Shameless Stereotypes

“Don’t judge a book by its cover”. Ever hear that before? You probably have and think you haven’t prejudged anyone, but have you ever stereotyped someone? Maybe you have, maybe you haven’t. I’m not going to lie I probably have stereotyped someone. After this week I feel as though stereotypes are so dumb. I think that there are so many stereotypes in our world, that they’re inevitable. People from Country A are really smart or people from Country B are obese. I’m not saying all stereotypes are wrong. People from one country may have an overall higher IQ than another country. However, this does not mean EVERYONE in this country is smarter than the people in the other country. I just think it’s wrong to group an entire culture together based on what may only be true for a few. Saying that all Asians/Indians are smart and only study is definitely an overstatement. Just because I’m Indian, it doesn’t mean that I am super smart, have A’s in every class, and spend every minute studying. These stereotypes are not only wrong, they are cruel. Judging someone before getting to know them is rude and doesn’t give that person the chance to truly express who they really are. I don’t think I fit in the “Indian stereotype”, and I would think it’s unfair if someone judged me based on my culture. My point is stereotypes are unjust and downright mean. I’m not sure where stereotyping started, but I hope it can come to an end soon. By slowly separating cultures, stereotypes are hindering humanity’s progress towards total equality. 

I found a map of the US that shows many of the stereotypes that are circulating through our world everyday. 

I thought it was interesting to see how easily we were grouped and separated.