Let's chat about stereotypes - what are some you may have, and where do they come from?

The Straight Story

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Sat Feb-17-07 11:05 PM
Original message

Let's chat about stereotypes - what are some you may have, and where do they come from?

My first experience with the word stereotype was in the 5th grade during social studies. When the teacher asked us about the term most of us thought it had to do with record players. What did we know? We just wanted recess to get here so we could go play kickball (which is the only sport I was ever good at, except for chess -- unless sex is a sport).

So I got to thinking tonight about all the stereotypes I have held over the years, and still do, and wondering where in the hell I got them from.

The obvious breakdown - tv, movies, personal experience (which, when validated by tv/movies/news/books/et al becomes all the more ingrained and powerful).

I'll start with gay males - when my best friend came out to me we had already been best friends for about 12 years (we met when we were 13, we are 41 now...where does the time go????).

He was nervous, we sat on my front porch and he told me. I just shrugged and said 'I don't care, can't say I blame ya, I like hanging out with men more than women myself' and we laughed about it. It was a shock because he did not then, nor now, fit the 'profile'. Few people he knows even know he is gay still, he just does not make it their business (though the rainbow flag on his car is hint if you ask me).

So what is the profile and where did it come from? Queer eye for the straight guy, entertainers, fashion show hosts, etc and so on - people 'sense' someone is gay based on a profile of what one should be (my friend, as others, call it gaydar.)

Leaving all that open, I will move on:
Black people: Chicken, chitlings, love basketball, etc and so on.
My other best friend in high school was a black guy, Dave, who was on the chess team, dad was a preacher, and he did not like any of the above things all that well (and, um, who doesn't like chicken??).
So where did the many stereotypes come from? On the personal scale I can say one was validated to me on a personal and other level (see others above) - I was doing some construction work with my now X-bro-in-law and we were at a black ladies' home. Single, 4 kids, and a freezer full of chitlings (how would I know that you ask? We were tearing up the room her freezer was in and she asked us to get em out for her as she could not squeeze in through the doorway as it was partially dismantled - them old houses have some nasty ass insulation btw). I had never, ever, seen them in my life until that day. Don't say I care to again.

Women: What man doesn't have some sort of bead on women they have learned and then had backed up by hollywood and crew? And no matter how many stereotypes you have, you end up swearing the one your with is nothing like that, until you split up :)

-------------------------------------------------

So anyway - looking back I see a life time of useless misinformation put out to identify in a short blurb everything essential you need to know about group X (and that includes us white guys, we are the bad guys in films, powerful, running corporations, and trying to take over the world. We also beat and abuse small animals in our off hours while guzzling beer on the way to a hunt).

What stereotypes have you ever had that were shattered - and what ones do you still possibly cling to if any?

One simple test to take - the word association game.

I say Christian
republican
conservative
woman
straight
gay
islam
Liberal
etc.

And in a sense, I am scared that many in america who might play this game would have some damned awful things to say when they hear a term.