Stereotypes in Society, Blog by Luis Nunag

Can stereotypes be positive? Yes, positive stereotypes do exist. Positive stereotypes can be defined as linking a positive trait with a group of people. This can still be harmful since stereotypes do not apply to all people. For example "All Asian people are good at math". We can see how this is a positive stereotype. The stereotype compliments Asians, saying that we are all good at a certain subject. So, how is this harmful? It forces people to believe that they have to be good at this or they may not be a "real Asian". A person may not be the best at this subject but what makes them less of their race than someone who is? This can put pressure on Asian people due to the fact that if they believe that this is true, they may think that they are underachieved because their skills are not to par with societies standards. This can apply to other stereotypes as well. "All black people are good at sports.", so what about the ones who excel at academ

There are 4 different types of stereotypes, gender stereotypes, racial stereotypes, age stereotypes and occupational stereotypes. Below will explain what each of them means and provide an example. 1. Gender Stereotypes These are stereotypes that generalize a whole group based on Gender. An example of this could be what kind of toys kids play with, boys are supposed to play with cars and action figures while girls are supposed to play with dolls and play houses. 2. Age Stereotypes These are stereotypes that define groups and the capabilities based on how old a person or group of people are. For example, old people are physically incapable compared to people of younger age. When in reality, with good health and habits you can maintain your physical levels into old age. 3. Racial Stereotypes This is stereotypes that are based solely on the race of someone or a group. An example of this is that all Asian people are smart, all Black people are athletic or all White people are rich.