Every day, people face a variable amount of thoughts and emotions. Their lives often improperly judged by their looks, status or perspectives. At times, these judgments are false, falling so far from reality that it should be considered a travesty. Stereotypes are the downfall of society. In the worst cases, these stereotypes can lead to detrimental opinions that border discrimination. Unfortunately, these common motifs exist and it is up to society to look within these walls and determine what is right and what is wrong.
Many different groups of people face stereotypes everyday. The politician, the tattooed, the feminist and the senior citizen, all members of society that commonly face these generalizations. Their existence outlined by preconceived notions that dictates society's views. In some cases, these commonalities may be warranted, but in most cases, they are far from the reality. By breaking down the walls of stereotyping, one can see the unfair biasness that exists.
A look at the common stereotypes of those categories can be a trip into the abyss. "Politicians are cigar-smoking, bombastic, self-serving, untrustworthy individuals," as outlined in a handout by the Indiana State Bar Association (2008). Every politician that walks amongst society does not automatically fall into these common views. In fact, many fall so far outside of these typical views that it is laughable. One of the most misleading stereotypes that affect a group is the stereotypes that the tattooed face. People who have tattoos are punks, degenerates, troublemakers or going through a fad, and fall into gender-based stereotyping inside of the common ones mentioned above (Harris, 2005). Again, these common views could not fall farther from the truth with most people that enjoy this form of artistic expression. Feminists also face a great deal of stereotypes everyday and they too are way off base in most cases. Feminists are not all radical bra burning, unshaven lesbians that do not wear make-up (Elshoff, 2003). In fact, many feminists are not even women. They are people that acknowledge that gender-based discrimination still exists within the world (Elshoff, 2003). Of all of the groups, senior citizens may face the most stereotyping. In fact, the whole term "Senior citizen" is "a condescending, demeaning, patronizing euphemism" (Ecenbarger, 2004). Definitely, a detractor unfairly plants many seeds in people's minds about the make-up and abilities of people inside this community.
In many ways, the people that populate these different cultures suffer from the stereotypes that exist. While it is true that some of the members of these groups go out of their way to meet the standards set forth in the generalizations, many are polar opposites. Not only surviving, but also thriving, despite the various negative opinions and statements that exist. Fortunately, not everyone shares in these beliefs and view people on the merits of their being vice the common misconceptions portrayed by their appearance, age or affiliations. Many members of society view these subcultures on their individual levels, positively taking their personal merits and individuality into account. The negativity that exists in regards to these different ways-of-life is unfortunate, and as mentioned above, can in many times lead to unfair biasness and ultimately even discrimination.
When listening to everyday conversations around people, sounds of these characterizations can be heard when it is least expected. Questions inside these talks like, "hurry up, we have to get away from that person (tattooed)", or "is this a bingo convention (senior citizen)," or even "all they care about is themselves (politicians)" are commonplace in everyday society. Worst of all, every one of these statement are most likely inaccurate.
At times stereotyping can be beneficial. Look at the presidential election in 2008, the public is crying for a change, a fact that gives the liberal democratic candidate a leg up from the outset. Ironically, it is the stereotype of the party affiliation that is creating opportunity. Their "conservative or liberal views" dictate where the stand before they even speak a word to the public on any subject. Everyone has heard Republicans are pro-guns and Democrats are pro-life, does that mean that individuals cannot walk somewhere in the middle and still be a politician? No, it is just a slippery slope that they walk along the corridors of their affiliation.
I found myself looking deep at the opinions I have and the ideas of how I reached those points in my life. A lot of time, I am guilty of associating different stereotypes to subjects on many different levels. I am an emotional person, almost impulsive person, one that tends to act or speak before thinking. By falling into this pattern, I at times overlook the true meaning or perspective of an issue. Instead, I follow the path of many before me and readily jump to a conclusion. A conclusion that is not only based on the outside of fact, it is often based outside of logical reason. While this is true about my reactions to different issues, I am totally opposite when it comes to my opinions of people. As a member of the United States Navy, I face stereotypes everyday, especially in highly concentrated military communities. Unfortunately, most of those are wrong. Members of the military are individuals first-and-foremost and soldiers second; a fact that is often overlooked in these cities and towns. Being part of a stereotyped grouping, led me to becoming more open to finding out who a person is before making an assumption. By doing this, I can treat people the way they deserve to be treated; instead of the way, parts of society view them.