What is a Stereotype?

A "stereotype is a generalization about a person or group of persons. We develop stereotypes when we are unable or unwilling to obtain all of the information we would need to make fair judgments about people or situations.. In the absence of the first-hand experience or knowledge, stereotypes allow us to fill in the blanks. Our society often creates and perpetuates stereotypes, and these stereotypes often lead to unfair discrimination and persecution when the stereotype is unfavorable, as it often is. Stereotypes aren't only based on race, but can include gender, culture and sexual orientation as well.

For example, you are walking through the park late at night and encounter three elderly women walking their dogs, we may not feel as threatened as if we were met by three high school-aged boys wearing hoodies and baggy jeans. Why is this? We have made a generalization in each case. These generalizations have their roots in experiences we have had ourselves, read about in books and magazines, seen in movies or television, or have had related to us by friends and family. In some cases, these stereotypical generalizations may be somewhat accurate. Yet, in almost every case, we are resorting to prejudice by ascribing characteristics about a person based on a stereotype, without knowledge of all of the facts. By stereotyping, we assume that a person or group has certain characteristics. Quite often, we have stereotypes about persons who are members of groups with which we have had no firsthand contact.

Television, books, comic strips, movies and more are all abundant sources of stereotyped characters. Stereotypes have become intertwined with popular culture. The images, videos and words I have selected all address the issue of stereotypes in various forms. The overall theme I would like you to keep in the back of your mind is how stereotypes and biases affect your everyday life and your life as an educator.

Beau Sia - Def Poetry Jam - NSFW

White Privilege

White Privilege Checklist

Peggy McIntosh, Associate Director of the Wellesley College Center for Research on Women,
describes white privilege as “an invisible package of unearned assets, which I can count on cashing
in each day, but about which I was ‘meant’ to remain oblivious. White privilege is like an invisible
weightless knapsack of special provisions, maps, passports, code books, visas, clothes, tools, and
blank checks” (McIntosh, 1989).

The following are examples of ways white individuals have privilege because they are white. Please
read the list and place a check next to the privileges that apply to you or that you have
encountered.

___ 1. I can arrange to be in the company of people of my race most of the time.
___ 2. I can go shopping alone most of the time, pretty well assured that I will not be followed
or harassed.
___ 3. I can turn on the television or open to the front page of the paper and see people of my
race widely represented.
___ 4. When I am told about our national heritage or about “civilization,” I am shown that people
of my color made it what it is.
___ 5. I can be sure that my children will be given curricular materials that testify to the
existence of their race.
___ 6. I can go into a music shop and count on finding the music of my race represented, into a
supermarket and find the food I grew up with, into a hairdresser’s shop and find someone
who can deal with my hair.
___ 7. Whether I use checks, credit cards, or cash, I can count on my skin color not to work
against the appearance of financial responsibility.
___ 8. I am not made acutely aware that my shape, bearing, or body odor will be taken as a
reflection on my race.
___ 9. I can worry about racism without being seen as self-interested or self-seeking.
___ 10. I can take a job or enroll in a college with an affirmative action policy without having my
co-workers or peers assume I got it because of my race.
___ 11. I can be late to a meeting without having the lateness reflect on my race.
___ 12. I can choose public accommodation with out fearing that people of my race cannot get in
or will be mistreated.
___ 13. I am never asked to speak for all of the people of my racial group.
___ 14. I can be pretty sure that if I ask to talk with the “person in charge” I will be facing a
person of my race.
___ 15. If a traffic cop pulls me over or if the IRS audits my tax return, I can be sure I haven’t
been singled out because of my race.
___ 16. I can easily by posters, postcards, picture books, greeting cards, dolls, toys, and
children’s magazines featuring people of my race.
___ 17. I can choose blemish cover or bandages in “flesh” color and have them more or less match
my skin.
___ 18. I can do well in a challenging situation without being called a credit to my race.
___ 19. I can walk into a classroom and know I will not be the only member of my race.
___ 20. I can enroll in a class at college and be sure that the majority of my professors will be of
my race.

Racial privilege is only one form of privilege. What are other examples of privilege? (e.g. privilege based on
gender, sexual orientation, class, and religion). Can you think of ways one might have privilege based on these
factors? (e.g. that you do not have to worry about being verbally or physically harassed because of your
sexual orientation; or you can be sure that your religious holiday will be acknowledged and represented in
store displays, classroom discussions, etc.).

Poetry on Stereotypes

Poetry is a powerful way in which meaning and feelings can be expressed. Read the following three poems and think about what issue with stereotypes they are presenting. What perspective is the author offering on stereotypes? What feelings do you have after reading these poems?

Incident - Countee Cullen

Once riding in old Baltimore,
Heart-filled, head-filled with glee;
I saw a Baltimorean
Keep looking straight at me.

Now I was eight and very small,
And he was no whit bigger,
And so I smiled, but he poked out
His tongue, and called me, "Nigger."

I saw the whole of Baltimore
From May until December;
Of all the things that happened there
That's all that I remember.


I Am Me - SaraTalon

I am a girl
That makes me weak
I am Japanese
That makes me naϊve
I am bisexual
That makes me a slut
I am an artist
That makes me a drug addict
I am a Wiccan
That makes me evil
But what it really makes me
Is me


Sure, You Can Ask Me a Personal Question - Diane Burns

How do you do?
No, I am not Chinese.
No, not Spanish.
No, I am American Indi-uh, Native American.
No, not from India.
No, not Apache.
No, not Navajo.
No, not Sioux.
No, we are not extinct.
Yes, Indian.
Oh?
So, that's where you got those high cheekbones.
Your great grandmother, huh?
An Indian Princess, huh?
Hair down to there?
Let me guess. Cherokee?
Oh, so you've had an Indian friend?
That close?
Oh, so you've had an Indian lover?
That tight?
Oh, so you've had an Indian servant?
That much?
Yeah, it was awful what you guys did to us.
It's real decent of you to apologize.
No, I don't know where you can get peyote.
No, I don't know where you can get Navajo rugs real cheap.
No, I didn't make this. I bought it at Bloomingdale's.
Thank you. I like your hair too.
I don't know if anyone knows whether or not Cher is really Indian.
No, I didn't make it rain tonight.
Yeah. Uh-huh. Spirituality.
Uh-huh. Yeah. Spirituality. Uh-huh. Mother
Earth. Yeah Uh'huh. Uh-huh. Spirituality.
No, I didn't major in archery.
Yeah, a lot of us drink too much.
Some of us can't drink enough.
This ain't no stoic look.
This is my face.

Images of Stereotypes

Stereotypes have become a pop culture phenomenon. These posters exhibit several examples of pervasive stereotypes in our society. After viewing the posters, do you take them as funny/silly tongue in cheek examples of stereotypes? That by making light of something we are removing the negative connotation of that particular stereotype. Or, do you find them offensive no matter what message they are trying to get across. How do you think students would react to these images?