Stereotypes By Linda Stowe
Stereotypes are there for a reason. This is a truism so common that Google will finish the sentence for you. Google then goes on to explain that stereotypes are a helpful way for us to make sense of our world. In 1922 American journalist Walter Lippmann is credited with coming up with the term in his book “Public Opinion.” Lippman described stereotypes as “mental shortcuts that can lead to oversimplified judgments about people or groups.”
Lippman may have been the first to label this way of judging our fellow man, but the practice has probably been around for a very long time. Stereotypes are so common we don’t even have to think about them. Which ironically is the flaw in using stereotypes. We don’t think. We walk into a diner and see some guy with glasses, a bad haircut and a pocket protector sitting alone. We ascribe the details we notice as nerdy and immediately pigeonhole that person.
It is not difficult to come up with any number of stereotypes: Men are bad at expressing emotions. Women are not good at math and science. Teenagers are rebellious and lazy. Asian Americans are good at math. African Americans are good athletes. Lawyers are greedy. Doctors are arrogant.
When we spend our time viewing the world in terms of stereotypes and don’t see people as individuals we miss out on so much. We miss opportunities for good relationships and create a divisive environment that can devolve into an “us vs. them” situation. Moreover, that kind of mindset can be turned onto oneself and limit a person’s potential. If someone believes a stereotype about themself, they might not even try to succeed in a certain area. Could that be why I am not good at math? I bought into the stereotype and didn’t even try.
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Polly here.
It is not for lack of trying, but I am bad at math. I’ve tried, as an adult, to get better. But I’m still bad at math.
When I first started learning math, I don’t know if I was aware of that stereotype. I had magical parents. They encouraged us to learn about anything we wanted.
So, in those early years? When I started learning math, I was great at it for a while. Addition, subtraction, multiplication, and even division were no problem for me. 2+2=4. See?
And yet, I got into higher maths like algebra, and everything went south. Maybe by that point, I had become aware of the stereotype.
All of this is neither here nor there. I don’t have a math brain, no matter what. But that is not what this is all about. It is about stereotypes. And what Linda wrote about is true.
If we buy into a belief about ourselves, we are shaped by that belief. Either for the positive or the negative. Whether we think we can or think we cannot, we are right. It will be true for us.
Believe well.
Stereotypes By Linda Stowe
