Why are people offended by stereotypes???

Question

Stereotypes are what they are not to be offensive but to distiguish a people!!! No different than when we were kids and we would write a report on Germans. We included the good and the bad that they were known for and if we did it thoroughly enough we got an A. Every culture of people have distinguishable qualities and it goes without saying that not alllllllll of the culture contribute. Some white folk can jump, not all black people like chicken, all asians are not interested in creating the next game system, and not all tan people are from the Middle East!!!!!

I'm not from the Middle East, but I respect those who are! ;o) good one though!!

I guess part of my questioning comes from a belief that people persieve and present information based on they're own mind set. If you are positive..... If you are negetive.....blah, blah, blah!

I don't always recieve information in a negetive light and when don't I am able to have more insight on the information!

and maybe, just maybe stereotyping is not the negetive thing we have made it out to be. Also, racism and stereotyping ARE NOT the same thing!!! And being a women, if indead I really am, should not make me offended by sterotyping!!! ;o)

Answer 1

Ill tell you what tho. People hate being stereo typed but most other races are quick to blame the white man for something. I come from a very diverse background and its all too common to blame someone else for your shortcomings. People dont like to be responsible for their own actions and like to find the easiest target.

Answer 2

Stereotyping is offensive all together. It is a way of crassly putting people together in groups and not as the individuals that we are. As a woman yourself you should not want to have stereotyping going on. I mean are you anything like Britany Spears or Carmen Electra and so on? Most likely not, you are your own person, with your own ideals and moral standards. I am sure that you would not want to be measured on their scales, but your own. However when stereotyping gets done that is what is happening. They are taking one person and making them to be a measuring scale of that gender or other groups.

You mentioned Geremany...I am sure that most do not want themselves associated with Hitler and so on. But what if that were the stereotype? There was a time in this country were Germans were not accepted and were called Krauts, as it was well known that Germans eat and liked sauerkraut. See how something that seems so small and insignificant as food can be turned into something offensive.

These are only a few reasons why that stereotyping is wrong and can lead to issues such as racism and make it look justifiable.

Answer 3

It's really important to remember or to know why people sterotype in the first place. Back in the day it was done to demean people. To encourage the masses to think the same way. To create fear in the minds of the masses. For example. In the early 20's and 30's African Americans were ALWAYS shown as maids, help, madd murderers, rapist and robbers. It's no question that those samd sterotypes exist today.

Stereotypes indeed were created to be offensive and demeaning.

Now granted there are people walking around with open minds. Who know that sterotypes don't stick in real life. But what makes things they way they have been and the way that they are now is the millions of people that are walking around with closed minds. It's the closed minded individuals that create and perpetuate stereotypes and keeps them alive and thriving.

So the real question I guess should be.....Are you open? Or are you closed?

Answer 4

It's true, stereotypes are meant to be overly general guidelines of identification, but most people view their identity as one of the most valuable things they have. Getting lumped into a group by something as arbitrary as skin color threatens the integrity of being a whole, dynamic human being.

They should take it with a grain of salt, but you should too. It's not really a big deal.

Answer 5

I think people are offened by stereotypes (even true ones...black people and chicken hits the nail pretty squarely on the head) because they assault our individuality. They tend to attempt to figure out an entire people and put them in one stock category. It's just as insulting as saying you are "predictable" or that you're an "open book". Actually, it's more like saying your ENTIRE RACE is a predictable open book.

Answer 6

Because we all want to be something special, something very different from the rest, unique and rare. Stereo typing actually takes all that away. But...you want to know a little secret, most of if not all of humanity actually stero type themselves in one way or another. I bet you do and I bet not one person you know doesnt.

Answer 7

People just like to have it known that they are not what the stereotype is especially if it is seen as a bad stereotype.

For example, My wife is of polish ancestry.
Everyone says, "dumb Polocks."

My wife is very intelligent... But she does NOT like to hear people say that...

Just like you don't like people thinking you are from the middle east !!!

GOT YA !!!

Answer 8

you are so wrong
or your teacher was an idiot.
YES: Stereotypes are forms of rasism.
there are habits and coltures.
stereotypes refers to personal characteristics and that is wrong.
stereotypes are made up because of the fear of the different!
aren't we all defferent?
every person has a uniq personality!
read a book or something!

Answer 9

I mean, it's good to distinguish people and see the good and the bad of every culture, but some people don't really do that. not every person that listens to punk rock has to dress like a punk rocker. not every "emo" person has to write depressive poems. not every "preppy" person has to be dumb and ditzy. you see what my point is here?

Answer 10

because they're so vague and no 2 ppl are the same no matter race....let's attempt to grow up okay? stereotypes will be the cause of death of the human race