Being Stereotyped

Misti has written our second entry on chapter 5, and is what she said about her photo: "This is my Daddy Guido and me. Yes, Guido, like the name. No, not Guido like the 'Jersey Shore'-inspired stereotype...I was 2 years old. We were at Micky's grove in Stockton, which is like Storyland here in Fresno." Misti has shared quite a bit of insight here about stereotypes, so happy reading!


Chapter five was the chapter about stereotypes. These categories that we place people into may not seem offensive to us, but the moment we say them we may offend someone we care about without trying. In this chapter, Ranya, Suzanne, and Priscilla discuss the stereotypes that they hold about each others' religions. This ultimately brings them closer, but the beginning of the process stirs a huge emotional response and causes the women to look deeper into their personal beliefs about Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.

I think that this process was necessary in order to bring the women closer and make them more comfortable discussing sensitive subjects with each other. In class we did a prejudice reduction workshop that essentially opened our class up to the discussion of sensitive subjects such as our own cultural backgrounds. After that exercise, I was most interested in learning about the groups that I was least knowledgeable about. I agree with Ranya that most Americans view the common beliefs about Islam as truth rather than stereotypes. The typecasting that she commonly faces are based more on the ignorance people have surrounding Islam. Most people face the labels from prejudicial jokes rather than actual ignorance about a culture.

As a child I did not face as many religious or cultural stereotypes as I do now. Now that shows like "Jersey Shore" are popular, all Italians are viewed as being that way. I want people to understand that being called a Guido or Guidette is not offensive to me, but the characteristics that come along with the name are. My dad’s name is Guido and he is not a “Juice Head” or a “Gorilla,” but he is a biker, and I am sure that he would rather be stereotyped into that category because it is one of his passions. We are more willing to accept jokes that come along with a choice we have made in our life rather than something that we were born with, like ethnicity.

Reading this chapter made me think about how a child learns to stereotype. A child notices differences in a purely observational way. Adults give children the language to not only see those differences as positive or negative, but also to view their own characteristics as superior. Stereotyping is a learned behavior and by teaching children to be culturally competent, we can teach children to also avoid stereotyping. As Child Development majors, we have discussed many things about learned behaviors in children, but we often talk about the positive learned behaviors. I realize that learned behaviors are not all positive; in fact, some learned behaviors are hurtful.

I believe it is up to teachers, caretakers, and parents to teach children to be accepting of others and curious about beliefs different than their own. When I have children of my own, and a career working with children, I would like to encourage them to be curious. Children should feel free to ask questions and learn about the cultures surrounding them. The more children feel comfortable to ask, the better their language will become when talking about differences. They will establish the vocabulary necessary to discuss differences between people without offending anyone.

The women in this book face stereotypes within their own small group. This chapter makes me wonder how their parenting skills changed after their discussion. Did the women talk to their children about combating stereotypes and overcoming the stereotypical beliefs we have about others?