Dance to the Stereotypes

As odd as it may seem, you don't have to be on the butt end of a stereotype or bias to know about them, and their misleading ways. Picture now, if you will, a white guys appearance and personality. Where you able to? Of course you were. You probably envisioned a well dressed man, with his wife and two kids in front of their house playing baseball. Or a nerdy looking kid, with glasses, braces, acne, overalls, and a shirt pocket full of pens (this is the stereotype I fit into and take no offense at). Now, being the smart, people you are, you have probably realized that your image of said white guy is at least loosely based on a stereotype, plus your own personal experience of white guys. If not, then you have proven another thing about stereotypes. Which is they vary from person to person. The place where these widely known beliefs start is in people like you and I. It is likely that a thousand years ago some jerk said "All the Asians I know are good at math, must be that they all are" (no offense intended, although this guy is totally from Mississippi). And in that sentence is yet another stereotype. Another good example is the stereotype that non-native English speakers, in English schools, are stupid. This particular stereotype, unlike some, holds no water. The simple fact is, back when this stereotype started, the non native speakers were not understood by the native speakers. This resulted in the thought that the non native speakers were not intelligent, because the native speakers could not be the stupid ones. Those ignorant English speakers never stopped to consider that the non native speakers merely could not communicate in a language not their own. One wonders, why would anyone start, what is in essence, a rumor about an entire group of people? Great question, the answer is simple. We humans like to be able to put everything, from dirt to people, into neat little boxes. In other words, we like to be able to classify everything without actually trying so we can worry our pretty little heads over what is important, like which video game to play or YouTube video to watch. Granted these stereotypes, while offensive and ignorant, usually have some foundation. Does that mean it is OK to use? Only in your head where people can not see them and judge you unless you don't care if the entire community thinks your an idiot. Are stereotypes a bad thing? Again, amazing question readers. That is really up to you to decide. Their use is a shortcut to assuming personality. So if you want to use them and continue watching YouTube in your house as opposed to actually making friends and talking to people, then go ahead. Personally I believe, as I have stated, that stereotypes are ignorant and offensive. Thus I try to avoid them, even though I fit the stereotype for a nerd perfectly.

Disclaimer: Even though I am a ignorant English speaking white guy, no stereotype mentioned in this post  relates in any way to my personal thoughts or feelings.