Stereotypes

4 Pages 989 Words

Stereotypes

Discrimination is seen in our minds as images that show a specific feature or trait about one group. These are prejudgments or stereotypes W.T. Lhamon Jr say that:
"People simplify the intellectual images they maintain of specific ethnic groups, including their own, often in cruel or damaging ways. Poor white Southerners ("Crackers") are said to be slow, red-necked, and fat. Immigrant Italians ("Wops") are said to be short, oily, and hot-tempered. Upper-class whites ("WASPs") are said to be greedy, emotionally cold, and haughty. Negroes ("Niggers") are said to be stupid, promiscuous, and happy. These generalizations are not accurate, but they are spread widely - not only by word of mouth but also through images in television, movies, newspapers, music, comic books, talk shows, pseudo-scientific research, and even textbooks," (Lhamon Jr. 1)
There are many reasons why individuals become prejudice. This could be how that individual was raised or something that they have seen or experienced during their lifetime. These stereotypes are based on what others tell us coming from families, teachers, friends, and the media. Prejudice is something that we experience in our everyday life through stereotypes. These stereotypes seem harmless but eventually lead to discrimination. Unfortunately, people feel stereotypes in the workplace, at school, and in our everyday society.
These prejudices come about in many ways, one of which is through family life. The parents have their own beliefs and consequently the children eventually feel the same way because they do not know differently. In Flannery O’Connor’s short story “Everything That Rises Must Converge,” you see how because Julian’s mother had grown up in a society that thought they were better then blacks and she thought that she was better then blacks (247). The parent’s influence is one of the largest components that lead to prejudice in our society. This infl...