Good Morning All,  
         
    Here something to talk and think about. In several parts.
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    1. How do you find you are stereotyped and give several examples, and what it says about the person stereotyping you.
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    2. How does being stereotyped make you feel
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    3. Who do you stereotype?
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    4.  How do you think it makes them feel and why if you hate being stereotyped do you do it in return - what does this say about you. 
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    5. What do think the solution is?
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      Below is some information on stereotyping!! 
"I don't have any explanation for stereotyping other than it's easy......It's sign language. It saves the writer the ultimate discomfort of having to think." 
- Harvey Bennett, Producer, The Bionic Woman and Six Million Dollar Man 
                      Excerpt from Prime Time Parent  by the Alliance for Children and Television  
The word stereotype comes from the process of making metal plates for printing and means "a set image". When applied to people, the word means an "instant or fixed" picture of a person or a group of people. A stereotype is based on an oversimplified or mistaken attitude, opinion or judgment. 

Stereotyping This is a little different subject, but I believe it is a relationship subject in that it deals with how we relate to others that we perceive in certain stereotypical ways. 

      We will begin with gender stereotyping, since it is so common. Here is an example of how men perceive women: 

      Love to shop Love to Talk on the Telephone Always gossiping Have dozens of pairs of shoes Never go to a public restroom alone Has closet full of clothes and nothing to wear 

      Here is an example of stereotyping men: 

      Couch potato after dinner with remote control clutched tightly in hand Never takes out the trash Never ask for directions when lost Never throws away old clothes 

      These are just a few examples of how men and women perceive the opposite sex in general. How about we try some racial stereotyping next? 

      We'll start with African Americans. They are often cross-referenced with basketball, barbeque and watermelon. When I think of rap and blues, I think black. Why is this? 

      Then let's go to the Caucasion race. When another ethnic group considers us they think pizza, hamburger and apple pie. They may think of skateboarding and car racing. 

      How about the Native American race? The first thing that comes to mind is firewater drinking. (the story that Native Americans can't handle their liquor). 

      When I think of Chinese I think of laundrymats. Isn't that silly? 

      Jewish people make me think of jewelry and success in money making. 

      Scottish people are purported to be tightwads. 

      Irish people -- pub goers and partiers. 

      These are just a few of the stereotyping attitudes that affect us in the way we look at others. This is a definite drawback in our social lives and can only cause us grief in the longrun. Why can't we just meet a person and not look at their exterior appearance and make a judgment based on what we've heard and experienced in our lives? Why can't we just meet a person and get to know them before we pass judgment? 

      Here are a few links that deal with stereotyping and how we can deal with it: 

      http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/4740/cx.html 

      http://www.ai.mit.edu/people/ellens/Gender/pap/node6.html 

      http://www.apa.org/books/steraccu.html 

      http://www.apa.org/monitor/oct95/biasb.html 

      http://www.cwrl.utexas.edu/~rudloff/e314-s98/project3/burton/stereotyping.htm