"Dumb jocks", "Women don't belong in a professional setting, they belong in the kitchen", "He must be a Jew, just look at his nose." Our society is based solely on face values where we tend to place someone in a category because of his or her actions. Prejudicial notations used to define members of a social or ethnic group are called stereotypes. We stereotype various groups of people, but none like women, different ethnic groups, and athletes.
.
.
The most common stereotypes are those that are aimed towards different racial or ethnic groups. We often stereotype young black males as being involved in a gang because of the use of "ghetto" slang terms and the particular style and presentation of their clothes. The media constantly portrays most gang activity as a result from the inner city black community; however, they seldom discuss white and Asian gang activity. We also believe that most of the African Americans make up the largest group of people on welfare, when in reality; it is whites that are the largest group requiring public assistance. Caucasian athletes have stereotyped blacks as being a superior athlete and competitor. African Americans supposedly can jump higher and run faster then their fellow athletes. The viewing public would agree with the previous statement, because it seems like it is true when watching sporting competitions on television, but it is, nonetheless due to stereotypes.
.
Stereotypes are products of our own individual insecurities. They make us feel better about ourselves because we can point a finger at a person or a group. Because of stereotypes, we have become narrow minded and less willing to be friendly to people different from us. Stereotypes are just another product of our society, which focuses more on the insecurities of an individual instead of who a person really is. Sadly enough, stereotypes will be a part of modern society for many years to come.
