Stereotypes: A Study Of Cultural Differences

To get a sense of the racial and ethnical backgrounds within the city of Madison, my group and I walked up and down South Park Street along Monona Bay. Originally from small-town Iowa, I was never exposed to racial diversity and expected little more from our neighboring Midwest state. We began our journey at the Meriter Hospital heading south towards the belt line. While walking, we observed our surroundings, took notes on peculiar sites, and interacted with a variety of different ethnic restaurant employees and business owners. My goal for this project was to learn more about unfamiliar ethnic groups to expand my understanding of different cultures, their customs, and their beliefs. Because of this developed knowledge for other types of people, this project made me more tolerable of their differences. Reflecting on the experience, I realize that I felt more uncomfortable in …show more content…
After going to over 10 different culturally diverse shops I concluded one thing, I automatically go back to stereotypes. Similar to what we talked about in class I found myself feeling uncomfortable when in situations or places that I wasn’t used too. I remember stereotypes that I have previously heard popping up in my head while looking around these different shops, even though they weren’t always true. I’m not used to being a minority, but when I was in these store I felt like the stranger, or outsider. This helped me realize how people of other races fell when they are the “odd race out.” I used this and compared it to the reading Into the Blindspot from class to understand how I was prejudice without even knowing it. After going over the reading again I realized I probably showed nonverbal behaviors that the works could pick up on to tell I was uncomfortable. I remember myself smiling and trying to be friendly, this maybe to feel accepted by the people of a different ethnic