...Is There A Typical American Teenager? I loved high school. I really did. I loved the football games, the dances, the people (sometimes), the clubs, my teachers, my friends, the list goes on. I probably liked high school more than a teenager usually does (I wasn't as eager to leave at graduation time as everyone else seemed to be). Throughout high school, judging by myself and all of my dynamic peers, it never once occurred to me who was 'typical" and who was not. However even at nineteen, my perception of a "typical" American teenager is the same as it was when I was seventeen: angst-y, dramatic, gossipy, party-hungry, and sexual. So if I was still in high school and had the same image of a "typical" teen as I do now, yet no one around me really embodied it, why did I have that image? Stereotypes. It is because of stereotypes that adults, and yes, even teenagers believe that said traits are what the typical American teenager embodies. There are stereotypes that classify 'cliques' in high school, and imply that all schools have cliques, but the main stereotype of "typical" teens seems to be one that groups all teens together under a view similar to mine of a "typical" teenager. These stereotypes are perpetuated mainly through media: movies, books, songs, and even news. They paint a picture of a teen who is, in my opinion after my own experiences and especially after watching American Teen, not very accurate. Having been an American teen, and being around them for so many years...
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...English Composition 101.0816 October 31, 2013 Don’t Let Stereotypes Warp Your Judgment The author’s essay “Don’t Let Stereotypes Warp Your Judgments” by Robert Heilbroner discusses about the many faces of stereotyping. Heilbroner reminds us that stereotyping affects many areas of our lives from how we view the world as a whole to how we view each individually. According to Heilbroner there is nothing positive/good about stereotyping. The author states that it makes people lazy thinkers and that it harms both the people we are stereotyping and ourselves. The author gives us three ways we can stop stereotyping people. My grandmother believed that all hispanic people are illiterate, dark colored and dangerous. I didn’t understand why she believed this; she didn’t even meet many hispanic people. I have never heard my grandmother say anything positive about hispanic people until my mother was part of the family. She must have seen or heard something negative said about hispanic people and now judges all hispanic people the same way. The judgment on my grandmother’s part is very unfair. She has not met every hispanic person in the world, so she can’t say that all hispanic people are illerterate and dangerous. She could say that a group of hispanic people was beating on a single person or wasn’t able to read, but as the author suggests we should not judge everyone by one man or just one specific incident. Which the first way the author gives to stop stereotyping...
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...may be more wingey than others and that may affect the parents in a negative way. They may become depressed and that may impact the child negatively as they may start to neglect the child. People stereotype thumb sucking at this age or nose picking, older children and adults would not pick their nose in public whereas infants have no understanding of embarrassment and may do this in public. People may stereotype infants to tantrums and breathe holding as a way of getting what they want. Some people stereotype infants in a very negative way and decide on not ‘wanting’ to have kids themselves as it is easier to live for yourself. For Childhood 4-9, people seem to think children are bad behaved. If someone has an only child, the stereo type is that the child is over protected and is spoilt and then grows up to be selfish and lonely. This stereotype may affect parents choices and they may not want that to happen and in result have more than one child. Children at this age seem to be very adventures as some people would say, also people stereotype girls to boys, they think boys are more dirtier and less behaved than girls, some people think boys cause more trouble and are more selfish and uncaring than girls which may or may not be true as every child is different, however a stereotype like this may affect the parents or even the child’s self-esteem and may change the way a parent is...
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...Mayhem When teenagers turn sixteen years old and are handed the keys to their parents’ cars, the affects drinking alcohol and cell phone usage have on their driving and motor safety have been pummeled into their brains. However, the affects of other factors such as, stress and emotions have not been emphasized as clearly. According to an article on DMV.org, “feeling worried or annoyed, whether it is related to driving or not, can have the same negative impact as an intense cell phone conversations or the consumption of alcoholic dinks” (Davis). Allstate is a well-respected auto insurance company, which thrives upon accident forgiveness and keeping their customers protected through safety campaigns. In July, Allstate launched its “Mayhem” series of commercial advertisements. In these commercials, Mayhem is portrayed as a physical person causing unavoidable trouble to automotive owners, such as sidewalk distractions, extreme weather conditions, young pets, and teenage destruction. Mayhem overall advertises that turmoil is everywhere and, without raising rates, Allstate will protect their drivers from these unavoidable dangers when other insurance companies will not. Allstate effectively advertises its services by using a credible actor, who humorously addresses emotional parental topics, and entertainingly exaggerating the teenage girl stereotype in a familiar setting. In this specific commercial, Mayhem is portraying an exaggerated, distracted, and emotional teenager who is driving...
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...We live in a society that is riddled with stereotypes. They come in many forms. Some examples include: gender-based, racial, sexual orientation, or stereotypes based on certain behaviors or personality traits. Stereotypes are damaging and can detract from one’s quality of life. We all tend to form these misconceptions about others at one time or another and have more than likely felt the lingering negative impact stereotypes can leave with a person. There are several stereotypes that I have experienced and felt the effects of in my life. The first one being something that I first noticed years ago when I was a teenager and I still experience it from time to time in my life. I am an introvert and have been confronted with the belief that if one is introverted it means they are “snobby” or “rude”. I have always had difficulties making conversation with others, especially when it comes to small talk with people I do not know very well. One could make an argument that if someone does not appear social or contribute to conversation that they must be rude. This is not a valid argument and is based on the fallacy referred to as hasty generalization. “The fallacy of hasty generalization is committed when one has inadequate support for the conclusion, but one still jumps to a conclusion.” (Mosser, 2011, section 4.2). One may encounter someone who seems a bit more reserved and not as extroverted and conclude that maybe the person does not want to be bothered. Conversation comes easily...
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...Appendix B Part I Define the following terms: Term Definition Stereotypes Unreliable, exaggerated generalizations about all members of a group that do not take individual differences into account. Prejudice A negative attitude toward an entire category of people, such as a racial group or ethnic minority. Labeling theory The view of deviance in which someone being labeled as a “deviant” leads a person to engage in deviant behavior. This theory was originated by Howard Becker’s work in the 1960s. The labeling theory explains why people’s behavior clashes with societal norms. Part II Select three of the identity categories below and name or describe at least 3 related stereotypes for each: • Race • Ethnicity • Religion • Gender • Sexual orientation • Age • Disability Category Stereotype 1 Stereotype 2 Stereotype 3 Religion All Muslim are terrorists. All Jews are cheap. All Mormons believe in polygamy. Age Children- loud, spoiled, and unintelligent Teens- Selfish, lazy, and unemployed Adults- Work-oriented, bossy, look down on teenagers Disability Emotionally disturbed Crippled Dumb Part III Answer each question in 100 to 150 words related to those stereotypes: • What are the positive aspects of the stereotypes, if any? - Stereotyping in the positive aspect could be understood as the way in which people reduce the complexity of the world to a more manageable level. It helps protect our minds from information overload. For this...
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...unfamiliar background to the American society. They want to fit-in and become accepted in school’s diverse environment. The graphic novel, American Born Chinese by Gene Yang, exemplifies the issue of Asian American students search for identity in the American society. He wanted to target teenager that are struggling to find an identity and acceptance in school. To target Asian American students, Yang uses the stories of three different characters: Monkey King, Danny, and Jin Wang. Each character in the story faces the issue of finding an identity and acceptance. Yang mostly focused on the story of Jin Wang because his Chinese background constantly plagues him. Jin tries to do everything to fit-in with the American students. He tries to conceal his Chinese background, and tries to change his appearance. In the end, he learns to accept his Chinese background; therefore, finding his identity and acceptance. Yang wanted to show that accepting yourself is the key to unlocking your identity and finding acceptance in the American society. Yang wanted Asian American students to connect with his book by strategically converging the three stories, negative experience of characters, and negative stereotypes to show that accepting themselves will allow them to find their identity and acceptance in the American society. Yang converges the three stories to strategically show Asian American students the three different perspectives. The first story is about the Monkey King. He struggles to...
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...MEDIA-Teenagers Drugs, violence, crime, yes you’ve guessed it our typical teenager. But is this really who we are? As a teenager I strongly feel that we are negatively stereotyped by the older generation due to how we portrayed by the mass media. Nowadays the media is constantly bombarding us with stories of vandalism, anti-social behaviour and even gun crime. However, what people need to understand is that not all of us youths turn to these disgusting acts of crime. These typical stereotypes of us tend to be fuelled by the fictional characters integrated into our popular soaps. This minority of characters are wrongly perceived by society and also manipulate some youths into feeling as if they must impersonate them to belong. An example of storylines stereotyping us teenagers is the plot of Eastenders. In Eastenders there are many mischievous teens such as Jay and Whitney who are represented as being disobedient and anti-social, these characters create a very negative image of us teens as they are always up to no good. However, what people are too ignorant to understand is the fact that they are simply fictional characters that are based on exaggerated adaptations of a small group of ill-disciplined youths; these teens are merely incorporated into the storyline to boost ratings for these selfish, egotistical broadcasting firms. On the other hand, there’s Ben, a charming young teen whose good deeds are hardly ever acknowledged, this reflects our real...
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...Stereotypes and Prejudice Worksheet 1 ETH/125 Version 8 Associate Program Material Stereotypes and Prejudice Worksheet Please complete the following exercises, remembering that you are in an academic setting and should remain unbiased, considerate, and professional when completing this worksheet. Part I Select three of the identity categories below and name or describe at least 3 related stereotypes for each: Race Ethnicity Religion Gender Sexual orientation Age Disability |Category |Stereotype 1 |Stereotype 2 |Stereotype 3 | |Race |Black males are women beaters. |Mexicans come to Louisiana just |All Muslims are here to blow up | | | |for work so they can double their |things. | | | |money. | | |Sexual Orientation |All gay guys act like black |In a lesbian relationship, one of |Men take about three minutes to | | |females. |the females acts like the male |shower. | | | |figure. | ...
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...English Achievement Standard 90852 Explain significant connections across texts, using supporting evidence. Rhiannon Suckling English Achievement Standard 90852 Explain significant connections across texts, using supporting evidence. Rhiannon Suckling The search for a person’s own personal identity is an important stage that people go through in their lives. Every human being in the world would go through the stage of searching, then finding their identity at some point in their lives. But this search is often affected by stereotyping because it can affect people’s view of themselves and also their view of other people around them. Because of this writers feel that they need to convey the importance of finding one’s own identity then taking the time to learn and respect other people’s identity. Then also how dangerous it can be if we let stereotyping cloud our judgements on ourselves and those around us. Some example of texts where writers that explore this theme are, the poem “Bred in South Auckland” by Glen Colquhoun, the poem “Search for my Tongue” by Sujata Bhatt, the short story ‘’On the Sidewalk Bleeding” by Evan Hunter and the short story “After you my Dear Alphonse” by Shirley Jackson. These four texts can be separated into two groups. The first group is the way that stereotyping can affect people’s view on their own search for identity in both positive and negative ways. This would be the poems, “Bred in South Auckland “and “Search for my Tongue”. The Second...
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...Spread It to End It Labeling and stereotypes, words or phrases that we place on people every day, possibly without even knowing it. It’s funny to do it with our friends and it has become an accepted concept within our society, but have you ever stopped to think about what you’re actually doing? I’m guessing, probably not. Gordon Allport wrote in his excerpt from our Language Awareness book titled, The Language of Prejudice, “Most people are unaware of this basic law of language—that every label applied to a given person refers properly only to one aspect of his nature” (325). Meaning that we place these labels on others without realizing the negative effects and understanding the harm that’s being done. The labeling being set on others can...
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... saying “girls aren’t as fast as boys, or a strong, or as athletic. This is not me talking, it’s a scientific fact” (Fickman). Outraged, Viola does everything in her power to prove this, as well as many other stereotypes wrong. Viola, played by Amanda Bynes, disguises herself as her brother and try’s out for his schools’ boys’ team. “This transparently cross-dressed performance advances a distinctly conservative perspective on both gender identity and the human subject” (). She’s the Man uses a humorous approach to help viewers understand the gender roles of teenage life when Viola is able to break through the barriers of femininity versus masculinity, disproving stereotypes about romance, athletics, education, and beauty along the way. There are many different stereotypes of femininity and masculinity in the movie, but the main one focused on in the movie is romance and the different ways that each gender enacts the roles of their individual relationships. Main character Viola Hastings is in a relationship with Justin, who is a typical macho man with no respect for women. In society, women are usually stereotypes as timid, dependent on the men in their lives, and able to be easily controlled in a relationship. However, Viola is able to break through those stereotypes when she holds her own against Justin as he lies to her face and tries to act dominant over her in front of his friends and teammates. When Viola is shot down by...
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...society toward a less discriminatory, and prejudice country. My past had prevented me from taking that extra step to understand others, instead I chose to avoid them because they were not like me or did not share my same beliefs. As a teenager I possibly ignored those who were different than I, in fear of lowering my reputation status. Growing up as a child I was very unaware of the depth of discrimination and prejudice that was lingering in our country. Hawaii is a state where children are sheltered from the rest of the United States. It is almost as if we are in our own world. Although I miss living there near the rest of my family along with the island life, I am extremely grateful that my parents decided to move us to California while I was still young enough to absorb “street smarts” but, I am also thankful that living in Hawaii allowed me to see everyone as family or equals. I think the only other downfall for being raised in Hawaii would be the stereotype that I grew up with about Caucasians, or foreigners we referred to as “haoles,” who I often heard were only out to take over our lands. I think this may had given me a slight prejudice towards them when I moved to California. Luckily, I was able to have enough sense as a teenager to...
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...I Define the following terms: |Term |Definition | |Stereotypes |Unreliable, exaggerated generalizations about all members of a group that do not take individual | | |differences into account. Oversimplified image or ides of a particular person or thing. | |Prejudice |Preconceived opinion not based on reason or experience. An unfavorable opinion or feeling formed | | |without any knowledge thought or reason. | |Labeling theory | is the view of deviance according to which being labeled as a "deviant" leads a person to engage in| | |deviant behavior. Example: A teenager who is smart and in the math club is labeled a nerd or geek. | Part II Select three of the identity categories below and name or describe at least 3 related stereotypes for each: • Race • Ethnicity • Religion • Gender • Sexual orientation • Age • Disability |Category |Stereotype 1 |Stereotype 2 |Stereotype 3 | |Race |African Americans are good at |Asians are good at math. |White people are all redneck | | ...
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...SPIRITUAL LIFE AND BELIEFS I do not really have a defining moment in my life where everything changed and gave up drugs and drinking and turned towards God. However, I do have a moment where I turned to him but it isn’t big and grand. Sometimes I wish this was different, sometimes I wish I had some big grand story but then again. I have been immersed in God’s life for all my entire life and I can’t complain about that. I was born in a very spiritual family with parents who had very clear and strict rules when it came to church. After I was born, as soon as I was able to recognize my surroundings I was in church. I remember a few instances when I received some spanking for trying to lie my way out of going for Sunday school. However later on I became quite an active member of every club in Sunday school, be it drama, music and even became a Boys & Girls Brigade leader. However as I grew older and past the Sunday school age, I started losing my way as I tried to figure out where I fitted best. I started moving from church to church following my friends as I tried to fit in. At this point is where I came to appreciate the importance of family worship. A person who has a meaningful plan for his children has to invite God in to his home in order to lay a firm foundation for his family. It’s at home where children should gain the true education since it’s the very first school all children must begin from. Despite thinking I’m all grown...
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