What are Cultural Stereotypes?
Cultural stereotyping is when a person makes an assumption about another individual or group based on their appearance. Whether the assumption is true or not, stereotyping is a form of prejudice. To put it more simply, prejudice means the prejudgment of something. Due to stereotyping, many groups have experienced racism and discrimination. This might include religion, race, sex, social class, and more. Many have accepted stereotypes as true since they are commonly used, but in reality, most are incorrect.
Asian Stereotypes
I will be focusing on Asian stereotypes as I have dealt with them in the past. Asians are known to be smart, intelligent, etc. This is not at all true and puts Asians at a high standard, especially when applying to colleges. They are stereotyped to be excellent in school, especially in math. The truth is most Asians feel they have to work twice as hard to prove themselves to their parents and peers. As an immigrant myself, I feel like I had an extremely hard time catching up. I had to learn the basics of English, math, science, and more. Stereotyping happens in the same race. From the New York Times, South and Southeast Asians are considered less intelligent than East Asians. From reports of hate crimes, South Asians are targeted and labeled as terrorists.
With the coronavirus still rapidly spreading and infecting innocent lives, Asians are being ostracized. Especially in 2020, many hate crimes against Asians were reported. Reports from NBC news shows that there were more than 2,500 cases of hate crimes against Asians related to COVID-19 alone, some even go unreported.
How to reduce Stereotyping?
There are many ways to break down the stereotypes embedded in our society. Instead of assuming someone is smart, test them and see if they meet certain requirements. Giving every applicant the same test regardless of their race, gender, or religion. Stereotyping and racism are also taught. If someone you know makes false assumptions about a group of people, explain to them why they shouldn’t do so. The main way is to educate yourself. Be on the lookout for news that stereotypes a group based solely on their appearances. In the future, get to know that person before judging them, as it can be incorrect and hurtful to them. It is important to note that just because one person from a group does something unacceptable does not mean that the whole group is the same.
Sources:
Boey, Anita. “Research Guides: Cross Cultural Differences in Organizational Contexts (Graduate/Undergraduate - IRE 1725 and RSM 462): Home.” Industrial Relations and Human Resources Library, 16 Feb. 2021, guides.library.utoronto.ca/crossculturaldifferences.
Song, Zijia Jennifer Eleanor Vázquez. “Study Shows Rise of Hate Crimes, Violence Against Asian Americans During the Pandemic.” NBC New York, 12 Feb. 2021, www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/study-shows-rise-of-hate-crimes-violence-against-asian-americans-in-nyc-during-covid/2883215.
Times, The New York. “Confronting Asian-American Stereotypes.” The New York Times [New York], 23 June 2018, www.nytimes.com/2018/06/23/us/confronting-asian-american-stereotypes.html.
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