Stereotyping Essay

559 Words3 Pages
ENG 101: Revised Midterm Stereotyping In today’s world, many people have different stereotypes about somebody or someone. Some are positive and others are negative, but both of them are harmful to others. People often stereotype other people who they hardly know. In class on Monday, most of my classmates thought that Chinese students are very good at math. In fact, some of the Chinese students are actually bad at math. That stereotype can be harmful to a Chinese student that does poorly in math, because it can make them feel as if they are different compared to a normal student that should be excellent in math. This example shows that not only negative stereotyping can be harmful to others, but also positive ones. In the story “Myth of the Latin Woman” by Judith Ortiz Cofer, describes the stereotyping that she suffered as a Latina woman living in the United States. Cofer explains to the readers with the different stereotypes she was subjected to, and offers her insights as to why stereotyping may occur. She also acknowledged how stereotyping can occur when she admitted things can be lost in tradition. Cofer states that “When a Puerto Rican girl dressed in her idea of what is attractive meets a man from the mainstream culture who has been trained to react to certain types of clothing as a sexual signal; a clash is likely to take place”. Her saying this demonstrates that she understands the root of some stereotyping against her. It’s important to understand that some cultures may be subjected to misinterpretation, especially by these who are not familiar with its customs, backgrounds, or traditions. Even though the customs, backgrounds, and traditions can be misleading, especially when Cofer stated when she rejected the boy’s sloppy kiss. He responded by saying “I thought you Latin girls were supposed to mature early”. Another memorable misconception was
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