Essay Sample about Racial Stereotypes

Stereotypes, defined as “a widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing”.  As human beings we evaluate almost everything we come into contact with. We fabricate inferences based on what we perceive, and even who we perceive. These inferences can be based on our ideas, morals, and values. These inferences aren't always positive, but can be relatively judgemental and at times even insulting. These inferences can be based on stereotypes, stereotypes are considered “cognitive structures” that contain an individual's “knowledge, belief and expectations about human groups”.   Racial stereotypes are a system of beliefs about the distinctive characteristics of a given ethnic group.  Why must there be a need to generalize a whole race based on a few characteristics? Only relying on stereotypes to make assumptions about people is not accurate nor should it be socially acceptable.

Think about some stereotypes, one example could be that girls aren’t as exceptional at sports as guys. That is a generalization which is also seen to some as the truth. How do stereotypes affect people's everyday lives? Well some people face the negative portion of these stereotypes every single day. Solely because of their skin color. This stereotype falls under the category of racial stereotypes. In a majority of cases racial stereotypes are negative, an example of this can be the stereotype that people of the African diaspora who do not live in America are considered to be poor. Which is evidently inaccurate because this is just a belief not backed by any statistics or scientific studies. The fact that it exists as a stereotype means that there are some people who believe this to be true.  Racial stereotypes are wrong, in order to adjust this way of thinking we must be more mindful of our thought processes and inferences about other people.

A very relevant example of racial stereotypes is in Persepolis Marjane's mother goes on to explain about how prior to the war they were treated pleasantly when traveling because they were citizens of Iran. After the war when the Satrapi family were traveling they were frowned upon and stereotyped to be terrorists. This is a prime example of racial stereotypes created due to ignorance of the true circumstance which in turn directly affected the Satrapi family. Due to these stereotypes impacting society's view of certain groups of people based on race, they had a direct impact on the daily lives of these ethnic groups.  We see another example of racial stereotypes during the post slavery Jim Crow Era. The stereotypes which were  created usually targeted African Americans in order to oppress them. One of the very popular racial stereotypes was “The Savage”.  This stereotype propelled itself through movies and media, suggesting that the “Black man” was an uncivilized threatening brute. Some racist extremist groups such as the KKK used this stereotype to justify the lynchings of innocent black men. These stereotypes of the animal-like savage were used to rationalize the harsh treatment and even murder of African Americans. These stereotypes caused much harm to these ethnic groups and to some degree still have that effect, an example could be modern day police brutality in America. To address racial stereotypes and the brutal history that they have we should be emphasizing inclusivity in the learning environment especially in early childhood so children can develop a strong foundation and understanding of why racial exclusivity and generalizations are wrong. As of now there is an effort to address it in the early childhood curriculum but there needs to be a more straightforward objective. Exposing these stereotypes for the brutal reality of what they are and educating the general public on the subject should be the goal; whether it be achieved through media, curriculum, or through another communication source.

In conclusion racial stereotypes are inaccurate and not scientifically backed. Racial stereotypes shouldn’t be part of our thought process when observing others and creating inferences about them. As people we must understand the different types of situations people experience due to certain factors, we also must come to terms with how we can improve our social interactions with others. Doing away with racial stereotypes is one step closer to the goal of racial inclusivity.