A stereotype is a generalized statement or belief applied to everyone in a group, as though the entire group is the same. Any belief or characteristic, applied to an entire group, immediately makes it invalid because no characteristics are held by everyone in the group.
Stereotypical beliefs sometimes come from some degree of truth, however. There is probably someone in the group who fits the stereotype. The challenge is to acknowledge people as individuals without generalizing individual behaviors or characteristics. For example, a stereotype about African Americans is "Black people dance." It is true that many African Americans are rhythmic. However, all African Americans do not have rhythm that matches the beat of the music played, and …show more content…
All stereotypical beliefs led to inaccurate assumptions about individuals, whether the belief is a positive one or not. In the United States, there is a widely held belief that Asian children are smart, especially in mathematics and science. It is true that many Asian American children test well in these subjects. However, they were not born smarter than other people. Their ability, as it relates to these two subjects, is a result of their environment. All Asian Americans are not highly intelligent or skilled in these areas, although many have grown up in a home environment that strongly supports education. In Malcolm Gladwell's book, Outliers there is a reasonable explanation for this phenomenon that has to do with linguistics and math. (See Outliers chapter 8) Here is an example of how even a "good" stereotype can be …show more content…
I hope you would agree that all of the students, not just those three, have been negatively impacted. Certainly there would be some White children who do need help. The teacher neglected them, while the African American and the Latino received unnecessary attention, which could have sent the wrong message to the other students.
As the children go to the playground, the teacher's behavior could now impact their behavior toward each other. Some students might assume that the Latino and the African American are teacher's pets, and start a fight with them. Other students might assume that the Latino and African American must be slow learners because they get so much attention, and start a fight with them.
If they continue to see the same or similar messages acted out, that teacher's behavior could impact students behavior later in life, when working with people who are ethnically different than they are.
It is impossible to get rid of stereotypes entirely. The best we can do is become more aware of our own stereotypes. This way we can become more aware of how our stereotypes impact our behavior. It takes a courage to challenge assumptions and stereotypes. Join me in striving to be the example we want to see in the
Stereotypical beliefs sometimes come from some degree of truth, however. There is probably someone in the group who fits the stereotype. The challenge is to acknowledge people as individuals without generalizing individual behaviors or characteristics. For example, a stereotype about African Americans is "Black people dance." It is true that many African Americans are rhythmic. However, all African Americans do not have rhythm that matches the beat of the music played, and …show more content…
All stereotypical beliefs led to inaccurate assumptions about individuals, whether the belief is a positive one or not. In the United States, there is a widely held belief that Asian children are smart, especially in mathematics and science. It is true that many Asian American children test well in these subjects. However, they were not born smarter than other people. Their ability, as it relates to these two subjects, is a result of their environment. All Asian Americans are not highly intelligent or skilled in these areas, although many have grown up in a home environment that strongly supports education. In Malcolm Gladwell's book, Outliers there is a reasonable explanation for this phenomenon that has to do with linguistics and math. (See Outliers chapter 8) Here is an example of how even a "good" stereotype can be …show more content…
I hope you would agree that all of the students, not just those three, have been negatively impacted. Certainly there would be some White children who do need help. The teacher neglected them, while the African American and the Latino received unnecessary attention, which could have sent the wrong message to the other students.
As the children go to the playground, the teacher's behavior could now impact their behavior toward each other. Some students might assume that the Latino and the African American are teacher's pets, and start a fight with them. Other students might assume that the Latino and African American must be slow learners because they get so much attention, and start a fight with them.
If they continue to see the same or similar messages acted out, that teacher's behavior could impact students behavior later in life, when working with people who are ethnically different than they are.
It is impossible to get rid of stereotypes entirely. The best we can do is become more aware of our own stereotypes. This way we can become more aware of how our stereotypes impact our behavior. It takes a courage to challenge assumptions and stereotypes. Join me in striving to be the example we want to see in the