A rant about stereotyping others
Transcript:
A lot of harm can come with stereotyping individuals, which can be seen any given day in the news around the globe. One of the largest public concerns comes with understanding why stereotypes are used to treat human beings differently. From race and gender equality, to marriage and social class issues, individuals and protected groups continue to fight and push back against being placed into a negative light.
Although clear discriminatory behavior should not be tolerated, is all stereotyping bad? Think about meeting someone for the first time, or resting at a bench at the mall. We look around, or meet someone for the first time, and immediately begin sizing them up. We create a story in our minds about where they may come from, what they may like, and how they may act. It’s our way of making sense of the world around us, even though we can only go by our past experiences and lessons learned through life. But is it fair to put someone we don’t know into a category without taking the time to seek out that person’s true persona?
Perhaps, but unfortunately we do not always have the time to get to know someone else, and we sometimes must make quick, snap judgments in the moment, which can dictate our use of potential stereotypes, regardless of how hard we try not to use them. If stereotypes are used for trying to predict, understand, and gauge expectations, it may present no undue harm, as long as the decisions made do not infringe upon any of that person’s rights. On the other hand, the way we react to someone who pins us into a stereotypical role may also help to dispel or perpetuate that stereotype even further. How do you feel about this issue?
