Hello, again dear reader!
While it is somewhat late in the week, and I humbly submit to you, this article; fueled by only caffeine and my own ambition not to be a failure. Now that that is out of the way, why don't we delve into the subject for the week: Stereotypes!
Now, of course, some of our more seasoned subscribers are probably wondering as to why I am once again delving into this subject when It has been covered in a variety of ways by many authors on this page. The answer is quite simple dear reader… where are going the stereotypes that society had deemed acceptable. Now, dear reader, you may be currently saying to yourself: “What is this crazy human talking about?! What would we ever consider a stereotype to be ok!? YOU’RE A MADMAN!”, I can assure you I am not. You see, the reason that we accept these stereotypes is mere because often, they can be one of many things. They can be too nice, kind on the surface (hiding a hateful message many overlooks), or possibly are reinforced by a large majority of the global population.
Starting, why don't we look into stereotypes accepted by society, simply because the majority of society believes them. Take for example the reputation of America on the global scale. Now as a person, dear reader, you are most likely to ponder this idea for a moment, especially if you have never heard the opinions on the US, from members of another country. You may look at yourself and believe that you are a well-read, reasonable human being, and to the world you are! However, the grim reality is that in the eyes of the rest of the world, intellectuals like yourself, dear readers, are the minority in America. For many not belonging to the land of the free, that list of stereotypes is quite long, with words such as bigotry, racist, obese, loud, arrogant, and gun-obsessed, most commonly is related to the country. Now, of course, these words more than likely shed some light on the more… unsavory factors of our country, however, no one can say that those words apply to all of America; nevertheless, the global population almost unanimously associate's things such as shotguns and fat people with our country. Thus it has become an acceptable stereotype.
Now, how about positive stereotypes? Now this would cover the two remaining factors, one being stereotypes that are commonly considered nice, and so are dismissed, and of course, stereotypes that have subliminal messages hidden within the niceties. It is the stereotypes such as “all homosexual men have terrific fashion sense” and “all women are caring and more in touch with their emotions” that have been commonly accepted by society, not as a stereotype but as common knowledge, and while there are members of these two groups that hold these traits, it is the act of grouping said people into a box supported by a societal norm that creates the issue.
So we have addressed these unspoken stereotypes that society has come to approve of, but I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't ask the question that I was hired to ask: how do we fix this issue to create a better tomorrow? Well of course this can be solved in several ways, but to briefly summarise, dear reader, it starts with yourself. Whether you are aware of it or not, we all have some form of bias against a specific group of people; whether that be by race, religion, sexuality, or even nationality (I for one can tell you that I have a deep loathing for the French Canadians, but that, dear reader, is a story for another time). As an individual, you, dear reader, must recognize these faults and biases, and work to stop them. If you hear yourself pass biases, correct yourself and continue. If you hear someone else do the same thing, politely remind them that it is a basis. We as people and as a community, have the ability and the know-how, to create a better world for every race, creed, religion, sexuality, etc, from the smallest minority, the largest majority, the global community can and must work to solve the issue of acceptable stereotypes; for in the grand scheme of the world, whether they are a complimentative stereotype, or even a stereotype that is recognized and backed by the entire world, it is our job to put aside these preconceived notions of each other, and simply work towards harmony.
I leave you today, dear reader, with a quote that I will leave in every one of my articles: There is always the possibility of a better tomorrow. What can you do to make it a reality?