September Blog

Stereotype by definition is a widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing.  There are both advantages and disadvantages to stereotypes, although on the flip side it does create misconceived ideas about groups of people before even interacting and making personal judgements yourself.  It also eliminates us to see differences between individuals and make generalized opinions, some that most likely are not true.  Although one advantage to stereotypes is it allows us to make decisions rapidly in situations because there's a chance we can relate to the situation.  Stereotypes lead to social categorization, eventually leading to judging those who are "in" your group versus those who are "out."  It is important to not view those who are not like you as less than but as unique to yourself.  For instance those with disabilities should never be seen as less intelligent just because people stereotype them as "not capable."  Overall stereotypes may or may not accurately reflect reality.     

In class we discussed two readings: Man Up and Sister Citizen both addressing stereotypes from different viewpoints.  For example Man Up was more from a personal experience where he expressed his life and how he had a preconceived idea about how he could not be afraid as a boy.  It was his job to "man up" and be strong when it came to things he was afraid of.  There is a stereotype that men are strong and not sensitive which impacts how young boys grow up hiding those emotions.  Whereas in Sister Citizen it is more universal and broad in how the reading talks about groups of people and how they "adjust" to images in this crooked room based on where they come from.  Not everyone has the same opportunities to education for example, and there is a stereotype about low income students not being as intelligent as those who come from higher income families.  This has to due with the accessibilities that some students have other another because of where they grew up.  

Although the term stereotype has a common universal meaning, I think it is still interpreted in a variety of different ways.  One key example of stereotypes is in the movie "Mean Girls" with Lindsey Lohan, where she is homeschooled her entire life leading up to high school.  She moves from Africa to attend a public school for the first time, and there are immediate responses and judgements made about her because of where she is from and that she was homeschooled.  Stereotypes are made about groups of people based on looks, what their interests are, and ultimately how they present themselves.  For example in the movie there is a map made of where everyone sits at lunch, again categorizing people.