In an interview on CBS’s “ 6o minutes” former Knicks point guard Jeremy Lin said, “Well, I think the obvious thing in my mind is that I was Asian-American, which, you know, is a whole different issue but … I think that was a barrier. I mean … it’s a stereotype.” In high school Lin was a talented basketball player leading his team to a state championship and winning several awards. However, no Pac-12 school he wanted to go to gave him a scholarship. Lin goes on to say that his race was a factor in him not getting selected in the NBA draft. Even though we can never find out if Lin’s hunch is true or not, his comments do shine some light on a looming issue: stereotyping. Stereotyping is causing many talented individuals such as Jeremy Lin to lose opportunities. Stereotyping is a major issue that is affecting many across the country.
To understand the overwhelming problem of stereotyping, one must first get an insight on the topic. The human brain is an observation machine. We notice everything around us: people, places and things. From these observations we are able to respond to similar things we see based on experience. This process is crucial in our everyday lives. When you go to the library to work on a research paper, you don’t have to relearn how to use the computer. You use your experience with the computer you normally use to complete your task. This is the basis of stereo typing. SimplyPsycology defines stereotyping as a fixed over generalized belief about a particular group or class of people. We gather observation of a particular person and use them when dealing with someone who is similar in race, culture, ethnicity, gender, or personality. According to SimplyPsycology “By stereotyping we infer that a person has a whole range of characteristics and abilities that we assume all members of that group have.”
Sometime one can make positive stereotypes about a person. Examples include thinking of overweight people as jolly and considering newspaper readers as wise. However, the problem is that often these stereo types are negative.
Negative Stereo types can derive by gender, race, or personality. Some stereotypes based on gender include “women aren't as smart as a man; girls are not good at sports; guys are messy and unclean.” Stereotypes based on race include “all Mexicans are lazy and came into America illegally; all Arabs and Muslims are terrorists; all Asians are good at math; all Asians like to eat rice and drive slow; all Irish people are drunks and eat potatoes.” Examples of stereotypes based on personality include “all blonds are unintelligent; all children don't enjoy healthy food; all librarians are women who are old, wear glasses, and have a perpetual frown on their face.”
Steve Jobs once said, “You cannot connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backward.” To connect the dots of stereotyping, we must look backward to the source.
Research shows that one of the top places that stereotypes are created is the media. As we know entertainment in the form of shows and movies often creates opinion about specific group. An example of the stereotypes is that white Americans are obese, lazy, and dim-witted. Some people made this stereotype when they saw Homer Simpson of the TV series The Simpsons. This shows stereotypes can be created though the actions of characters
Another big example of stereotypes in the media that influence many lives is that all African American and Latino citizens are criminals. Often on TV those who commit crimes are those of African American or Latino decent. When one makes this repeated observation, they make the inference that all African American and Latino men are criminals.
Evidence of this perspective is provided by police reports. NPR states that when people are robbed at night and could not get a clear look of the criminal, they often tell police that the man was African American or Latino. However, the majority of the time these acquisitions are incorrect.
The next big way that stereotypes can be created is through personal experience. The philosophy of stereotyping based on personal experiences is simple. We see a smart Asian or talent Caucasian and we assume that all Asians or Caucasians are smart.
A deeper look into stereotypes shows just how serious the ongoing issue of stereotypes is. Research shows just where the issue starts: childhood. “20/20” brought kids into a room and show them two men. One man was Arabic and the other Asian. When asked which men they like better most kids replied the Asian man. Despite the fact that both men were smiling one kid said that with his smile the Chinese man looked nicer. Another kid said that the Arabic man “was like the scary dude.”
After that the kids were shown pictures of a black and white man. The kids referred to the black man as mean, one even going as far as calling him “FBI’s most wanted”. A third kid made another very common stereotype by saying that the black man looked like a basketball player. Meanwhile, kids thought that the white man was nice.
The kids could not have been more wrong as the white man was Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh. When asked which man is a criminal, most hands flew in the direction of the black man, who was Harvard University professor, Roland Fryer.
Stereotyping can also be shown by the very surprising information gathered by Physiologist Joshua Correll. Correll’s work came after police officers shot and killed an immigrant because they thought that he was reaching for a gun in his pocket. The only thing that lay in his pocket was a harmless wallet.
Correll had thousands of people across the country take a test to learn about racial stereotypes when dealing with critical situations. He had people stand with guns in front of a screen that flashed pictures of various things. Whenever the picture of a human appears, they were supposed to shoot. The test found that whenever the target was black, people shot immediately. However, when the picture was that of a white man, people wait for a moment before firing.
The study not only reveals the negative feelings that people associate with African American, it also show the feelings that African Americans have about those in their own race. One would expect that African American could exhibit a slower reaction if the person was black. However, this wasn’t the case. Even African American pulled the trigger quicker if the target was black. The fact that Stereotyping has caused people to think false negative thoughts about their own race shows the seriousness of this ever aggrandizing problem.
To fully understand the serious issue of stereotyping we must take a plunge into the effects of stereotyping. A big effect of stereotyping is reduction in performance. One common stereotype is that African Americans cannot perform as well as Caucasians in academic subjects. However, many researches have been trying to prove that the test results were based on the stereotype itself and that African Americans could perform better if the stereotype was broken. Through a series of studies, physiologists were able to find that African Americans performed significantly better on their IQ tests if they thought that their scores were only being compared to that of other African Americans and not to Caucasians. These studies clearly revealed the deadly effects of stereotyping.
There are many different theories people have on stopping stereotypes. However, I think that one of the most effective methods is to not expose oneself to stereotyping. As we have discussed earlier, watching and listening others stereotype can cause us to stereotype ourselves. In other words, even if we don’t agree with what the other person is saying, by listen to stereotypes we can grow negative feelings about others. The solution to this problem is very simple, yet effective. The only way to not let the stereotyping pass on to you is to disconnect yourself form the comments. So the next time you hear stereotyping on T.V, switch the channel. And spin the dial when you hear harsh comments on the radio. Moving away from the stereotyping can be difficult when we’re dealing with a person. The harsh truth about stereotyping is a person doesn’t have to be bad to stereotype. Kind, respectable people often fall victim to the traps that society sets. A stereotype isn’t worth ruining a strong relation over. However, there is nothing wrong in telling the person it isn’t ok. A little enlightenment can make all the difference.
I believe that another effective way to stop stereotypes is by getting educated. Learn about people who break the stereotypes imposed on them. The biggest source to learn about these people is the internet. Every day there are tons of articles written about people who do extraordinary things. Take a few minutes and read about these people. By learning about those who break stereotypes we can break the stereotypes that exist in us.
Despite all the evidence some people state that stereotypes are not a big problem. In fact some people state that stereotypes help them. A commonly used excuse by those who like stereotyping is that stereotypes help them respond better to people who they have never met before. For example: Many business men use stereotypes when dealing with clients. They react differently based on the religion of the person.
However, the problem is we don’t know who the person is. When we stereotype, we’re often wrong. If one simply takes the time to understand the person they’re dealing with, they will be able to correspond much better.
When thinking about the hardest things to do, most people’s minds would instantly wander off to the amazement they felt when they saw someone climb the ridges of a mountain or the blank face they drew when looking at the work of rocket scientists. However, learning to understand and accept others may be just as hard as shooting yourself out of a cannon to China. Learning to cultivate an open mind is the essence of stopping Stereotypes, an issue that causes us to think wrongly of others and untimely lead the depletion of one’s success. So the next time you see a smart Asian, understand that he isn’t smart because he’s Asian, but rather because of the hard work he has put in. And when the next time your friend complains about getting schooled by an African American in basketball, tell him that the talent doesn’t come from his skin color. Knowing that, you’ll be ready to accept that others with similar characteristics are not identical. Knowing that, you’ll be able to stop stereotyping and the commodious problems it brings with it.