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What Is a Stereotype?

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Submitted By bridgea6
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What is a stereotype? Stereotypes that I am aware of are cultural, groups of individuals, sexual stereotypes, and men vs. women. “The definition of a stereotype is any commonly known public belief about a certain social group or a type of individual. Stereotypes are often confused with prejudices, because, like prejudices, a stereotype is based on a prior assumption. Stereotypes are often created about people of specific cultures or races. Almost every culture or race has a stereotype, including Jewish people, Blacks, Irish people, and Polish people, among others. Stereotypes are not just centered on different races and backgrounds, however. Gender stereotypes also exist. For example, if you say that men are better than women, you’re stereotyping all men and all women. If you say that all women like to cook, you are stereotyping women. Sexual orientation stereotypes are also common. These stereotypes occur when you have negative views on gays, lesbians, and transgender individuals. People who have these negative views are often known as homophobic (Stereotype Examples)”. Our concerns of people that are different from us would be: are these people okay to be around, will they attempt to hurt me if I wear this color, what is their motive or way of thinking, people who wear their pants below their butts are gangsters, and etc.. I find myself curious of other people’s identities that are from a different culture because I always ask myself "how differently were they raised by their parents". I am worried about other people who wear their pants below their butts because it makes me think they’re a gangster or people who look weird. I feel the need to watch myself around people of this type because they seem to be the violent or creepy people you see on the news. I appreciate a lot of things about the opposite sex because they are here for me to friend/date. The person I

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