Stereotypes We Are All Guilty of Judging

Stereotypes

We are all guilty of judging others based on a wide range of traits we perceive in them. In so doing, we end up attaching (wrongly) certain traits to such individuals. In this text, I concern myself with stereotyping, its meaning, and the effects it has on those who experience it.

Common Stereotypes

According to Schneider (2005), "stereotypes are qualities perceived to be associated with particular groups or categories of people." In that regard, stereotypes include all those assumptions as well as generalizations we make about all members of certain groups based on our perceived characteristics of the group under consideration. Personally, I have in the past encountered a variety of stereotypes. The most common of these include stereotypes on gangs and abortions. The other rather outrageous, yet common stereotype I do encounter is that all tell men play basketball.

When it comes to gangs, one commonly held stereotype is that all gang members are from poor families. Regardless of its factual inconsistency, this stereotype does have its rationale. The question we must ask to validate this stereotype is; why do individuals join gangs? Some of the most obvious reasons for gang membership include the need to make money from gang activity and sheer coercion. The need to make money by engaging in criminal activities as a member of a gang is an economic motivator. It therefore beats logic why an individual from a wealthy family would want to join a gang. When it comes to sheer coercion, it is important to note that some individuals have the misfortune of being brought up in a crime infested neighborhood where crime and gang activity is the order of the day. It is hard to live in such a neighborhood and not be a member of any of the active gangs. Blatant crime and gang activity is however unlikely in a leafy neighborhood. In that regard, gang membership is largely a preserve of individuals from poor families. However, it is important to note that there are other reasons for joining a gang. These include the need for power and respect as well as the need to have access to drugs. This renders the earlier argument invalid largely because the need for power and drug addiction are not a preserve of any social class.

Stereotypes also exist in matters abortion. In this case, all those who procure abortions are deemed to be careless, immoral and spoilt girls mostly in their teens. Although it still remains a stereotype, this view has its credence. The main reason why a woman would prefer to abort her unborn baby is because the pregnancy in this case was unplanned in the first place. People in stable relationships do not have unplanned pregnancies. Neither do mature women. In the latter scenario, even if an unplanned pregnancy were to occur, a mature woman would be reasonable enough to keep the pregnancy other than procure an abortion. Those who practice safe sex do not get pregnant either. In that regard, those who procure abortions must not only be careless and immoral but also immature. This argument is however defective. There are many other valid reasons that push people (mostly against their will) to procure abortions. For instance, victims of a violent rape may seek to have an abortion other than give birth to a child who will forever remind them of the incident. Further, in some cases, a woman may seek an abortion if the continued pregnancy endangers her health. Thus abortion is not limited to careless, young and immoral individuals.

Regarding the game of basketball, many of us tend to associate tall people with the tall players in the basketball court. It is therefore not uncommon for an individual to assume that just because another is tall, he must be a basketball player. This stereotype also does have its credence. There is no doubt that height is a definite advantage in basketball. As a common sport in most learning institutions, it is only natural that the tallest students would be selected as basketball players. Given that there are not many tall people amongst us, it is unlikely that a tall individual would go through school without participating in the game. Thus all tall people have at some point in their lives played basketball. However, it is important to note that no person is ever forced to play basketball against their will. Further, like any other game, basketball requires players who are passionate about it. Not all tall people are passionate about basketball. Thus the earlier argument is largely invalid.

The Effect of Stereotypes on Others