By Carlin Adjula#

 1/29/2021#

You’ve all heard of common stereotypes like, “asians always have small eyes,” or “rich people are always mean and ruthless,” or gender stereotypes such as,“boys are always strong and girls are always crying.” As harmless as these words seem, they can be very judgemental and rude.

At Glasgow there are a lot of different cultures, people, and religions, and most people tend to make a first image of someone without getting to know them. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but a lot of others beg to differ. Common stereotypes relate to topics such as grades, ethnicity, preferences, economic status, disabilities, and many more. However, stereotypes don’t always have to be negative, despite people’s beliefs. “Stereotypes could be a positive thing. Examples are, saying, Mexicans have really good food, I like it. Or, women are very warm people you could go to. They have a mothering type of spirit,” said Lydia Samuel. Another interviewee, Laura Stoker, stated that, “I think you can have a good stereotype, but I don’t think it’s okay to stereotype.”

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How does Glasgow see stereotypes? 

When you compare this to people who have stereotyped, 6.8% of people said “Yes” , 31.1 of people said “maybe”, and 62.1 people said no. This shows how common people stereotype, but not many people actually know about it. 

The majority vote of the word “stereotype” is negative. “I think stereotyping is wrong because it prevents people from having a good chance in life,” said an interviewee, Caroline Allsion, however, she also stated that, “I think stereotypes can also be positive.” Another interviewee, Lina Rosenbaum said, “it’s negative just because you’re thinking of something that might not be true for everyone.” Also another interviewee, Laura Stoker, said that, “I think stereotypes are bad because it’s assuming something that the other person may or may not be”

Can you accidently stereotype? All of the interviewees have said that, Yes, stereotypes can happen by accident. Sometimes your brain can’t help but stereotype. Intentionally stereotyping is different from accidental stereotyping. “It just happens, even if you’re not trying to do it,” said interviewee, Lina Rosenbaum. Don’t feel bad if you didn’t mean to stereotype someone, but don’t just constantly do it and  get to know that person better.

Stereotypes can be positive and negative, just think of the way you use them. An example of a positive stereotype is, ”Old people are wise and give good advice”

Ways to prevent accidental negative stereotyping:

• Get to know the person before you judge them
• Ask if something is right or wrong before assuming
• Think about how you would feel if somebody negatively stereotyped you

Additional information and links:

About 65.8% of people think stereotyping is terrible, while 5.9%, and 3.7% percent of students say it’s okay to stereotype, and stereotype once in a while. Even 24.7% of Glasgow students stereotype without saying anything.

What’s at the root of racial stereotyping?

What are the causes of stereotypes? – Getting Race Right

People in this article:  Lydia Samuel (She/her/hers) |Laura Stoker (She/her/hers) |Caroline Allison (She/her/hers) | Lina Rosenbaum (She/her/hers)