A Blog About Stereotype

"We all use stereotypes, all the time, without knowing it. We have met the enemy of equality and the enemy is us." Paul, 1998

ster·e·o·type (n) - a widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing.  synonyms:  pigeonhole, conventionalize, categorize, label

A series of 18th century engravings by Dutch artists depicts couples and individuals from around the world. The Europeans are elegantly dressed and coifed. The Asians and Africans are shown half clothed and outdoors.We've all done it. Made assumptions based on preconceived ideas. 

"That driver doesn't know what they're doing. Must be a woman!”

“Pit bulls are aggressive dangerous animals.”

“He’s Asian.  He must be really smart.”

J. Ratelband & J. Bouwer Series of engravings by J. Ratelband & J. Bouwer first published in Amsterdam (1767-1779)

These engravings are depictions of these people as they were observed. These pictures are not assumptions of how people from Asia and Africa dressed. This is what the populations in these countries actually wore. Many countries around the world are marked by traditional dress, national foods and even national sports.

Eastern Indian women wear saris.  New Zealand nearly owns the sport of rugby.  Paris is the city of love and fashion and Italy, surely, invented pasta.

According to A Greek-English Lexicon by Henry George Liddell and Robert Scott, the word ‘stereotype’ derives from two Greek words meaning 'firm' and 'solid impression'. The word, stereotype, was actually coined by Firmin Didot, a French printer, who used the word to describe a printing plate that that was composed of fixed images as opposed to movable type. This plate was the base for many duplicates and copies.  

The original 'stereotype'

However, it was Walter Lippman, an American journalist and political commentator, that used ‘stereotype’ in a more psychological sense. In his book, Public Opinion, Lippman contends that people make up their minds before they define the facts based on preconceived notions.  

Stereotyping can be positive, negative or neutral and usually occurs with an almost unconscious awareness. It’s a way for the human mind to recognize certain patterns and somehow try to define those patterns.  It’s how people manage to decide if they will connect with another human being or move away from them.  

Marketers do it when they identify the group of consumers that will be interested in their product. PR professionals do it when they identify their target publics and determine how to frame the message they want to send. Educators do it when they determine the material they will teach in their class based upon what the average student of a certain age is capable of learning. Stereotyping is really a way to identify and categorize based upon information and/or past experience.

The negativity associated with stereotypes comes from the actions that we take once we make assumptions based on what we think we know.  Prejudice and discrimination, while not unrelated, are entirely separate concepts. These three terms are sometimes confused because of their interdependence.

Stereotype=categorization, classification, preconceived idea

Prejudice=preconceived opinion or idea not based on actual reason or experience

Discrimination=denying rights or participation to an individual or group of people because of their place in a certain group or social category.

Prejudice and discrimination is a problem worldwide, but the solution lies in our hands. It’s easy to make assumptions, jump to conclusions and judge a person or group of people based upon stereotypes we have in our own minds.  

Photo from stereotypeworkplace.com

As human beings, we will always need to process and classify. It’s how we deal with life, how we choose where we want to live, work, go to school, vacation, socialize. Just know that the person sitting next to you, living across the street from you, driving in front of you, living across the country or even the world from you: They want those things too.

It’s up to us, as individuals, to stop prejudice and discrimination. Before we can do that, we must recognize our own preconceived notions we hold close and how those affect how we act and treat others.

“Contempt prior to examination is an intellectual vice, from which the greatest faculties of mind are not free. - William Paley