Premium Essay

Stereotypes In America

Submitted By
Words 1138
Pages 5
A stereotype is a label in which involves society categorizing you due to your race, religion, or sex. At times it happens unintentionally or at times some may do it to be racist or offend someone. I have been stereotyped by people so many times due to me being Latina and my parents being Mexican. This one time I was at the mall and I was stereotyped. I reacted in a wrong way, I also felt a bit sad but more mad than sad, however, I did learn something from it. If I wasn’t so pissed off I would’ve told this guy something about the real me.
During my senior year, my father took me shopping so I could purchase a gift for mother’s birthday. I wanted to surprise her with a bag from one of her favorite brands. However, if I wanted to surprise my mom it would have had to be straight after school. My father picked me up and he was still in his work …show more content…
However, it was no reason what so ever to basically call me poor. Being stereotyped and being called honestly made me feel offended. Up to this day, I’m still offended by being called poor and the look I was receiving from this women. I was also feeling mad though. I’m very protective when it comes to family and the way she kept looking at my father up and down made me mad. I was mad at the fact that she was basically talking bad about the race where I am from. After I left the shop I felt sad due to me realizing how judgemental and rude people can be. I understand the whole no one is perfect, I also understand the fact that the world is not perfect but the fact that people are so judgemental and how they stereotype people made me sad.When did she say what she said I reacted by giving her attitude and saying “Do you shop in the sale only stores? I mean I would understand since you have this job.” After, I said that I walked away and decided to report her to her

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

The Jezebel Stereotypes In America Today

...Living in the south as a slaved woman, you were subjected to two stereotypes basically, and that was Jezebel and Mammy during the slave era. To be honest things really has not changed that much dealing with those two stereotypes in America today. The stereotypes, somewhat, served to basically cover up all the things that were going on in the system in which the slaves where in within the South. From the reading of Mr. John Miller article, he explained clearly for me that “the Jezebel stereotype attempted to veil the white man's licentious behavior and sexual violation of black women.” Furthermore, he explained that “the Mammy stereotype was created in an attempt to restore a pure image of domestic morality as a result of the white man's...

Words: 426 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Crazy Horse Malt Liquor: Stereotypes In America

...attack during that same timespan. The denouncing of Muslim assaults is made to seem so prevalent in America when most are not even traced back to Middle Easterners. Many Americans assume Middle Easterners are related to terrorist attacks due to the media's profound influence in creating Islamophobia in political news coverage. Violent assaults in recent years made by those who believe that all Middle Easterners are the Muslim terrorist have impacted the lives of innocent people. Reading “Crazy Horse Malt Liquor,” by Michael Dorris led to my interest in further investigating this issue, as it is still a concerning issue. The problem...

Words: 1264 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Stereotypes Of Muslims Research Paper

...Stereotypes (of Muslims), Causes, Consequences and Solutions It is extremely important for People to feel safe and be included in their environments in order to maintain a decent life. Stereotypes against Muslims in America can lead to fear and isolation among Muslim people and prejudices against Muslims can affect the quality of the life of Muslims in America. The following excerpt is taken from an interview with Fatima, a female Muslim worshipper after the Friday prayer. “Because I wear the head scarf I usually get the hateful stares. I just cannot stand that. I fear for my life. Muslims are harassed and targeted. I know that many Americans hate Muslims and Muslims are the victims of hate crimes. I am afraid if America get too paranoid...

Words: 1881 - Pages: 8

Premium Essay

Junot Diaz's How To Date A Brown Girl

...towards wanting a relationship with the opposite sex. The stereotype about relationships is that every girl wants to be in a one, but guys just want to get laid. In the story of How to Date a Brown Girl, by Junot Diaz, describes how a boy and how he judges each girl by race and their willingness to give it up. The guy's mindset is different from the girl’s mindset about being with a special someone. Racism and subjecting a whole group, like gender, has clouded people’s judgment on others before they even get to know and understand them. Everyone grows up differently with different family backgrounds and wealth. No matter what race, religion, poor or rich background we come from, we are all human and we want to be treated the same. All people might be categorized by race but everybody has based their opinions on their own experiences....

Words: 489 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Chinese Exclusion Act Research Paper

...The Chinese Exclusion Act There has been many intrusive stereotypes about many cultures, mainly because they were immigrants and so new to Americans. Theses stereotypes didn’t seem to validate them, but instead it invalidated them, in multiple ways. Many people still perceive different cultures with unfairness. The Chinese one of many cultures, were immigrating to America because of the gold rush. Most moved to American to boosted to financial status. There were many job opportunities for the Chinese so many more immigrants came into America, Eventually taking more and more jobs. Because they were coming to America for jobs and ultimately money, they were put into the stereotype of being greedy or selfish. Americans now felt that there weren’t enough jobs for the locals. The Chinese exclusion act was an act in order to band immigration from America. Because so many Chinese immigrants...

Words: 550 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

Diversity in America

...The United States of America is made up of several different races, religions, and ethnicities, as well as men and women of different ages, and sexual orientations. This makes the United States one of the most diverse nations on earth. It is estimated between the years 2010 to 2050 minorities will increase from 36% to 54% of the population. (Schaefer, p. 4, 2012)(p.4). Immigration is the main reason for this estimate. It is estimated that in 2050, 67 million people will be immigrants and another 47 million people will be the children of immigrants. (The "Pew Research Center") (2012). While there are benefits of such a diverse nation, the United States still faces many challenges, because of prejudice and discrimination. With the rising population of immigrants, the population of people living in poverty will also rise. With the rise of people living in poverty, there will also be a rise in crime. The reason for this is, people who live in poverty have less access to high paying jobs are more likely to participate in illegal activities, such as dealing drugs to make money. Minorities and immigrants are statistically paid less than whites, for doing the same jobs. So this is what leads to poverty. The rising crime rate among minorities and immigrants also leads to the separation of families. Many children in poverty ridden neighborhoods are raised by single parents. The rising number of crimes in these neighborhoods leads to more parents, mostly men put in prison...

Words: 1386 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Pondering Stereotypes

...what a stereotype is. A stereotype is a false picture or idea in many people’s minds about how all members of a certain group look, think, and/or act. Stereotypes exist about members of almost every possible social group, including racial, ethnic, gender, religious, and political groups, among others. A person is said to be “stereotyped” if someone outside of that person’s particular social group, whatever it may be, thinks about him as being like the group’s stereotype, without knowing anything about him; conversely, we say a person is “stereotyping” another if he thinks in stereotypes about people in a certain social group, again, whatever it may be. Most stereotypes are negative and offensive, a few are positive, and some are neutral. A negative stereotype shows a group in a bad light (For example, African Americans are violent.); a positive stereotype shows a group in a good light (For example, “… Asians are good at math” (www.ask.com); and a neutral stereotype is one that is neither good nor bad (For example, Blacks loves watermelon). Perhaps, the most prevalent stereotypes in the US concern all the different races and ethnic groups who live there. An examination of some common stereotypes regarding African Americans, Hispanics/ Latinos, and Asians in the US will demonstrate that negative, positive, and/or neutral stereotypes exist about all three of these groups; There are many negative stereotypes, a few positive stereotypes, and a few neutral stereotypes about...

Words: 1139 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Racial Profiling In America Today

...still goes on today, the problems that make racism hard to conquer in America is; racial profiling in police authority and entertainment television which is ultimately in direct correlation with stereotyping. These are some of the reasons why racism is still relevant in some cases now and this answers the question of if America has conquered racism. The main focus of racism now come from stereotyping each racial ethnicity. Each race has their very own vague descriptions based on culture and beliefs. These stereotypes becoming well known in today's society it comes with the price of racial profiling in police authority. There are such events involving racial profiling especially through the police procedures such as “stop and frisk”. Stop and frisking is described as racial profiling mainly because police officers often stop people based on physical...

Words: 569 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Black Women in Media

...Black Women in the Media Media is defined as a form of mass communication through the use of radio, television, the Internet, music, film, and etc. Throughout history, American media has not only been used as a form of communication and entertainment, but it has also been utilized to spread stereotypes and hegemonic ideals reinforcing the racial hierarchy that has continued to survive even after the abolition of slavery in the nineteenth century. According to Tilicia L. Mayo, Indiana University communications graduate, images in the media contain the ability to teach many different lessons. Mayo states, “Contemporary films and television shows deliver images that communicate ideologies such as class, standing and position in society” (vi). After the abolition of slavery, White America searched for means of social control through the media since they lacked the power of legal control. Black women, being of the lowest racial and gender classes in America, have repeatedly been stereotyped and victimized through the use of degrading images in contemporary media. The origins of these images can be found in the racist ideologies of the African slave woman created by White Euro-American slave owners. The images of black women in American media have directly affected how black women and other people in society define black womanhood. This influence directly shows how people utilize fictitious and stereotypical images from the media in trying to understand the stereotyped group and...

Words: 2030 - Pages: 9

Premium Essay

Stereotypes Against Minorities Through Film

...Stereotypes against minorities through film Introduction: Stereotyping against minorities had been an issue since the 20th century and since then the minorities had been protesting against the discrimination and inequality in entertainment industries. This includes the discrimination in vote, ownership, basic human rights and social rights which led to the stride of the minorities to protest for the equal rights living in a country. For example in America, the black Americans were hunted and lynched by the white Americans and it was celebrated as a sport. So in mid of 20th century, although the black Americans got their freedom, they still faced the color racism by the majority of America. Stereotyping against minorities through entertainment started at the start of the entertainment industry in the world. Unfortunately, stereotyping against the minorities through media was also recorded by the film’s historians. Considering the example of Joseph Goebbels, who was the propaganda general during World War 2 and he was considered to be the founder of the discrimination portrayed in his directed films. During Nazi Regime, there were many stereotyping against the Jews and this discrimination was proudly displayed by the Goebbels propaganda they specifically targeted the Jewish controlled organization and they were negatively portrayed in the entire film. However these stereotyping ended by the end of National Socialist Party but sadly the practice of stereotyping the minorities...

Words: 2030 - Pages: 9

Premium Essay

Stereotypes Toward Brazilian Music

...achieve this, we tried to identify some of the stereotypes that the interviewees had towards Brazilian culture, particularly in music. The purpose of the collected information is to give the readers insights of how stereotypes are prejudicial and how they can have huge impacts in big social matters that can increase social inequality, and therefore prevent prejudice. This work was based on concepts of stereotypes described by Claire Kramsch in the book Language and Culture (1998). Basically, she said our perception of a group's social identity is culturally determined. What we perceive about a culture of the other is because we were conditioned by our own culture to see, with limited models that were built around us. It was also used, to endorse the study, O Brasil dos Gringos, written by Tunico Amâncio. His thesis is about the representation of Brazil and Brazilians in foreign fiction films. It was found the incidence of stereotypes and clichés throughout history, and it was studied in more details through 10 films. Beyond this Introduction section, this report contains a Description section, of our activities on this research, a Discussion, analysis and results section, about the study, and finally, a Conclusion section. Description Our group intended to uncover or confirm some of the stereotypes we thought foreign people would have in mind when talking about Brazilian music. Firstly, we picked two of the many general stereotypes we saw in the documentary Olhar Estrangeiro...

Words: 2440 - Pages: 10

Premium Essay

Crash Paper

...Stereotypes are the organizational factors that virtually shape the way we think in 20th century America. They somehow manage to categorize some of life's most complex matters into nice distinct sections. Classifications and organization, at first glance seem to be useful in distinguishing various aspects of modern life. However, these grouping methods can be very inaccurate, leaving erroneous ideas in the minds of citizens on a global level. Stereotypes, though originating as convenient sorting mechanisms, instead, influence our thinking process. Crash depicts numerous characters and brings them together through carjacking, car accidents and shootings. The movie Crash represents the nature of race relations in America. Most of the characters depicted in the film are racially opinionated in some way, and become mixed up in conflicts which force them to examine their own discrimination. The films show how one stereotype, one miscommunication or lack of communication, could turn into an unstable situation. Through these characters' connections and lack of communication, the film tries to show prejudice and racism is frequent and common in present America. Problems of race and sex make a group of strangers in Los Angeles to psychologically and physically crash in the drama. Graham is a police officer whose brother is a street criminal, and it hurts him to know his mother cares more about his good-for-nothing brother than him. Rick is an L.A. district attorney whose...

Words: 1054 - Pages: 5

Free Essay

What Is Poop

...with a story being told from just one perspective. Due to stereotypes many misconceptions have occurred due to only one side of the story being shared. In Adichie’s speech, she uses herself as a main example. Many people in America saw Adichie as an impoverished, uneducated Nigerian woman who was lucky enough to get out of Africa and start a better life in America. This viewpoint is not the blame of the individual, but the media the individual has been exposed too. The stereotypical African person is an untrue representation that most people in America have. Learning about the world is good for becoming more diverse, but if the information shared is one sided the experience may become limited because the person learning will become misinformed on a certain culture, person, or beliefs. Adichie’s goal in her speech was to educate the viewers on the problems with only hearing one side of a situation. In her speech she gives personal examples of situations where a person has assumed Adichie is a certain way due to stereotypes the person has learned. Adichie also shares personal examples of when she has assumed something about another person due to the stereotypes she has picked up over time. Adichie explains her speech that even though the stereotypes people have of certain cultures are misrepresented sometimes, still hold truth to some extend. Again, Adichie uses personal example to back up her claim. Many people in America have stereotypical thoughts of people in Africa being very...

Words: 840 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

How the Media Affects the Asian Community

...few shows ever to be centered around an Asian-American family on American television. Growing up in America with first generation immigrant parents has not been easy, and growing up in a culture where you can’t even see yourself in everyday media makes it even harder to adjust. I remember watching T.V. as a kid and rarely did I see any Asian Americans on the screen; and if I did, the characters were portrayed in a way I was not familiar with. Finally getting a show like Fresh Off The Boat makes it seem like Asian Americans are breaking through barriers and making their way into mainstream media. As an Asian American myself, I happen to see this as a huge deal; finally, there is something I can relate to on T.V. Even though the Asian-American community has been excited and supportive of the series, it apparently does not appeal to the majority, and there have already been rumors of the show’s cancellation. But why is a show as innovative as Fresh Off the Boat being cancelled? The show has so many fans and is considered ground braking in the Asian-American community, but that is not enough to keep the show on air apparently. -As a minority in America, Asian Americans deserve to have their culture portrayed accurately in mainstream media. However, whenever there are Asian characters on television or films, the roles do not reflect the Asian culture, but reflect the stereotypes thought of the culture. Mainstream American pop culture has failed to represent Asian culture accurately...

Words: 1946 - Pages: 8

Free Essay

Change in Perspective

...PERSPECTIVE There are many ways that people are stereotyped such as belonging to certain race, nationality, and gender. Living in the world today you would think that people are Knowledgeable about certain issues and not stereotype others but the fact is that when one person or groups of people are stereotyped, that common perception never goes away unless people decide to change their implicit and explicit attitudes about that group. In today’s society, stereotype is now common than ever. I’d beg to differ that stereotype is based on the lack of education but I think that is based on people’s insecurities, ignorance and behavior patterns. It is easy to stereotype others based on their appearance, religion, and heritage. I was born and raised in Ghana, a country in Africa, where the entire population is majority blacks. Growing up in such culture I did not experience nor was I never a subject to stereotype. Even with people from different countries coming into Ghana to experience the culture, no one of them ever put me in a certain category. I would often ask myself if I was naive to realize what was happening around me but the truth of the matter is stereotype was not common in Ghana. All of this change when I moved to the United States of America for my seventh grade year. I can remember being nervous for my first day of middle school. As I got unto the bus, my main thoughts were would I make any friends and would I be able to comprehend what I’m taught. What I didn’t...

Words: 806 - Pages: 4