Stereotypes. Don`t define us.
A stereotype makes people give a definition of other persons who they meet for the first time. We easily decide who people are from their appearance, race, gender, where they were born, what kind of families they grew up in, or if they are rich or not. Some stereotypes can bring some advantages for us. We are able to make good impressions on someone who knew about us before. On the other hand, there are still some shortcomings about stereotypes and it will bring some influences occasionally in our lives.
For example, we think that Japanese are polite, French men are romantic or British men are gentlemen. When it comes to gender, most people think men are stronger, the women are careful about details and thoughtful of others. When we talk about race, white people are strong and have higher social status. Sometimes we will automatically think rich people are beautiful, fashionable, handsome and elegant. All of these are the benefits of stereotypes, and it can make people easier to give good impressions to others.
In contrast, there are not just good points to stereotypes. There are still lots of people who are affected by stereotypes. For instance, most people believe women are bad at driving or need to be cared for and men have a responsibility to work and earn money for families. Poor people usually have worse performance at school and they become criminals more easily. The person who is from a developing country has lower quality of life.
Nowadays, people get information from newspapers, TV or movies and we can use these media to change the situations. We can plan TV shows which are talking about the lives of people of developing countries or what their lives will be like if there are worker wife and house husband in a family.
It’s too difficult to reduce the stereotypes, but I think it will be better if we keep some good stereotypes and try to know the personality of someone before we judge him at the first meeting.
YOUR OPINION: STUDENT EXPERIENCES WITH STEREOTYPES
We asked our residents if they had ever experienced stereotyping while living in a different country or attending a specific uni.
DARYA LEVCHENKI [23, UKRAINE]: Have you ever experienced stereotyping? During an interview for a law firm in Cyprus, I was interviewed by a man who was willing to hire me simply based on my looks and country of origin. He didn’t even look at my CV. It was clear that he only wanted eye candy.
How did it make you feel? It made me feel exceedingly uncomfortable and disappointed. I really needed the job, however, I couldn’t allow myself to accept a job simply because of my appearance/ethnicity/gender. I respectfully declined the position explaining that this is not the way to treat women.
Do you think it’s possible to eliminate gender or ethnic stereotypes in your lifetime? Eliminating gender discrimination in the foreseeable future is probably impossible. To eliminate these stereotypes, I believe the government should strive to better regulate the existing laws, aimed at combating gender discrimination. More rigid and specific laws and public policy initiatives should be implemented that safeguard women’s rights as well as prohibit any type of gender discrimination in the workforce.
HUSSAN SALIM KHAN [19, PAKISTAN]: Have you ever experienced stereotyping? When I came to London, a guy at college asked me where I was from. When I replied saying I was from Pakistan, he burst out laughing. Upon asking him why he was laughing, he asked me whether I had a bomb under my shirt.
How did it make you feel? It has become part of society, to judge people or call them names without actually knowing them. It’s nothing new, but it is really frustrating having to deal with the ignorance of people.
Do you think it’s possible to eliminate gender or ethnic stereotypes in your lifetime? I feel the Government and society itself can take action to alter the fate of stereotypical behaviour. The use of international media could play a vital role in diminishing the use of stereotypes. The government would also have to impose sanctions on media outlets and make sure there is no biased material from which people may develop stereotypical thoughts.
CHENG HU [20, CHINA]: Have you ever experienced stereotyping? The most common thing that people always assume is that just because I am Chinese I must be very good at Math. I still have to work just as hard as other people in the world.
How did it make you feel? I feel like this type of stereotype is just not necessary. Everyone has an equal chance to become good at anything as long as they work hard and don’t give up. I know who I am and I am not going to take it personally, especially from people who don’t even know me. My advice is to ignore meaningless stereotypes.
Do you think it’s possible to eliminate gender or ethnic stereotypes in your lifetime? I don’t think it’s possible to eliminate but can be changed over time. Women are gradually becoming accepted as leaders because they have shown that they are capable and have many good traits which men may be lacking. I am always trying hard in pursuing my own dreams. I think this is one way to show others that I am capable of doing things which they may have assumed I could not do.
3 590
18 698 
