Stereotype!

First, define the term stereotype (in your own words). Then answer the following questions in your blog posting. How are you most likely to be stereotyped? What characteristics of the stereotype would be generally true about you? What characteristics would be completely untrue? What does this tell you about the role of stereotyping in communicating with others? Finally, why are stereotypes harmful? How can stereotypes be helpful to humans? 

         Stereotype is when you categorized a group of people, place, or event.  When I meet people, they tend to ask me where I am from, and what is my ethnicity.  Sometimes, people make prejudice stereotypes, and sometimes they make good ones.  I would most likely to be stereotyped as not a fluent English speaker, or that I don't understand English.  Especially if they know I am not born in the United States.  Other stereotypes I've heard about me are that I am quiet, shy, and I keep to myself.  There has been some I consider to be prejudice stereotypes about me.  I don't think about it, because I don't want it to linger in my life.  One negative stereotype I had once was, how are OUR men like?  Someone once asked me that.  To me, men are all the same.  

        The characteristics that are generally true about me are that I am a shy person, and I am quiet at times.  I do keep to myself, if you are a stranger.  The characteristics that are not true about me is that I don't speak English fluently, and that I don't understand English.  It's funny, because whenever a nurse calls me from the hospital about my kid's they usually have an interpreter.  I don't say anything, because I don't want to be rude.  Sometimes the way the interpreter interprets to me makes it more confusing.  This tells me that the role of stereotyping in communicating with others is important.  Especially when you are dealing with some of another culture or gender.  Some people don't know how to separate fact from inferences.  Sometimes they just assume things to be what they think it is.  

       Stereotypes are harmful because our world is so diverse now that there are so many different kind of people.  Everyone is different.  If you don't know about a culture, and you communicate in the wrong way, it could lead to big problems.  It can be helpful to humans because we can all learn to appreciate each other.  We can learn about others before stereotyping.  Maybe stereotype can help us learn more about each other.