The Study of Sexist and Racist Stereotypes in School Textbooks in the Classroom

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In general, the definition of stereotype is as follows: a stereotype is thought to be an adopted or preconceived idea about a person or specific group of people. This belief may not be an accurate representation of life in reality or the behaviour of those certain people. Stereotyping is a fixed or over exaggerated idea of a class of people- a conception or opinion of image. (Google: Wikipedia: definitions of stereotyping). ‘Sexism’ is known as the discrimination of woman because of their sex (female) and ideas that they are not capable of as many things as men as well as ‘Classism’ is the discrimination of class that have similar characteristics and economic status (Google: Wikipedia: definitions of sexism and classism)- meshed together with ‘racism’ which is discrimination against race. Above mentioned are each separate worrying topics in our country and mingling all of them together in textbooks for the children of our future to be educated on is a concerning matter. Studies have shown by the HSRC (Human sciences research council) that more than half of our countries textbooks are educating the children in the ‘wrong’ kind of manner by indirectly teaching them grave problems in our country such as sexism, racism, stereotyping and classism. Although children are unaware of the negative education that the textbooks and reading material is doing to them, it is indirectly affecting them and leaving them with preconceived ideas of society and the people in it. Children will have ideas of society that are not evident in the living ways of this day and age. I would almost call it some kind of ‘fiction’ that they are being educated on. Although it is told to be ‘reality’ of today, in actual fact it is the furthest from it. These kinds of textbooks are poisoning the young fragile minds of our countries youth and leaving us with nothing but disaster waiting to

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