Kate Talks About Stereotyping

Stereotyping.  Admit it, you do it all the time.  It's just something we do, it's part of human nature and no matter how much we're taught "Don't judge a book by its cover" we'll still judge people based on looks, age, race etc.  We judge a couple groups especially and even though not everyone will be what we think they are, we still judge them because they are part of a certain "group" of people.

Teenagers-  What comes to mind when you think of one?  Irresponsible, rowdy, trouble-makers.  That certainly is what it feels like.  As a teenager myself it feels that some people treat you with "caution" in case you cause any trouble especially security guards.  I feel that every time you walk into a public place with a group of your friends, the security guards are watching you like a hawk even though another group of people might be causing trouble.  I hate how some people stereotype teenagers because we're not all like that ok?  I myself never cause trouble and hate the thought of getting in trouble for messing in a public place.  I'm not a perfect teenager but I feel that I am quite responsible and there are many others like me who you wouldn't call your "typical" teenager.

People of Different Religions/ Races- Something I really hate is someone being stereotyped for being apart of a different religion or from a different country.  For example, I've seen people be very "wary" of muslims from the Middle East as they might be terrorists.  I find this sick because (a those people are probably very nice and b) would you like to be called a terrorist just because you come from Iran or Iraq?  Your answer is most likely no so don't say something about someone else if you wouldn't want it to be said about you.  Another thing is racism about people of different races.  I've also seen people say that a black person is obviously poor because they come from Africa.  I always confront people about this because it is such a horrible thing to say and it is very racist.  It is horrible to think that some people are still racist in this modern age and they can't get over a person because their skin is a different colour.

Groups/Genres of People (e.g Goths, Tomboys etc.)- You don't see it too much in Ireland where I live but we see it a lot in American schools where people where their own clothes and you see a sense of their style.  We seem to see these "groups" like the Band Geeks, the Goths, the Nerds and the Preps in their own little groups and people from other groups probably wouldn't talk to them because they stereotype them based on what group they're in and they don't let themselves get the chance to know them.  These groups also seem to be on a "popularity scale" and if you aren't a "cool" group people make fun of you and wouldn't dream of socializing with them.  I find this extremely annoying because people don't let themselves get to know other people because they aren't apart of a particular group they would be seen talking to.  

Those are just a few groups that would be stereotyped a lot and I find that people should stop doing this because they aren't letting themselves find out what a person is like because they stereotype them to be a certain type of person.  Remember everyone "Don't judge a book by its cover" which seems to be a suitable thing to say in a situation like this!

Kate