>>Part of becoming aware of yourself and your impact on others is taking time to reflect
on how you approach differences. As you increase your understanding of how you respond to differences,
three terms are important to understand: stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination. Stereotypes
are generalizations about a group of people that ignore the reality of individual differences.
When we stereotype, we expect that all people in a group will behave pretty much the same.
The problem with stereotypes is that they are limiting and restrictive in their expectations
of others. Even supposedly positive stereotypes can end up being hurtful when they lead to
unrealistic expectations. Another term you should be familiar with is prejudice. Prejudice
refers to carry negative or hostile thoughts and attitudes toward a group of people. While
prejudice involves negative attitudes, discrimination takes it a step farther into negative actions
towards people from a particular group. Acts of discrimination might take subtle forms
such as purposefully ignoring someone’s input on a group project, or they might take
more obvious forms such as not allowing someone to join an organization, or using derogatory
names. As you watch the following interactions you will see examples of ways that stereotypes,
prejudice, and discrimination might occur. You will also see how the bystander in each
scene responds in a way that welcomes diversity.
Scene 1:
Girl #1: I’m really worried about my grade in calculus this semester.
Girl #2: Just ask one of the smart Asians in your class to help you.
Girl #1: Hey, just because someone’s Asian doesn’t automatically make them good at math.
Scene 2:
Boy #1: So you know the guy who sits behind me in biology? He’s making me feel uncomfortable.
Girl #1: Oh, why is that?
Boy #1: I’m pretty sure he’s gay and I’m not—I’m not cool with that.
Girl #1: Well have you had the chance to talk to him? Maybe you’d like him a little better
if you got to know him.
Scene 3:
Girl #1: You’ll never guess who’s trying to run for president.
Girl #3: Who?
Girl #1: Bailey, that girl from English class. Her clothes look like they come from Wal-Mart
and she drives a junky old car. And I heard her dad’s a fry cook at a restaurant. There’s
no way she should be chosen to represent us!
Girl #3: I love Bailey. She’s a really sweet and hardworking, and she definitely deserves
a chance to run for class president, even if she doesn’t come from a wealthy family.
Girl #1: Oh.
Dr. Kendrick: As you saw in the first scenario, the stereotype was that all Asians are good
at math. This is considered a positive stereotype because it carries a positive expectation.
However, this stereotype ignores the reality that some Asians are good at math, while some
struggle in math. Stereotypes of this nature can create embarrassment and self-consciousness
in Asian students who are not particularly good in math. In the second scenario, we saw
an example of prejudice. The student’s attitude of discomfort with a classmate was based only
on the classmate being gay. Finally, in the third scenario we saw an example of discrimination.
Based on class differences, a student wanted to prevent Bailey, a student from a poor background,
from gaining a leadership position. As you reflect on your own thoughts, attitudes and
behaviors, you may have an uncomfortable realization that you have been stereotyping others, holding
prejudicial attitudes, or engaging in discriminatory behavior. Such realizations can feel unsettling,
but the importance of self-awareness is that it enlightens us to areas in which we need
to grow. Let your self-awareness be a spark that leads you to positive changes and to
more welcoming relationships with others.