A stereotype may refer to a thought that is adopted about a type of persons or a manner of working out things. This belief however, in most cases, may not reflect accurately what the reality in practice is. What is considered a stereotype in one area may not necessarily be considered a stereotype in another area. It is therefore important to note that different people have different stereotypes about different things at different moments. They may arise due to different reasons, such as a history of some repetitive events and occurrences. Normally, stereotypes reflect the expectations and beliefs about the behaviors and the characteristics of some groups of people who are perceived as being different from a person’s own. The effects of this are racial prejudice. This is because people tend to ascribe some characteristics to members of a given group. They then evaluate those characteristics.
In these articles, there is stereotyping according to the race. The Asian Africans in the Model Minority are perceived to be having some extra ordinary characteristics as compared to their American counterparts. The author fails to acknowledge the fact that this is as a result of a long-inculcated behavior. The Asian Americans are known for their hard work and pure dedication towards any course they are pursuing. However, the author does not tell us what happens to the Asian Americans who do not work hard. Similarly, the author does not tell us about the Americans who dedicate their time to their course and they end up succeeding. This is all due to stereotyping. Chinese mothers have also been stereotyped to be the better mothers when compared to their Western counterparts. This article on motherhood also holds a similar line of argument to that of Asian American students. Hard work, dedication and believe are the basic necessities for anyone to succeed anywhere. The stereotype in the article of Chinese women is however flowed and lacks evidence. It is not automatic that all Chinese women make good mothers. Nor is it a fact that Western women make poor mothers. It all depends with the amount of time dedicated towards a certain course. Work ethic and success is not inherited, it is learnt. I also find it difficult to agree with Amy Chua’s arguments that Chinese parents, or rather mothers, are superior. Amy toys around with a fallacy that being strict to the children will necessarily lead them to succeed in their endeavors. It is not automatic that raising up children with strictness to TVs, playmates and computer games will particularly lead to producing successful kids. The author further gives an example of the differences between Chinese and Western parents. One remarkable difference is that whereas the Western parents argue that academic success should not be stressed because this would not be good to the children, the Chinese parents do not share this argument (Chua, 6). To them, academic achievement is as a result of successful parenting. Parents are not taken as doing their job well unless their children succeeded. Western parents tend to care much about their children’s self-esteem more than their performance. This is different with the Chinese mothers. The author however fails to acknowledge the fact that interest on the subject matter is also essential for success. This is my basis of disagreeing with this stereotype. Internal motivation is a key factor for success. Forcing somebody to do what they are not interested in doing may fire back because it may affect someone psychologically. The author failed to argue on this line. Nothing is as precious as internal success, as compared to the external one. One feels more satisfied excelling in a subject he has real interest as opposed to the one imposed on them by the likes of the Chinese parents. Self-esteem is also important to psychological well being of an individual.
As argued earlier, stereotypes tend to lead to prejudice. In the third article, the author makes important remarks, appreciating the fact that not all stereotypes are unreasonable. Some tend to arise as a result of some consistent and prolonged behavior. George Zimmerman relied on a stereotype to commit the crime. The victim was not a white. Of important to note here once more is that the stereotyping is done by someone from the majority. He assumed that the black man was on a criminal course. The whites supported this action, while the blacks cursed him for this. The reason for this difference in opinion is as a result of the stereotype that people carry in their minds. Dress codes have also been used to create some stereotypes, which have led to untold consequences. It is not uncommon for a person to be attacked simply because their dressing code reveals the type of group they belong. However, this notion is far from reality. Stereotypes should not be taken for finality, since many of them are believes without any basis or justification.
In conclusion, it is important to take into mind the fact that all men are born equal. Though stereotyping is as a result of a certain behaviors from a certain group of people, it is important not to generalize. Groups are comprised of individuals with unique characteristics. This therefore makes it difficult to assign a certain trait to some groups. This may lead to an error in reasoning
Works Cited
Basset, Patrick. The Model Minority? The Interplay among Myth, Stereotype, and Reality. New York: Winter, 2011. Print.
Chua, Amy. Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother. New York: Penguin Press, 2011. Print.
"Types of Stereotypes." National Review Online. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Oct. 2013.
