Stereotyping has been prevalent for centuries, and is still very common in society today. Even though they are very hurtful, people continue to judge anyone who isn't just like them, or who doesn't "fit the mold."
In "The General History of Virginia," by John Smith, Native Americans are automatically regarded as "savages" just because they live differently than the European settlers. It didn't matter to the whites that they could help them or were just different but still human, because they weren't the same they were deemed "stern barbarians," and below them. In William Bradford's "Of Plymouth Plantation," Native Americans are treated the same way. Although they help the settlers, they are still just thought to be savages.
This week the students of Troy High had an assembly where Mykee Fowlin, a public speaker against bullying and stereotyping, gave his "speech" and talked about how it affects people. Mykee was very good at voices, so he used props and changed his voice to turn into different types of people to show how hurtful stereotypes can really be. One of his examples was an African American boy in high school, on the football team, but had a thing for his best bud. Now, most people wouldn't expect him to be gay; most people would think, "Oh, he's black and tough and on the football team, he must have had tons of hot girlfriends!" Really most people would expect anything but him being gay. This just goes to show how different people are then what stereotypes say, no matter what gender, age or race they are.
Sunday, September 30, 2012
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Native Americans in a Pickle
Throughout America's history, Native Americans have been treated unfairly and marginalized. They haven't had the same educational opportunities, they're extremely stereotyped and thus, are in a pickle.
One example of a Native American that has been through a lot of stereotyping and has faced a lot of unequal treatment is Sherman Alexie. In "Indian Education," he tells the reader how he was stereotyped during his school years. For example, Alexie says in second grade his teacher "gave me a test designed for junior high students. When I spelled all the words right, she crumpled up the paper and made me eat it." Even in second grade Alexie was being treated unfairly, even by teachers. Another example is another story by Alexie, "The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven." In this story, Alexie tells the reader about one of the many times he was the victim of stereotyping. One night Alexie walks to a 7-11 and when he walks in, he can see the cashier as he eyes him suspiciously, watching him, afraid he'll shoot or rob him. Alexie recognizes this look and realizes that because of his dark skin and long hair, he fits the stereotype and decides to have a little fun. He walks through the store, looking down the aisles, and doesn't answer the clerk's questions right away just to make him nervous. When he gets to the counter, the clerk turns his back and asks him to clarify which size Slurpee he wanted and Alexie plays with his mind but the cashier notices. Alexie then jokes with him and reveals that he was just playing off of the stereotype. Just because he had dark skin and long hair didn't mean that he was "bad news" or going to shoot the cashier.
Another example of unequal treatment and marginalization of people from history is how African Americans were treated and regarded as lower than white people. To explain, African Americans definitely did not have all of the same opportunities that white people had, such as colleges or careers. They were also marginalized in that they were discriminated against just because of their skin color and weren't getting paid the same amount as white people were for the same jobs, and they could only use bathrooms and schools that were "black only."
One example of a Native American that has been through a lot of stereotyping and has faced a lot of unequal treatment is Sherman Alexie. In "Indian Education," he tells the reader how he was stereotyped during his school years. For example, Alexie says in second grade his teacher "gave me a test designed for junior high students. When I spelled all the words right, she crumpled up the paper and made me eat it." Even in second grade Alexie was being treated unfairly, even by teachers. Another example is another story by Alexie, "The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven." In this story, Alexie tells the reader about one of the many times he was the victim of stereotyping. One night Alexie walks to a 7-11 and when he walks in, he can see the cashier as he eyes him suspiciously, watching him, afraid he'll shoot or rob him. Alexie recognizes this look and realizes that because of his dark skin and long hair, he fits the stereotype and decides to have a little fun. He walks through the store, looking down the aisles, and doesn't answer the clerk's questions right away just to make him nervous. When he gets to the counter, the clerk turns his back and asks him to clarify which size Slurpee he wanted and Alexie plays with his mind but the cashier notices. Alexie then jokes with him and reveals that he was just playing off of the stereotype. Just because he had dark skin and long hair didn't mean that he was "bad news" or going to shoot the cashier.Another example of unequal treatment and marginalization of people from history is how African Americans were treated and regarded as lower than white people. To explain, African Americans definitely did not have all of the same opportunities that white people had, such as colleges or careers. They were also marginalized in that they were discriminated against just because of their skin color and weren't getting paid the same amount as white people were for the same jobs, and they could only use bathrooms and schools that were "black only."
Thursday, September 6, 2012
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