Why are racial stereotypes always so...

[Nell2ThaIzzay]

...true?

I mean, really? It's politically incorrect to think so, but I mean, these stereotypes weren't just pulled out of thin air. Some redneck didn't just wake up one day and say "Gosh durnit, y'know what? Cletus, spread the word, dem slant eye Ashunn folks don't learn demselves howtuh drive"

I'm not specifically talking about Asians that can't drive, because Asians don't exist where I live, it's just one of the more common stereotypes.

But I'm serious, it's really bad when a person can walk into my store, and before I've even said "Hello" to them, I can accurately predict how the encounter with them is going to go just by a quick glance at them.

Don't people ever want to be anything more than a stereotype? Don't people actually want to strive to be unique, and individuals? I mean, just wondering.

And no, before people play that card, it's not a minority thing, because white stereotypes are all true too. ****ing rednecks.

Maybe it's just where I work. I dunno. I mean, I do work in a pretty trashy area. I don't know.

 

[The Original Bamfer]

Uhh.

 

[SuperFerret]

The stereotypes wouldn't exist if there wasn't any individuals out there that personify them.

 

[knowsbleed]

Specific individuals may display stereotypical characteristics associated to a certain group... I don't feel any group as a whole should be represented by the stereotypes usually associated with them.

 

[katie_girl09]

The stereotypes wouldn't exist if there wasn't any individuals out there that personify them.

Agreed. Stereotypes kinda have to come from somewhere. They don't apply to everyone, but some people personify them unfortunately.

 

[Marlboro Man]

Yeah, generally, all Asians eat cats and dogs. And whenever I go to a party with black neighbors, fried chicken and watermelon is always on the menu. Sometimes, they even go out of their way to invite the Kool-Aid man to make an appearance...

...really, I dont encounter too many stereotypes, and don't see how they can ever be generally applied to a group. I think people look for things to be stereotypical in people, then say that what they find validates exaggerated stereotypes which already exist.

 

[bullets]

Stereotypes came from somewhere

 

[Catman]

Agreed. Stereotypes kinda have to come from somewhere. They don't apply to everyone, but some people personify them unfortunately.

When you watch Flavor of Love on VH1 you know where they came from.

 

[SuperFerret]

There should be a "Curing Stereotypes" reality show. They gather together every walking stereotype you can find and try to get them to act in non-stereotypical ways.

 

[Majic Walrus]

The stereotypes wouldn't exist if there wasn't any individuals out there that personify them.

This.

Stereotypes are based on real world examples and sensationalized representations. So point of fact, stereotypes are generally almost true, but never always completely true.

 

[Nirvana]

I am superior to all people.

 

[knowsbleed]

Yeah, for a crybaby.

 

[bullets]

There should be a "Curing Stereotypes" reality show. They gather together every walking stereotype you can find and try to get them to act in non-stereotypical ways.

Getting all these people together would be dangerous.

 

[Nell2ThaIzzay]

...really, I dont encounter too many stereotypes, and don't see how they can ever be generally applied to a group. I think people look for things to be stereotypical in people, then say that what they find validates exaggerated stereotypes which already exist.

Well, they definitely can't be applied to everyone generally, that is true.

I'm just in shock at how many people I encounter on a daily basis that are the stereotype, plain and simple.

I'm 26 years old, and it has only been recently, since my move to where I live now, that I have really encountered it.

Perhaps it's just where I live. I mean, the cultural population here is definitely much different than where I grew up. I was the only white kid pretty much where I spent the first 24 years of my life. Not the case where I live now.

And where I work, it just seems like everyone embodies the damned stereotypes, and it gets frustrating. I guess that's what happens tho when you work in the ghetto.

 

[E-Man]

Most stereotypes are just poorly thought out assumptions that stem from seeing someone exotic perform a normal act. Think about what type of stereotypes there are. Black people love chicken, kool aid, and watermelon. Well duh, those are popular products that many people like. It's obvious that plenty of people like those products, but the difference is when people leave their racially divided neighborhoods. They see a black person, and anything the black person does represents the entire race, because most people don't think long enough to realize that people are different. I meet alot of people by being in sales and marketing, and I can tell you that most people of all races like chicken and watermelon. Kool Aid never gets brought up, but I'm sure plenty of non black people drink it.

Asians can't drive? That's the dumbest one I've heard. I live in the 4th largest metropolitan area in the United States, and as a by product we get terrible traffic and drivers. I've sen way too many terrible white, black, and Latino drivers to know that it's not just Asians that can't drive. Sure there are some Asians that can't drive, but that's normal for any race.

White people love coffee and dogs? Yes that's true, but so do many other races. You have no idea how many black people love Starbucks. It drives me insane because I freaking hate Starbucks! There are Starbucks 5 minutes from the "ghetto" for a reason. Starbucks is an evil corporation that's getting our brethren addicted to intangible crack, they know to get all races involved in their conspiracy. All races love dogs too. It's not just white people that go gaga over their dogs. I've done many presentations of peoples homes and they had more than one dog.

Arab people are terrorists? This is by far the most ******ed stereotype there is now. I'm not going to turn this into a political thread, but Timothy McVeigh and the Unabomber didn't look Arab to me. Once again, people see what they deem as someone exotic, and they associate those people with their entire race.

The only stereotype that is real is that black women are loud. This is the equivalent of me throwing a chair in this thread.

 

[bullets]

This thread was designed to trick somebody into saying something racist.

 

[Colossal Spoons]

^and C.Lee will pounce on that ass.

 

[terry78]

White people can't dance, black people can't swim. Each of those will eventually cause you to lose face at some point because someone will always force you to do one of the two, so there. We're even.

 

[The Original Bamfer]

Stereotypes are ridiculous. Why? Because they're not legitimate. All white people can't dance? No, some can. All black people can dance? No, some can't. Asians are bad drivers? So are some white people. So are some black people. See what I'm getting at?

The only thing that reinforces stereotypes is society's acceptance of them.

 

[DeGenerate10]

One time I was the cashier at the groccery store I work at and this one older black guy bought: fired chicken, watermelon, and kool-aid. I was thinking damn he had to buy every stereotypical food he could find.

 

[E-Man]

Stereotypes are ridiculous. Why? Because they're not legitimate. All white people can't dance? No, some can. All black people can dance? No, some can't. Asians are bad drivers? So are some white people. So are some black people. See what I'm getting at?

The only thing that reinforces stereotypes is society's acceptance of them.

Exactly. The last sentence is brilliant, because we see what we want to see in things. Just look at sports. Too often a player or team is characterized as something incorrectly. Mike Tyson gets looked at as a brutish slugger without much technique sometimes, and that couldn't be further from the truth. People just wanted him to be a big bully, when the truth is that he was insanely talented and skilled in his prime. We hear so much about stereotypes that when we see a hint of them we run with it. All joking aside, black women are no louder than any other type of woman. It's just that when one talks loud people think,"Look at her. She's talking loud. Just like in the encyclopedia."

 

[bullets]

One time I was the cashier at the groccery store I work at and this one older black guy bought: fired chicken, watermelon, and kool-aid. I was thinking damn he had to buy every stereotypical food he could find.

No cause for alarm there . I wouldn't of thought about it.

 

[knowsbleed]

I'm black and I am an excellent swimmer.

 

[bossman550]

^ watch it lol

 

[Gilpesh]

black people can't swim.

Especially at the white pool.