For those who don't know that picture up top isn't what stereotyping actually is, funny as hell; but no. A stereotype is a popular belief about specific social groups or types of individuals. The concepts of "stereotype" and "prejudice" are often confused with many other different meanings. Stereotypes are standardized and simplified conceptions of groups based on some prior assumptions. So then by extension stereotyping is the action of using these aforementioned stereotypes and continuing the trend for years to come. I'm sure at one point or another we have all come into contact with such stereotypes. Whether good or bad; from the well know black men having long penises to blonde girls being viewed as ditsy; stereotypes are all around us, most more bad than good.
Stereotyping is usually closely related to racism but not to be confused for the same thing as it has varying effects and applications unlike racism which is usually centralized to a person's skin color or race. Most stereotypes stem from society at large and the impressions that are passed on from generation to generation. Here are some stereotypes you may or may not have heard of before:
Black people:
- Like fried chicken
- Only drink Kool-Aid
- Are lazy
Asians:
- Are all from China
- Own a shop of some sort
- Are all good at math
Whites:
- Smell like wet dogs
- Have bland tasting food
- Let their kids run wild
At the end of the day all things in life are to be looked at objectively and as the saying goes taken with a grain of salt. Words will only carry as much power as you put behind them so the onus is on us as human beings to realize and act accordingly as such. Humor has many shapes and forms and most times can turn any situation around in the blink of an eye; just remember that one shouldn't judge a book by its cover. Get to know the individual through communication and their actions without relying on stereotypes even if they may be true for that particular person. Cause at the end of the day a stereotype can't be a stereotype if it's true...^_^
