Stereotypes Have Existed Since Time Immemorial. They

Stereotypes have existed since time immemorial. They are as old as human culture itself and are beliefs and ideas that a certain group of people hold for those who differ from themselves. A stereotype can exist in a simple word for example "nerd" or in a collection of words and images which are evoked when others hold similar opinions. Stereotypes can be positive, however, most of the times they are associated with negative connotations and make one group of person feel superior and above another group. Stereotypes are oversimplifications and are usually based on behavioural aspects or on the way people physically appear. (Stangor, 2000)

In today's society it is almost impossible to escape stereotypes. The media, entertainment, sports and politics all bring to light stereotypes and because of this the lives of many are affected. According to several studies people who feel they are being stereotyped tend to perform poorly and it does not just affect a person or a group at the time they are being associated with it but it has a persistent, lingering affect. (Stangor, 2000)

Stereotypes exist based on gender, culture, ethnicity, race, religion, groups of individuals and sexual orientation. An example of stereotyping would be when a person says that all women like to cook. In this case we are stereotyping women and thus on the basis of gender. Or when saying Arab Muslims are terrorists we are stereotyping every Arab Muslim on the basis of their culture and religion not realizing that every individual who belongs to that particular group does not have to be that way. (Macrae, Stangor & Hewstone, 1996)

I was once invited to a party which was hosted by a wealthy couple. There were all kinds of people at the party but there were two men who particularly grabbed my attention. They had both entered the party at around the same time. One was well dressed, young- probably in his mid-30's and seemed to be well educated with a stable job. The other man who was around the same age looked a bit shabby and wasn't as meticulously dressed as the other gentleman. As soon as I saw the two men I had made my judgements and assumptions about their personalities based on previous stereotypes. As the night went on I noticed that people had started to gather around the handsome primly dressed man and begun conversations with him. However, only after a short time they seemed to lose attention and parted ways with him. At the same time a crowd was forming near the other man and seemed to be more interested in what he had to say. This left me surprised and I asked a friendly woman nearby what was going on. She explained to me how everyone had fallen prey to a stereotype and that the shabby man was in fact very intellectual as opposed to the other man who just appeared that way.

The stereotype in the above case is that all individuals who are nicely dressed are the ones who are intellectual and have good jobs while those who do not look as appealing as the other are not socially acceptable and cannot communicate well with others and have decent jobs. Media today portrays individuals in much the same way. The hero in a movie in the one who is sharply dressed and has a good job, car, family, girlfriend and looks. He has the ability to talk with others and is not socially challenged. So it is not our fault that in reality when we come in to contact with such people that we make such assumptions about them as well regardless of whether they are true or not. Of course, this argument does not justify the stereotyping that I had done at the party as I have no right to judge what a person is like just on the basis of what he or she looks like.

Another stereotype that I recently encountered was while I was travelling. When standing in line for security check, I noticed everyone was allowed to pass through without any trouble when suddenly there was a delay and a couple was taken to the side. From far a back I couldn't tell what was going on but later on I was told there was a Muslim couple flying with us on the plane and security wanted to take extra caution and hence the hold up.

After the events of September 11th every Muslim has been stereotyped as a terrorist and this is what had happened to the couple at the air port. It was alright on the airport securities part to ensure the safety of others and conduct a thorough check of that couple but it was not right to punish them for the act of a particular group of their community who is believed to be the ones who cause trouble. After 9/11 thousands of Muslims in the United States have been affected and they are facing stereotype threats. Because of being stereotyped on media, in the work place, in schools and in social places they face severe emotional distress and living life as a normal human being, without the baggage of being associated to a particular religion and race wherever they go, is not possible. The effects of being stereotyped in this way have been great on this community of people and just because of a few individuals the entire group is being blamed and negatively stereotyped.