Introducing you to stereotyping
Stereotype is a set idea that people have about what someone or something is like, especially when the idea is wrong. Stereotypes are often confused with prejudices as both are based on prior assumption. Stereotypes are often created about people of specific cultures, races or religion. For example, some people says that all Muslims are terrorist (Just an example. I apologize if I happen to offend anyone.). That is stereotype as the idea is wrong. Gender stereotypes and sexual orientation stereotypes also exist. An example of gender stereotype is when you say that female drivers are bad drivers, you are stereotyping females. As for sexual orientation stereotype, it occurs when you have negative views on gays, lesbians and transgender individuals.
Why is it bad to stereotype?
Stereotyping can lead us to become bias towards an individual. Even though in some cases where the stereotype is correct, constantly putting someone down based on your preconceived perceptions will not encourage the individual to succeed. Stereotyping can lead bullying as well as people living their lives driven by hatred or fear. For example, many gays and lesbians are afraid to admit their sexuality in fear of being judged by others. Victims of the stereotypes are often hurt by those who are doing the stereotyping. Therefore stereotyping is bad for both the victims and those who are doing it.
How does stereotyping affect the way we communicate with each other?
When we start stereotyping, we tend to judge others based on false information or assumptions which can easily cause misunderstanding. Conflict may also arise because of that. For example, Chinese eat things that are exotic. This stereotype have blown up due to the recent coronavirus (Wuhan Virus). Due to this, if we were to travel to the western countries telling them that we are Chinese, they may give us the dirty look. Even though we do not eat any exotic food in Singapore. Some people may even think that we have the virus and want us to get out of their country. This can restrict us from being able to communicate effectively with them as they would want to stay away from us. Ā
Past Experience
One of my past experience is from my time in the National Service (NS). This happen between my friends while we were having our lunch break. Friend A which is an Indian asked friend B which is a Chinese what he wants to eat for lunch. While deciding what to eat at the canteen, friend B smelled something unpleasant and asked friend A about it. As both were clueless of where the smell originate from, friend B jokingly said that the smell was from friend A because Indians always never bathe. The stereotyping happened between two friends that were quite close to each other. So no one really got offended by it and they just laughed it off. If it were to happen to someone else that are not close to each other, conflict is bound to happen.
What are the implications of such event occurring in your social life?
Even though this incident is just a joke in between friends, it could have turned out in a different way. As the comment made by friend B is quite racist, he could have offended friend A which would result in a conflict between the two of them. Or even those people that are nearby that overheard their conversation. In conclusion, stereotyping is a double edge sword. Sometimes it may not hurt the one doing it but it will definitely hurt the other party or those that are nearby. No matter the circumstances, we should avoid stereotyping as much as possible. So before we stereotype someone, we should look at ourselves and then put ourselves into their shoes and think of how they will feel. Say no to stereotype. Peace š
References
YourDictionary. (2020).Ā Stereotype Examples. [online] Available at: https://examples.yourdictionary.com/stereotype-examples.html [Accessed 31 Jan. 2020].
The Low Quality Blog 
6 replies on “Stereotypes”
Hi I like the pictures you put up, it makes the blog fun to read. I agree stereotyping can lead to bullying as well as people living their lives driven by hatred or fear, as stereotype is often put other people’s images in a negative way. By causing hurt, a barrier is put up negate the psychological damage. But in return, they are unable to communicate and function normally. It can also cause them to lose a opportunity as they are stereotyped as being not competent. Hence, it is important to keep an open mind and try not to be bias towards others, especially to people that we are unfamiliar with. Thank you so much for your post and I look forward to your next post. Cheers!
LikeLike
Hi Liang Qi,
I read your post and is thankful of you sharing your thoughts on stereotyping. I agree with you on how stereotype brings many negative impact and that it may lead us to being bias and also bullying such as the incident you described above with your friends in the past. I liked how you shared about the recent corona virus outbreak and how people are already stereotyping with that all chinese people consumes exotic food and it’s disheartening to hear about. Overall it is a good blog read, perhaps maybe you can include some advantages of stereotype and make a comparison to both its negative and positive impact. Keep up the good work!
Cheers,
Wilson
LikeLike
Hi Liang Qi, the way you describe stereotypes is good, informative, and easy to understand. I like to read your blog post because it has a lot of pictures in it. I agree that stereotype is a double edge sword, as some people might use purposely to hurt others. I also agree that if we joke between friends, they might understand, and it could hurt other people if its other people. Hurting other people also might impair on how others communicate and might create misunderstanding between each other. Overall, your blog was fun to read, and the examples are very good. Iām looking forward to seeing your next post!
LikeLike
Hi Liang Qi, I enjoyed reading your blog post on stereotypes and honestly have learn quite a bit from it. The examples provided has allowed me to better understand your points. It is true that stereotyping causes people to feel hurt which leads to low self-esteem and self-confidence. Despite the fact the stereotype can be used for comical effects, it will still have negative effect on the affected party, although he or she might not express it. Therefore, I think that stereotype as a whole should be avoided. May I suggest that your conclusion be placed on another paragraph? It will look a lot neater! š Thank you for reading my comment.
LikeLike
Hey Liang Qi, great post on Stereotypes and clear explanation on why stereotype is bad. To prove your statement, you used the most recent incident (Wuhan Virus) as an example, to show that stereotype can lead to miscommunications and also conflicts. Between friends, we may joke around using stereotypical jokes, but if one couldn’t take it, it may turn out to be bullying rather then a joke. There are sources that shows that stereotype could be a good thing, as it helps in quick decisions, but I feel that it is still wrong to stereotype. Keep up the great work!
LikeLike
Hey Liang Qi,
Your blog post provides excellent explanation on stereotyping and is entertaining to read. I think you provided us with great examples on stereotyping like female driver is a bad driver which is one of the most commonly known stereotype. By providing very well known stereotype as a example, you have made it easier for the reader to understand stereotype better. I think if you provided both positive and negative stereotype in your blog post, it would have provided more information on stereotyping. It would have also shown that sometimes stereotype could have positive results. Overall your post is superb and keep up the great work!
LikeLike