William Rasberry in his essay The Handicap of Definition makes a plea for providing the younger generation with a more postive, more expansive definition of black.
Answer the two questions below:
1. Do research on another ethnic group which carries with it a limited definition of that group (e.g., Australian, German, Arab, Chinese, etc). How is that group stereotypically defined? What can teachers, parents, and society at large do to impart to the younger generation positive and more expansive definitions of ethnic groups?
2. Like most people, you or someone you know had had a "defining" term applied to you at one time or another. Perhaps you've been called "shy" or "stubborn" or "the class clown" or "the athlete of the family." Focusing on one such label that's been applied to you, explain the effects that this labeling has had on your life.
Don't forget to comment on at least two of your peers' posts.
Even though not all the posts are in, I liked Nick M's post on Greek stereotypes and his personal reflection on being looked down because he was a golfer.
1. The Greek culture interests me because that is the majority of my background, but being Greek in times like these is not very easy. As many know who watch the news, they know that in Athens, the capital of Greece, there is absolute chaos going on. You can start to see stereotypes being thrown around because the economy in Greece is terrible. I have heard many people say that Greeks have olive oil skin, or are too cocky because they think that they invented everything. Many people are laughing at the Greeks now saying that they are ignorant and can't even support their own economy, but yet look at the economy of the U.S. People everywhere are always going to look down on people of different cultures, but in reality everyone is the same.
I think that the best thing that teachers could do would be to show students the positive parts of every culture. Then the students can associate their classmates with positive thinking. If students are taught young to associate good thoughts with other cultures, then maybe there will be more acceptance in our future society and racism will be cut down to a minimum.
2. My entire life I have loved the game of golf. Many people saw this sport as a easy sport, or something that required no athleticism. I always used to be ashamed to tell my friends that I was going golfing, or going to practice. I decided once I got to high school that I wanted to do something with the game I love, so I gave up on what people thought. All my true friends didn't bother me about it, and I took my game to a whole new level. Now that I have a pro card, I look back at all the kids that made fun of me and smile knowing that I am a pro athlete.
I liked this assignment because it was very interesting to read what everyone said about different ethnicity's stereotypes. I did the stereotypes upon Asians and I liked how people did them on just about every ethnicity you can think of! I think stereotypes are just the media and society's way of labeling people, not all of it necessarily true.
ReplyDeleteYes, the medium is the message and boy does it affect how we view others.
ReplyDeleteI thought this assignment was very interesting mostly because it had to do with different ethnicitys and stereotypes. Stereotypes are really just what people catagorize you as, that would be my definition of stereotypes. Ethnicity plays a big role also in our world which made this assignment so much more interesting.
ReplyDeleteAh, the classic sterotype, just about as refreshing as standing on hot coals for an hours, and as truthful as Clinton saying he did not have sexual relations with that woman.
ReplyDeleteGotta love them though, seeing as how we all are involved in them in one way or another. But I find it interesting now, in hind sight, that we all discussed how negative the sterotypes were instead of seeing some positive in sterotypes. Let's look at the job market and white people, and then black people for instance.
If some white guy wants a job as a ceo in some company, he will have a much easier time than his black comepetition thanks to the sterotypes, in this way it benefits him; because lets say this guy is the only guy in the group who would be homeless if he didn't get this position.
If some black guys wants a job as a rapper in some city, he will have a much easier time than his white competition thanks to the stereotypes, in this way it benefits him, if lets say the same situation of possible homelessness faces him if this rapping position is taken.
In my opinion, stereotypes can work like cliche's, they may not be desired, but they can really work in someones favor sometimes.
I think assignment is really relevent becasue people are always using sterotypes. One main group that is sterotyped is Abrabic. They are looked at as terrorists after 9/11; but most of the arabic people you see are living in the united states. People cannot help themselves sometimes from sterotyping.
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