misconceptions are due to guilt by socialization, which means an individual is based on who he or she hangs out with. Gender stereotyping is a way of judging the opposite sex's character. Gender stereotyping targeting females are based on not knowing or understanding special...show more content...
Law enforcement and firefighting are fields in which there is an evident male dominance. When taking on careers that require physical strength and stamina, many question whether females are capable of performing the same as males have in the past. Having physical vigor is necessary just as much courage and stoicism, because this field requires a person's ability to see and help others when involved in dangerous situations. Time is in the essence when choosing a field such as firefighting or law enforcement and it does not make a difference what gender someone is when rescuing those in need and helping the victim survive a horrific incident he or she has faced. Lately many sources online have made headlines attacking stereotypes on female firefighters. Time changes society's way of thinking and helps the public understand it is not always going to be a typical or normal way someone views or categorizes genders or careers he or she may pursue. Furthermore I have visited a fire station where there were no females, which is probably because of the requirements of becoming qualified are tough and mostly accomplished by males, making males more dominant than females in the
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Essay On Stereotypes
According to Dictionary.com, stereotyping is the process of categorizing and making assumptions about members of a particular group, solely because off their membership in that group. Throughout generations stereotyping has kept its same meaning and purpose. There are various reasons why people stereotype, it can also be perceived differently according to different sections of society.
Stereotyping is a natural instinct; it can be something done before realizing the action has taken place. Such an action has occurred for a long period of time, some can't help but to do it. Ever since human beings were allowed to think for themselves, the act of judging one because of his or hers outer appearance, character, or even cultural background...show more content...
Society may see someone in sagging jeans, and can automatically have negative views toward them, it can be assumed these people have no morals and may be affiliated with bad activity. This is because there is a history behind sagging jeans that has a negative outlook, although in modern day it is mostly done as a fashion statement. Time periods, along with the underlying meaning of stereotyping can produce either a negative or positive perception, and may also support the concept behind "normal".
Throughout the media stereotyping is promoted through many movies such as John Tucker must die and She's all that, the typical nerd, jock, and the popular kids are shown. Movies such as these give society a reason to stereotype throughout the world. Kids watch and learn from these movies and this behavior can be brought back to the school only to make those who don't fit in feel bad about themselves. In many cases, stereotyping can really prevent us from getting to know someone on an individual basis. People tend to act on the assumptions they make about others instead of taking the time to create their own opinion of someone, based on more than just outer appearances. The media can cause different perceptions based upon movies, magazines, and music videos but it should not change how one is affected by stereotyping. I often get offended when I hear any kind of racial stereotyping; it affects me deeply and at times makes me feel that racism is still an issue in
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What is Stereotyping? Essay
To adequately investigate the question as to whether stereotypes are the psychological lubricant on intergroup behaviour, several areas need to be considered. In the context of this essay the concept of stereotypes needs to be defined. Although Lippmann (1922) is credited with first using the term 'stereotype' in this context it is perhaps Brown (1995) who offers the most applicable definition when he wrote that "to stereotype someone is to attribute to that person some characteristics which are seen to be shared by all or most of his or her fellow group members." (p.83). With this definition in mind this essay will, firstly, in an attempt to address the question make a brief review of some of the research that has been...show more content...
Schaller and Maass point to Social Identity Theory (Tajfel & Turner, 1979), and self–categorisation theory (Turner, 1987) as the "most coherent contemporary models of motivational biases" (Schaller and Maass, 1991, p.190) in relation to social group membership. One of the key points with Social Identity Theory is that the very act of categorisation, regardless of group contact, is enough to produce in–group preference and differentiation from the out–group. According to the theory an individual's self esteem is related to his or her social category membership and therefore the individual seeks to make the social category appear in as positive a light as possible. This group differentiation can lead to the formation of stereotypes. Turner's self–categorisation theory states that individuals seek to form self–categorisations of themselves at many different levels ranging from the most abstract, as in the perception of the self as human, to the most defined, that of the self as a well–defined individual. As with Social Identity Theory, individuals seek to perceive themselves in a positive way and seek to establish a positive distinctiveness between the self and other in–group members and between the in–group and the
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Stereotypes Essay