Social Stereotypes in America

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Introduction

Imagine that you are of Arab decent you being screened more thoroughly than others at the airport. The only way the airport staff can identify that you are of Arab decent is based on your family name, Najjar. The airport staff constantly takes extra measures to confirm that you are not a terrorist. Stereotypes have existed in American culture for centuries. Early in American history stereotypes of Negroes and Mexicans predominately associate them with lower-class attributes (Campbell, 1967).

Major social events can have an effect on how various groups of people are viewed. For example, the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, where several individuals of Arab decent brutally murdered hundreds of unsuspecting American citizens. The terrorist hi-jacked several aircraft carriers and set them on a crash course for various national landmarks.

Since the events of September 11th many Non-European American citizens have been targets of discrimination, prejudice, hate crimes, racism, and stereotyping. According to Holman (2008), Arab nurses reported experiencing discrimination in the forms of intimidation and patient rejection more frequently than prior to the attacks of September 11th.

Outside of the public arena, the discrimination is affecting the home life of minority citizens. In a 2011 study involving 18 Arab-American couples, researchers found a relationship between the events of September 11th and problems in marriage rooted in cultural identity (Kulwicki, 2011).

It is hypothesized that name discrimination affects the mental and physical health of those individuals who are being stereotyped. The current study examines the cardiovascular risk factors (i.e., smoking, body mass index, and number of endocrine ail...

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