How can we end stereotypes?

Question

The world is filled with stereotypes, all of which have come from some truth. These stereotypes have created a division in society which inturns creates a form of racism and diversity. How can we get rid of these classifications to make a better world?

Answer 1

We can hope that as the world becomes more mobile, these will start to disappear. In my opinion, this has improved greatly over the last 20 years or so. Ultimately though, the use of stereotypes won't disappear until society matures a lot more.

That will take a lot of time, especially since most people never venture out of their home country, and never get an appreciation for any other cultures.

Answer 2

We cant. As long as there are people who fit the stereotypes then there will always be stereotypes. Unless we change the terminology and just start judging each person on their own merits instead of trying to lump them together because of their race or background or how they act or what they eat then we might stand a chance to end them. Besides if we did not have stereotypes to classify people we would come up with another way to do so. That is just how human nature works. We like things to be put in categories and sections etc and humans dont and should not be done that way.

Answer 3

Yet one way to categorise people is to use stereotypes. Stereotyping is an effective tool when meeting a person, a stranger is not a complete stranger for very long because the
observer assigns characteristics to this person from reconceived ideas. The first impression gives a quick opinion of a person but it is sometimes hard to change perception when it is needed.

Answer 4

I am sorry to run counter to your thinking here BUT ---You can not live in this society and not have a system of what is basically a stereotypical worksheet in play---and if you say not--your either lying or your just ignorant of the facts
We as human beings HAVE TO make judgements on people every single day of our lives--not to do so is like running your computer without a firewall installed--dangerous
Stereotyping people is akin to tabbed browsing -- it is a file reference system for the comparisons of people and situations in which we find ourselves
To lay racism at the feet of stereotyping is like laying pornographic movies and the feet of the VCR ---it is simply a tool that is used by people to an end---how people choose to use it is totally in their hands--and it is misused and abused by people every waking day of every year that goes by
IT IS THE THOUGHT PROCESSES BEHIND AND THE MOTIVATIONS AND INTENTS OF THE INDIVIDUAL misusing and abusing this process---not the process itself that is at the heart of racism and false classifications of people

Answer 5

The cold hard truth of the matter is that we can't and won't. It is just destiny and you'll understand why when it is time. Sorry. But we can ATTEMPT to make it better by looking past the exterior and into the soul. But, some people have too thick a shell to crack.

Answer 6

I try to make the effort to not do it..but it is tough..especially if it is someone you never actually talk to..for instance I would assume that Paris Hilton is a snobby rich brat with no value system but, who knows maybe she isn't..I remember when I gotto meet NASCAR's Tony Stewart..everytime I saw him on TV he was an *** but when I met him he was so different, really seemed like the type of guy that would be cool to grab a few brews with

Answer 7

Proper education including revitalization of empathy and compassion, knowledge, and restoration of faith in human kind. Definitely a big job. Continued proper education of educators is a key to this. This will help people make better judgments by better evaluation of circumstances and self-recognition of incorrect assumptions. Also as time goes on hopefully there will be put into place more sociatial limiters of incorrect behavior and more correct expections of its members.

Answer 8

It's a really common error to be stereotypical, since most of us are ethnocentric pigs at times (including myself). We should say no to racism whenever we can. One naughty pink sheep doesn't paint the rest of the blue sheep pink too!

Answer 9

We can't totally remove them unless everybody were to act similarly. That would be a rather depressing world.

Answer 10

One way to start is to point them out whenever you notice them, in yourself or in others.