Thursday, April 27, 2017

Stereotyping

Research:
        I’m sure that by now most of you have a good understanding of what stereotyping is, but if still in doubt, according to the Cambridge Dictionary, stereotyping is, “an idea that is used to describe a particular type of person or thing, or a person or thing thought to represent such an idea” Although there are many kind of stereotypes, some I can think of that not only affect me personally, but thousands of others who are part of the LGBTQI community are gay stereotypes. In a Huffington post titled “Myths and Stereotypes That Dehumanize Gay Men Must Be Challenged…” writer Murray Lipp debunks common myths and stereotypes addressed towards gay men such as: all gay men are feminine, all gay men are attracted to all men, gay men mimic guy/girl roles in relationships, along with a few others. These may come off as funny or humorous to some, yet it is an ongoing issue that these stereotypes have a big impact on people’s views, thoughts, and beliefs towards gay people.
 For one, although some gay men are feminine, the thought that all gay men are feminine is absurd. From my perspective, it's not only false, but it leads to public shaming towards gay men who are, and there’s nothing wrong with it. The other example I said about all gay men being attracted to all men is another one I'd like to point out because not only is it false, but it leads to discrimination in places such as the military, the workplace, or in any other scenario involving people such as friends. Due to that these issues don't involve anyone who isn't gay; these kinds of common stereotypes are viewed as subtle jokes or humorous remarks. In another article titled, “Stereotyping from the Perspective of Perceivers and Targets”, authors Saera R, Kahn, Teena Benda, and Michael N. Stagnaro, explain how stereotypes, "are seen as a heuristic that allows us to simplify our world and form quick judgments about other people based upon their group membership,"(Benda, Kahn, and Stagnaro, 2012). In return, these quick judgements end up having serious consequences that lead to forms of discrimination, prejudice, and other forms of hatred towards the people being stereotyped. Because the people who stereotype don’t understand the impact of their words, it is important to educate so that they don’t repeat their mistakes twice.
In addition, these common stereotypes tend to be portrayed within the media and even social medias, which lead to a portrayal of what a gay man should be or look like. The good thing about these stereotypes is that according to the article written by Kahn, Benda, and Stagnaro, some methods of interventions against these, and other kinds of stereotypes are through, "contact, re-categorization, bookkeeping, and changing our attributions."(Kahn, at all, 2012). When mentioning contact it means to build relationships with the people who are being stereotyped to understand what they’re going through, and to realize that stereotypes aren't always true. Re-categorization is seen as a good benefit from interactions with others because it leads to a person being more acceptable and open minded to different kinds of people. According to the article, the bookkeeping model is where "perceivers unconsciously tally up stereotypically confirming versus disconfirming information,"(Kahn at all, 2012). and then come to realized that when the disconfirming information is shown to be proven more than the stereotypical confirmation it leads to less biases. Lastly, by saying that we need to change our attributions it means that by viewing situations logically rather than believing what is because of a stereotype, makes people less likely to make stereotypical judgements about other people.
In conclusion, I’d like to end by saying that stereotypes have a huge impact on the people they’re directed towards. It is important for one to think before they make quick judgements of others, and if they’re unsure of something to just ask or do their research. As for those who don’t, and can’t break the cycle of stereotyping, then there are the intervention methods of contact, re-categorization, bookkeeping, and changing our attributions to help educated and stop the oppression of others.

References:

Definition of "stereotype" - English Dictionary. (n.d.). Retrieved April 19, 2017, from http://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/stereotype

Khan, S. R., Benda, T., & Stagnaro, M. N. (2012). Stereotyping From the Perspective of Perceivers and Targets. Online Readings in Psychology and Culture, 5(1). doi:10.9707/2307-0919.1043

Lipp, M. (2013, June 19). Myths and Stereotypes That Dehumanize Gay Men Must Be Challenged: Start With These 10! Retrieved April 20, 2017, from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/murray-lipp/gay-men-myths-stereotypes_b_3463172.html


Personal: As a gay man I can say that I've felt the backlash of these kind of stereotypes, because I'm not what most consider a "typical" gay guy. For a while it was difficult understanding myself; my likes and dislikes, and for a long time I disliked myself because I was lost with the person I thought I was. When I came to accept myself as a gay man I was judged within the gay community(which I found to be ironic since I was being oppressed by the group of the oppressed) because I wasn't the typical gay guy who liked certain music, followed certain trends nor was into the aesthetic of having the perfect physic. I came to love myself for who I am, and I can say that today I feel comfortable in my own skin. Regardless of what race, sexual orientation, or class you fit in there will always be some stereotype to be said. The good new is that there are ways of stopping these misconceptions by educating yourself along with others.






"Because I am a bisexual woman, bisexual stereotypes convey a certain personality I'm supposed to have in the eyes of gay, and straight people "-Amariana Pelaez-Saavedra



"As a straight woman who happens to work with gay men, I can say that there are many kinds of gay men. I am friends with gay men, and I understand how stereotypes can place certain people into categories that society needs to break"-Amanda Rivas





"Stereotypes have always been brought up because of my job, which is hairstyling, but I do hair because it's something I'm passionate about. Not because I'm gay."-Brandon Avila





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