Breaking Down Stereotypes

323 Words2 Pages
Victoria Rode Developed 60 Tiffany Tardy 3:45-5:00 02.13.12 Breaking Down Stereotypes Stereotypes are made from experiences we have had with a few individuals, but then we apply that personality to the entire culture. Stereotypes are primarily based off of religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and gender. These preconceived notions are determined by how you see people, and how they see you. Our in-class stereotype circle was an activity I learned a lot from. Not only did it allow me to become more knowledgeable about the small and larger scale stereotypes, but it showed me that everyone fits into a category, and no one is left out. Shouting out different stereotypes into the circle was the easy part. It was much harder to stand up in front of everyone and define yourself. This however, was also my favorite part of the activity. I learned a lot just by sitting back and listening to the inner circle speak their true feelings and talk about some difficulties they have gone through by being a minority. I realized which words hurt people the most, and what actions made them feel uncomfortable around different races. I was surprised to learn how people felt when they are around different ethnicities. Personally, I try not to judge anyone before I really get to know them. People are people, and deserve to be shown the same respect no matter what their ethnicity or body type. Without this activity I would not have learned of the things that bother certain ethnicities. I would not have learned how segregated society still is today, even with all of the movements. People need to learn not to judge someone by the culture they come from, but more about the type of person they are inside. I hope other students in the class took away from this activity as much as I did, because it truly was an
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