Gore Vidal, an American writer, once said, “At any given moment, public opinion is a chaos of superstition, misinformation, and prejudice.” Since the beginning, society has created prejudices based on false information and untrue judgements. These unfair conclusions are often referred to as stereotypes: “standardized mental pictures that are held in common by members of a group and that represent an oversimplified opinion, prejudiced attitude, or uncritical judgment” (“Stereotype”). Today, stereotypes exist at the basis of every preconceived notion and enable an individual to be categorized based on a particular characteristic. Overall, stereotypes allow society to discriminate individuals while disregarding their individuality.
When one analyzes …show more content…
These judgements are often referred to as stereotypes, and throughout the world, they have enabled the discrimination of races and various ethnicities. In the years following the colonization of America, prejudice was largely directed towards those with darker skin. When slave ships first carried slaves from foreign continents like Africa, the slaves were meant for cheap labor and doing strenuous work on the developing plantations. However, the darker skin tone came to symbolize inferiority and slaves were viewed as beings whose sole life purpose was to serve their master. By imposing the stereotype onto all those of darker skin, society enabled the discrimination of African individuals and justified their cruel treatment. This prejudice towards African Americans ran so deeply that even those who vowed to follow the constitution and lead our country responsibly believed in these stereotypes. President Theodore Roosevelt once said, "As a race and in the mass [the Negroes] are altogether inferior to the whites". Similarly, Abraham Lincoln once declared in a Lincoln-Douglas debate that: “There is a physical difference between the white and black races which I believe will forever forbid the two races living together on terms of social and political equality. And ...
When one analyzes …show more content…
These judgements are often referred to as stereotypes, and throughout the world, they have enabled the discrimination of races and various ethnicities. In the years following the colonization of America, prejudice was largely directed towards those with darker skin. When slave ships first carried slaves from foreign continents like Africa, the slaves were meant for cheap labor and doing strenuous work on the developing plantations. However, the darker skin tone came to symbolize inferiority and slaves were viewed as beings whose sole life purpose was to serve their master. By imposing the stereotype onto all those of darker skin, society enabled the discrimination of African individuals and justified their cruel treatment. This prejudice towards African Americans ran so deeply that even those who vowed to follow the constitution and lead our country responsibly believed in these stereotypes. President Theodore Roosevelt once said, "As a race and in the mass [the Negroes] are altogether inferior to the whites". Similarly, Abraham Lincoln once declared in a Lincoln-Douglas debate that: “There is a physical difference between the white and black races which I believe will forever forbid the two races living together on terms of social and political equality. And ...