Stereotyping

Jalisa Mapp

English 1102

Professor Gwaltney

April 29, 2014

Research Paper

People are described in many ways in today's time. Whether the descriptions are demeaning or uplifting many of the ways people describe one another cast expectations upon one's character whether pertaining to gender or race. These expectations causes individuals to be seen in ways which more times than not fall far from what he or she is capable of doing. Many people throughout the world are the victims of this type of judgment whether he or she knows it or not. The most common for of criticism are forms of stereotyping built upon gender and racial generalizations. For decades men and women have both been compared to one another and studied to see who performs best when taking test, completing similar jobs, and even health related issues. Questions have been asked upon which gender or race is better but this cannot be determined because each individual has his or her own special qualities regardless of their gender or skin color.

According to Merriam-Webster’s dictionary, the act of stereotyping is to believe unfairly that all people or things with a particular characteristic are the same. Whether or not we attempt to stray from making these generalizations made up by society is up to each individual. For most people casting judgment is a natural occurrence that is instilled in us all and takes place extremely fast. Upon first glance an outsider will cast and place expectations and traits on individuals whom he or she has never known based upon visuals. These gender and racial generalizations can be found everywhere including the job market, judicial issues, and even the education system. While there are many racial and gender generalizations which cause a great deal of deception to an individual's character, it is up to people to be strong. Individuals must not fall into being the way he or she is represented regardless of their upbringing or class status. Never fall to...