Positive Effects Of Racial Stereotypes

All across the world there are many challenges being faced by different individuals whether it is dealing with race, social class, gender, religion, etc. Particularly, race plays a part in almost every opposition faced by minorities. A minority is defined as a small group that is a part of a larger group. One racial minority would be the African Americans. As an African American I can say that one of the most common challenges we face is being stereotyped. A stereotype is an image that a person puts onto an entire group based off their opinions of one person. “After conducting a survey from those ranging younger than 18 to older than 25 years of age, 51 percent of Americans believe that stereotypes exist (Stereotypes Survey Statistics).” Stereotyping …show more content…
“One of the most common stereotypes that we face is the belief that all African Americans can run fast (10 Unbelievable Myths about Black People).” Although this can be viewed as one of the most positive stereotypes, imagine the impact that it has on an African American that is not an athlete and would like to be as opposed to a natural born athlete. The purpose of my research is to distinguish the positive and negative effects of racial stereotypes, discuss the impact that racial stereotypes have on interracial relationships, and to analyze the racial stereotypes that African Americans face in a career that is viewed as a job for the …show more content…
Most stereotypes are formed due to the individual’s parents, their environment and media. The media, especially the internet, is used as a platform to gain knowledge and to share information about subjects. Today, people have so much access to the media whether it be through television, google, and social sites which is what alters their beliefs and thoughts about certain topics. Due to the media, it has become easier for people to stereotype. African American males are often portrayed as athletes and criminals because of the image that the media has put out there. If you turn on your television and watch sports you will see that African American men are dominating when it comes to sports. After watching all of the African American males that are on sports teams it can alter your beliefs that all African Americans are natural born athletes. Although this can be a positive stereotype it can lead some to believe that is the only occupation that an African American can have. “There were 1,200 black professional athletes in all of the United States sports. There were 12 times more black lawyers than black athletes. There were 20 times more black dentists than black athletes. There were 15 times more black doctors than black athletes (The Media’s Stereotypical Portrayals of Race).” The findings in this research goes to show that you can only know what media allows you to. If you do not educate yourself then you will begin to believe