Being in college I have exposed to so many different cultures. From Ghana to Japan, there are just so many different cultures and different ethnicities. And I love it. It’s one of the best things about my school. My school encourages students to study abroad and experience new cultures. They even give you a free passport to do so. But as days go by, I have noticed more and more about stereotypes. Normally I wouldn’t give it a second thought because where I grew up, it was mostly white. Yeah, people were probably 45 percent Irish or something. But mostly it was a white population. My high school did this thing where we would send a kid to study in another county and then we would get a foreign exchange student. I didn’t even realize this until I was a senior. Now, when I hear a general stereotype or a racist comment, I get really mad.
Tattoos and piercings
Just because someone has tattoos or has piercings, doesn’t mean they are a bad person. I know so many different people that has tattoos all over their bodies or have many different piercings and they are the nicest people I have ever meet. This is just how they express themselves. I would much rather spend my time with them because they are most likely the sweetest person versus the person who is against tattoos. I know a girl who has so many tattoos and she is the nicest, sweetest, most determined person I have ever meet. Each one of her tattoos means something to her and that’s what makes getting something permeant sketched on your body worth it.
Women in the kitchen.
Women work just as hard as men and we are told that we are told no most of the times. We aren’t good at sports or we aren’t as smart as men. In movies and TV shows, women are shown to be the stay at home mom. Don’t get me wrong, that’s a big job in itself. But most of the time, some women are forced to stay at home with the kids. It’s not a choice. Some families believe that men are the backbone to a family and they are the ones that are supposed to bring home money for the family. Now a days, times are definitely changing, but there are still some people who believe that men are better at most things like sports. I don’t care for sports, but women should be given a fair and equal chance at most things. There is women’s basketball, soccer, swimming, golf, and many others. The only thing missing is a professional women’s football team.
Racial Stereotypes.
This is something that makes me mad. Even madder than the past two stereotypes we have talked about. Like I said in the beginning, I wouldn’t even blink when someone would say anything. But now, I instantly get mad. From stereotypes against Asians, Latinos, African Americans, Native Americans, Italians, Irish people, and the British. I don’t know where these originated. I don’t believe that people should be generalized by race or ethnicity. The worst part is when movies and TV shows glorify these things. They either make the Asian kid insanely smart, they make it look like a Hispanic person a drug addict, or even the African American lives in a bad neighborhood.
It kills me to say this, but people still believe in these things. Some people say these things as a joke. They may think it’s the funniest thing in the word, but in all honesty it’s not a joke. People can be hurt by these. Especially if young kids here these things, it can confuse them and make the question themselves. I try very hard to not generalize people and make quick judgments about different races and I suggest people stop this as well.
