Battling Stereotypes in Today's Society

[Zach Logan]

Have any of you experianced any use of stereotypes towards your religion, ethnicity, or nationality. I feel that stereotyping is growing as our nation goes through this crisis and I find it horribly offensive towards everyone.

Has this happened to you? :(

[Mackenzie Rainelle]

::snort:: Lessee, I'm a southern white girl. Nah, never experienced any stereotyping whatsoever. I will quote Jeff Foxworthy on this:
"Apparently, when people hear me talk, they automatically wanna deduct 100 IQ points."

[DianaGohan]

Well I have heard snide remarks behind my back a few times, but nothing very direct or memorable.

[MrBananagrabber]

I'm gay. I've had my share. I just shrug it off, but I do worry about physically being attacked at my school. Main reason I'm not really "open" about it. It sucks, but what can ya do?

[Rune]

Stereotyping is a horrible thing to be a victim of and a lot of the problem has been fuelled by the media in one format or another. To be honest it doesn't even just fall into the race / creed / nationality only brackets, people are willing to make stereotype-laden assumptions about you for so many more reasons, most of them founded on the merest glance.

A group of youngsters were in the news here recently, all they had been doing was enjoying a game of football, they're 12 years old so they're going to be noisy, what happens next is they're on the front page of the paper and being brandished as hooligans and potential trouble makers, drug addicts of the future and goodness knows what else. The paper has a field day - all 12 year olds are irresponsible hooligans it shrieks and its not until someone actually has the courage to say 'now hang on a minute here' that the circus grinds to a halt.

I've been put on the end of a few stereotypes myself, nothing really serious but irritating nonetheless. I had my hair bleached white and spikey several years back when my kids were small, and due to a skin problem was unable to wear my wedding ring. The amount of people (strangely, always women and always older than me) who managed to get in some acid remark about the kids having an unmarried mother who should be out looking for a job was amazing - and enlightening all because of a hairstyle and piece of jewellery I was labeled as sub-standard! On a lighter note as I have a pronounced pagan view of faith people who find this out automatically label me a tree hugging hippie and think that its not worth asking me a serious question as I don't even know my own mind ... luckily that one just makes me laugh because the faults on their side but for some faiths this could no doubt be very hurtful.

We all hate being labelled but we all label other people without realising it. Look at TZ itself, its so easy to laugh at someone who's post may be worded differently to how we would word our own post and think 'ha ha what a dumbass he can't even spell/punctuate properly' you've stereotyped that person for so little reason and yet once you put that name tag against them its hard to take it off again. I don't want to stir up political friction but again its too easy to follow the crowd, think of the war in Iraq, and how millions of people who follow Islam worldwide were tarred with the same brush as Osama & co.

Zach is right, stereotypes are offensive but sadly they're easy and tempting traps to fall into too, nobody's perfect and we all make these assumptions every day probably without even realising it, its a habit we all need to kick.

*breathes out* apologies for going off the deep end, bit of a bad day

[Roger Smith]

Sterotype?
in my school there are no Sterotype just some guy who thinks he is the most great guy because he is in a honor student but dont worry the guy is metal frustrated and tipical idiot who spends money in chinese stuff that isent valid like Yugioh TCG

[Krypton710]

I have a good friend who is from the Dominican Republic who gets called a dirty mexican sometimes. My school is built on steroytypes esspacialy when it comes to goths most of the kids think all the goths are depressed phycos who want to kill themselves and worship satan and the with th goths I know that couldnt be further from the truth.

[TheSaint]

Why battle stereotypes? They make life so much simpler.http://forums.toonzone.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

[MJC]

I'm black and from the inner-city, so occasionally people act like I'm stupid or something (I'm not).

[Tienshin]

Im black as well, college educated with a very respectable job, but some of the things I get most often:

"You sure dont talk black" - Apparently I have to remind myself to drop more slang into my speech patterns.

"You are articulate" - Thanks for telling me I know how to speak English. :rolleyes:

"You are one of the GOOD one's" - I'm sorry? Good one? Jeez, let me go steal a car to live up to your expectations!

[Antiyonder]

The people who do so think they're better than everyone else, and don't need to waste their time getting to know so and so.

[Mek]

Oh yeah, I've gotten stereotyped before. Here's what I've been unfairly pegged as:

I'm a Catholic/Christian. I get labled a 'bible-thumper', 'homophobe', 'overly righteous' and that I push my religion on others.

However, I am NONE of those things. Yeah, I quote scripture once in a while but not all the time; I am very accepting of the GLBT community and I would die before I push my beliefs on others. I'm also what you'd call a 'theist evolutionist' too. (Dunno what that means? Lookit up. :))

However, no one even looks at the 'real' me and just assume that I'm one of *those* Fundamentalist types. :( It never ends.

I am also Pro-Life. However, I ABHOR any form of violence against those who are pro-choice or are abortion doctors. :mad: Yet some people think I support that. RAGH! :mad:

Then there's my political views. Yeah, so I'm a Republican, tho' I am more along the lines of a moderate. Yet people unfairly stereotype me and that seriously is not right, IMO.

Lastly, there's the girl gamer thing. I don't like cutesy Barbie-girly games, gimme something like F-Zero GX, Resident Evil, Skies of Arcadia or Legend of Zelda! :D

Gahh... sorry for rambling like that, but I just had to get that off of my chest. :(

[Will Sturnick]

While this one isn't directed at me, it does bother me, greatly. My father's a police captain (and a good one at that) so I get irritated every time I hear someone make a crack about cops and donuts.

[Singin' Stray Cat]

Oh yeah, I've gotten stereotyped before. Here's what I've been unfairly pegged as:

I'm a Catholic/Christian. I get labled a 'bible-thumper', 'homophobe', 'overly righteous' and that I push my religion on others.

However, I am NONE of those things. Yeah, I quote scripture once in a while but not all the time; I am very accepting of the GLBT community and I would die before I push my beliefs on others. I'm also what you'd call a 'theist evolutionist' too. (Dunno what that means? Lookit up. :))

However, no one even looks at the 'real' me and just assume that I'm one of *those* Fundamentalist types. :( It never ends.

I am also Pro-Life. However, I ABHOR any form of violence against those who are pro-choice or are abortion doctors. :mad: Yet some people think I support that. RAGH! :mad:

Then there's my political views. Yeah, so I'm a Republican, tho' I am more along the lines of a moderate. Yet people unfairly stereotype me and that seriously is not right, IMO.


AAAAH! GET OUT OF MY HEAD! :p

Seriously...I've been stereotyped as all of those. Well, maybe not so much as a Republican, since I still really haven't made up my mind which of the two major parties I agree with more. I don't like either of them, actually.

But yeah, if I ever let it do slip out that I'm a Christian, people automatically assume that I'm going to beat them over the head with a Bible or something, or that I'm going to scream at them, or treat them like they have the plague. Or they think I'm some kind of idiot because I choose to believe what I do. Operative word, CHOSE. *I* chose it. Not my parents, not my school, not even my church. People, sterotypes are bad. Bad bad bad. They don't let you see people as individuals; in fact, I'm not sure what they do make people see. That everyone acts the same way if they believe this? If they're this color? If they are this gender? That may work for categorizing rock samples, but not people.

I don't want everyone to agree with me. That's impossible, anyway. I don't even really want everyone to believe the same way I do. (It would be really boring that way.) I just want the same respect that other people get. And YES, I've given it in return. I think those of you who know me know that. (And if I haven't, don't tell me about it in this thread, I'm on a roll! Use a PM. ;) )Nobody wants to be seen as inferior because of what they believe. Myself - and I hope I'm not overreaching here - and other Christians included.

[Griever]

Im black as well, college educated with a very respectable job, but some of the things I get most often:

"You sure dont talk black" - Apparently I have to remind myself to drop more slang into my speech patterns.

"You are articulate" - Thanks for telling me I know how to speak English. :rolleyes:

"You are one of the GOOD one's" - I'm sorry? Good one? Jeez, let me go steal a car to live up to your expectations!Ditto.

What about:
"Your a credit to your race"
"You don't dress black"

http://forums.toonzone.net/images/smilies/rolleyes.gif

[Mackenzie Rainelle]

"Wait, you actually live in a house?"

"How can you be an only child?"

"You don't act like you're from Tennessee."

"You must be one of the special ones."

"You're 18 and you're not already married?"

"So, you gonna get hitched to your cousin like all southerners?"

Grrr....:: pulls a ball bat out of her closet:: Stupid, friggin perverts, my cousins are all FEMALE... ::grumblemutter::

[Weatherman]

Now now Makenzie, there's nothing saying you can't get hitched with one of your cousins, you'll just have to move to Vermont, or Canada. :p


As for stereotypes, on some level, we all function on stereotypes. Every day when we walk around we see people and we make judgements about them based on our preconceived notions oh what someone who looks a certain way acts like. If we didn't make those kinds of judgements we'd never know what we were supposed to do in public. While there are certainly a vast number of very ugly sterotypes out there that should be retired, human nature being what it is will always operate on sterotypes at some level. The trick will be to make them work in a constructive way and to not buy into every image outright.

[wonderfly]

Im black as well, college educated with a very respectable job, but some of the things I get most often:

"You sure dont talk black" - Apparently I have to remind myself to drop more slang into my speech patterns.

"You are articulate" - Thanks for telling me I know how to speak English. :rolleyes:

"You are one of the GOOD one's" - I'm sorry? Good one? Jeez, let me go steal a car to live up to your expectations!


Just curious, but do you have the same encounters with Black Americans, (cause the examples you gave I take were from encounters with some White Americans)?

Cause I often hear that black people like yourself, when around certain inner city blacks, (and I don't know where you live, wether it's in the city or rural), the inner city blacks will call you a traitor to your race. Especially if your a successful Black Man who is holding down a good paying job and has a 4 year degree from a university. Achievement is frowned upon by too many blacks, it seems...

What I'm referring to is when minorities stereotype themselves, and put down others of their own minority who don't fall into their preconcieved notion, of a stereotype catagory...

Me, I live in the south, so I encounter the same problems Mackenzie Rainelle has spoken of...never mind the fact that I was born and raised in the Midwest. :p

[Tienshin]

Just curious, but do you have the same encounters with Black Americans, (cause the examples you gave I take were from encounters with some White Americans)?

Cause I often hear that black people like yourself, when around certain inner city blacks, (and I don't know where you live, wether it's in the city or rural), the inner city blacks will call you a traitor to your race. Especially if your a successful Black Man who is holding down a good paying job and has a 4 year degree from a university. Achievement is frowned upon by too many blacks, it seems...

What I'm referring to is when minorities stereotype themselves, and put down others of their own minority who don't fall into their preconcieved notion, of a stereotype catagory...

Me, I live in the south, so I encounter the same problems Mackenzie Rainelle has spoken of...never mind the fact that I was born and raised in the Midwest. :p

Yeah, I get the some of the same crap from some blacks, mostly its teasing by my immediate family who live in the Midwest (where I was born and raised) But I guess part of that is I lost my Midwestern accent, (Like you) so I definitely speak and sound differently than most people at home.

I don’t get the so called “uncle tom” treatment, but I do feel like when I go home, , some people who don’t know me automatically assume I think am sooooo much better than everybody else, and thus occasionally I get some rude comments. I live just outside of Boston, near Harvard so my area is quasi city life, but I work in the ‘burbs. So it’s a stark contrast (in terms of people) to where I grew up. And that rubs off on a person.

I don’t think achievement is frowned upon by blacks at all…there are always going to be some jerks regardless of race who feel the need to run there mouths. In fact most other minorities I run into, in general, value education and if thier lot in life isn’t so hot, more times than not I see them working to better their situation.

I totally feel you on the point that sometimes, and lets be honest, people of all origins stereotype themselves, and those who they think should live a certain way and don’t become “traitors” or as I have heard…”not keeping it real” Whatever. I honestly could care less what some ass thinks about me, especially when at the end of the day they have no effect on my life whatsoever.

That’s just my opinion though.

[Chris Wood]

As for stereotypes, on some level, we all function on stereotypes. Every day when we walk around we see people and we make judgements about them based on our preconceived notions oh what someone who looks a certain way acts like. If we didn't make those kinds of judgements we'd never know what we were supposed to do in public. While there are certainly a vast number of very ugly sterotypes out there that should be retired, human nature being what it is will always operate on sterotypes at some level. The trick will be to make them work in a constructive way and to not buy into every image outright.

Well said. Stereotypes are not evil in it of themselves. After all the whole reason stereotypes get started is that they are often true. The point is to consider stereotypes as probabilities and not absolutes.

[Karl Olson]

Personal view: Stereotyping is stupid. One's background, racially, religiously, locality-wise or anything else is not an automatic determination of their character. It's not even a reasonable barometer or guesstimate. You're in charge of your own destiny. If anyone wants to put you in a box because your accent isn't right, or you're not from their church, or you're the "wrong" skin color, or some other propietary and inaccuarate perception, they should be corrected the reality of the subject politely.

Personal experience: In my life, I've met people of various backgrounds, and the reality is, I've seen for and against type in all cases. I try my darnest to stay away from any stereotyping, and it's hard to do. Even then, I may still be accused of stereotyping; I was once called racist by a person of hispanic decent at the Target where I work because I asked to see reciept for the other bag he had brought up. I corrected him then, and there. I said that I didn't care who the person is, what race they are, their percieved "class", or anything else, I am instructed as a cashier at Target to confirm the receipt. You could be Bill Gates and I'd still check it. It's my job, because people aren't angels by definition, and they are therefore capable of stealing. A depressing kind of thing, but it's the truth.

On the flipside, I've had people comment how I am more than willing to be open and polite to whoever I deal with, even when they are antogonistic towards me, for one reason or another, let alone any other things.

As far as me being stereotyped, I've had people, local Seattlite people, try to guess my accent whenever I've accidently quirked a word a weird way (easy to do considering all the semimandatory banter I've gotta run through before I can just talk normally to the person.) When I tell them it's a mistake, they sometimes don't believe me. I then (should the purchase be a big one) start running through my life story and my parents, in fairly polite, yet silly manner (though one time, when the customer was clearly kidding around, I sent a clearly joke response back (I'm the planet Neotopia, from the land of LaCroix), but usually I reserve that kind of humor for more self-deprecating remarks.)

Beyond that, I've not had much in the way of stereotyping applied towards me, because I'm a caucasian male. Usually people don't have anything to say to me until they know my personality and interests. Then I'll be slighted for being an shoujo anime fan ("omg, he's teh gay! he watches girl shows!" is one of the less caustic remarks I've had thrown at me,) an electronic music fan/composer ("Wow, I bet you've done E and all that!" Wrong. I've never done any narcotics, legal or wise unless you want to count caffeine) and an upbeat person (yes, I should moan and whine about my job, rather than just getting on with it and doing my job. Sorry, no. Not my style. If I let my work get to me, of course it will suck. Lemonade out of lemons is better than lemons.)

[Antiyonder]

In junior high I use to bring my Nintendo Power Magazines to read during free time. Some students who noticed me reading them (without looking at what I was reading) instantly assumed I was reading porn. That rumor lasted until 10th grade. However, I moved to Washington during 2nd semester, so that rumor is behind me anyway. Though I guess this could be considered a sterotype, because it seems if you're a guy, then you are automatically interested in sex and anything related.

As I stated I believe people who heavily sterotype someone views themselves to be better than anyone around them, and appoints themselves to be a judge. Only they don't give others a fair trial so to speak.

Hope I made sense.

[Chris Wood]

Personal view: Stereotyping is stupid. One's background, racially, religiously, locality-wise or anything else is not an automatic determination of their character. It's not even a reasonable barometer or guesstimate.

Except it is often a reasonable barometer. Why is there not a stereotype about country folk liking Beethoven? Because people have not generally found it to be true. On the other hand, country music does tend to be very popular in rural areas, thus a stereotype about country folk liking country music does exist. Of course this is a generalization, but the truth is that driving through most US rural areas you will find many more country music stations on the radio than classical. There's certainly nothing wrong with that, it's just a matter of preference.

It is true that some stereotypes linger on long after they cease to be accurate (for example the misconception that certain foreign people commonly still wear traditional clothing that is centuries old (like kimonos)), but usually there is significant evidence to support them.

[Karl Olson]

Except it is often a reasonable barometer. Why is there not a stereotype about country folk liking Beethoven? Because people have not generally found it to be true. On the other hand, country music does tend to be very popular in rural areas, thus a stereotype about country folk liking country music does exist. Of course this is a generalization, but the truth is that driving through most US rural areas you will find many more country music stations on the radio than classical. There's certainly nothing wrong with that, it's just a matter of preference.

Good points, especially the point about there nothing being wrong the preferences. It's not so much the stereotyping itself, it's the judgements and prejudice that can sometimes follow in it's wake (IE: stuff like "You're a credit to your race" and "You southerners sure do you like marry your relatives.") Basically, it's probably worth the time to discern whether a person you run into fits the stereotype, rather than just pre-boxing them. It only takes a minute to find out someones likes and dislikes. If you just write off someone without speaking to them because you're stereotyping them, you might be depriving yourself of someone like Tienshin or Mackenzie, and that'd be a shame.

[Leaping Larry Jojo]

Yeah, I've had racial slurs and stereotypes thrown at me, but mostly from upper middle class white kids around my area. Kids can be the biggest snots. When I was younger, at least I could pick a fight with them without worrying about assault charges. Now I have to grit my teeth and ignore their slurs. Insulting them could backfire on me too, as I could be slapped with delivering threats to children. I can't believe some of these parents don't teach their kids better at an earlier age.

[Senbei Norimaki]

I've never really been stereotyped because of my race. I'm a half breed. :D But I've been stereotyped as a nerd because I'm anti social, wear glasses and don't give a damn about fashion. It used to bother me when I was younger.

[The Falcon]

Oh yeah, I've gotten stereotyped before. Here's what I've been unfairly pegged as:

I'm a Catholic/Christian. I get labled a 'bible-thumper', 'homophobe', 'overly righteous' and that I push my religion on others.

However, I am NONE of those things. Yeah, I quote scripture once in a while but not all the time; I am very accepting of the GLBT community and I would die before I push my beliefs on others. I'm also what you'd call a 'theist evolutionist' too. (Dunno what that means? Lookit up. :))

However, no one even looks at the 'real' me and just assume that I'm one of *those* Fundamentalist types. :( It never ends.

I am also Pro-Life. However, I ABHOR any form of violence against those who are pro-choice or are abortion doctors. :mad: Yet some people think I support that. RAGH! :mad:

Then there's my political views. Yeah, so I'm a Republican, tho' I am more along the lines of a moderate. Yet people unfairly stereotype me and that seriously is not right, IMO.

Lastly, there's the girl gamer thing. I don't like cutesy Barbie-girly games, gimme something like F-Zero GX, Resident Evil, Skies of Arcadia or Legend of Zelda! :D

Gahh... sorry for rambling like that, but I just had to get that off of my chest. :(
you sound like my hero...

i'm all that you are, except i'm a guy. although i never really got stereotyped. umm...i've been called...umm...carrot top cause i'm a red-head. does that count?

Falcon

[Digu Volz]

Maybe it's me, but I see cultural ignorance as more of a problem today than stereotypes.