Racial Stereotypes

Paper Summary:

This paper is an examination of racial stereotypes in contemporary American society. It looks at how they are developed and how they influence interactions and attitudes, especially when individual actions do not fit the expected stereotype. Preconceived notions of what other individuals are like, based on their ethnic backgrounds, are common throughout society, reinforced by mass media images, sports, the news, and general ignorance. This paper's conclusions are also influenced by the fact that the writer is bi-racial (white and African-American) and has therefore experienced a broader range of exposure to stereotypes and the prejudices they represent.

From the Paper:

"Race continues to be an explosive topic in America, a nation founded on both the principles of universal equality and the shameful legacy of slavery. Particularly among races with obvious physical differences, stereotypes provide an easy way of dealing with differences without having to genuinely understand the distinctions that make each member of the alien group an individual human being. Stereotypes are an easy shorthand. That they are false generalizations, usually based on fear and misunderstanding, does not make them any less prevalent."

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