Negative Essay On Stereotypes

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The use of stereotypes is a daily necessity for some individuals, without the true realization of how damaging they are. What some do not realize is that stereotypes are no more than a bias way in which we simplify our social world. Stereotypes reduce the amount of cognitive thinking we generally use when meeting a new person. Thus creating scenarios where we are placing people into unnecessary categories. “A strong theory would suggest that children 's stereotypes regarding members of different social groups should become more traditional and flexible over time and should share similar developmental trajectories.” (Spencer, 1982). But this is unfortunately not always the case. A stereotype is “...a fixed, over generalized belief about a particular …show more content…

While some stereotypes are formed through parents influencing their own development, media and their peers influence others. Children are sponges absorbing the spilled information. This is establishing the building blocks of new perceptions. But what if those building blocks consist of negative views on a specific race, gender, age, sexual preferences or more? There is no decomposing or reprograming of those building blocks to change the perception that child will have in the future. That information is now apart of their makeup and worldview. Although there are “positive” stereotypes, most stereotypes tend to convey a negative impression upon people, or cause it. Negative stereotypes seem far more …show more content…

But the term “profile” is taking place of what the true word is, stereotyping or otherwise known in this area, Racial profiling. "There are these prevailing stereotypes that Blacks and Latinos are more prone to crime and that enables people to make an inference about an individual because of what they belong to." (Glasser,2013). As a woman of color, how depressing would that be to explain my child? That simply because of a stereotype he or she is now looked at as a target compared to others from different races. As American’s, through the years we have progressed through over 200 years of slavery, nearly 100 years of racial segregations and to this day still use a form of racial profiling as an accessory to our daily lives. The “Stop and Frisk” policy that was admitted in 2013, New York City had caused a riot from the American people. Law enforcement being permitted to halt and search an African Americans and Hispanics over Caucasians violated the 14th Amendment (the promise of equal

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