Question #1) Are you, or have you ever been a member of a group that has been stereotyped? Does your experience reflect the concepts identified in this chapter? How? Are there differences? What are they?
I have been a member of a group that has been stereotyped both directly and indirectly throughout my years. To begin, diversity illustrates the dissimilarity “of a national and world community made up of people from cultures with languages and social customs,” (pg. 87) which is different from ours. As Harris explains, in the U.S. “many different cultural traditions coexist” and stereotyping can manifest due to these differences in cultures. During high school, I associated with a group of girls whom similar to my cultural background. Although my high school was very diverse, there were different “clicks” and some did not socialize with others. Students would call my group the “ethnic” group or the “African girls” and were fairly nice at times. When I first came to the U.S., kids in Texas would make fun of my brother and me for having an accent and speaking Arabic. Being stereotyped during a young age can be very damaging and lead to feeling isolated and "can be damaging to all of us" (pg.89) as Harris explains.
An important concept Harris points out is communication contexts, and states that “culture does not just define how we perceive something; it embodies the way we perceive and comprehend reality, and how we understand the world itself” (pg. 90). Stereotyping or being stereotyped is hard to escape, however, the differences are the nature of the condition because “being insensitive to these diverse perspectives can lead to negative feelings,” as my experience has shown. Having an open-mind and accepting diversity as a positive progression will be “valuable because it adds vital perspectives and insights when solving difficult or complex problems…we depend on one another for the success and productivity of those endeavors we share,” (pg. 94) and this is true for any small group.
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Hi Bella,
ReplyDeleteIt was nice of you to share your personal experiences at high school to demonstrate the concepts related to being stereotyped. That was really good that while you were stereotyped by other students, it was done in a positive way. It sounds that you were definitely able to coexist with other groups at your high school.
People seem to be quick to judge these days –even at a young age. I work in a Kindergarden classroom and there is a little boy who wears glasses. The other children are quick to stereotype him by calling him a “geek”. It seems that no matter what the real personality of this boy is, he will feel like a geek.
Thanks again for another wonderful post,
Molly
Hello Bella82, I also liked reading your post on your high school experience with being stereotyped. It was great that fellow students were nice towards your "click". I have a high school friend I met, who was stereotyped as "fresh off the boat" which means just arrived from an Asian country. I was surprised how my friend was able to laugh it off. He has a Taiwanese accent, and wore glasses. Once I met him, he was really kind and was laid back.
ReplyDeleteLike Molly mentioned, I also get tired of how people judge people so quickly without getting to meet him or her. Many people should take the time to get to know a person before coming to a conclusion.
Hi Bella,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your post as well. I can identify with your High School experience. In my High School, there were several groups or “clicks” as well. You noted that some of the clicks would not associate with other ones. I actually participated in this. I only spoke to my group and a few others. I don’t recall socializing with any of the “ethnic” groups we had. It wasn’t that they were ethnic, but it was because they hung out with another group. During my senior year, I became even worse with this. I didn’t even socialize with anyone who was in a lower grade than me.
Now I will run into someone from my High School, or get a friend request. Sometimes I do not even know who it is because I was such a “you know what” in High School. Looking back, I feel that I missed out on an opportunity to get to know some really nice people.