Essay On Family Stereotypes

In the article “Is Texas America?” by Molly Ivins, she explains certain stereotypes of Texans that she has come across for example that “all the cowboys are brown”, and that “Cowboys mostly stink”. She goes on

Within Hispanic cultures it is very common to view other races as outsiders. I am often viewed this way within my Spanish family, they view me as a “half-bred” because I am half white. While most are conducted using a joking manner, it might not always be the case. It’s pretty easy to feel like any outsider in some situations, however I know they are my family and I know the still love

In Texas, we have two different culture and type of people. We have the type of people that are very dedicated to the old lifestyle and old ideals. They believe that farming is what makes a man a man, and that art is a waste of time. Even though they consider themselves a Texan, they consider themselves as a tougher breed. These are the ones that live up North.

When I was a kid, and I moved from the plains of Colorado to the backwoods of North Houston, I asked myself a few questions. What is Texas? What is a Texan? And most importantly, do I get to ride my horses to school? These were all good questions and as I spent more time in Texas, I came to realize these questions were more common than expected. Throughout my time in this state, I came to understand that Texans have their own cultural identity. In fact, I found Texans have a sense of group identify based on their shared history and their cultural distinctiveness. Although the stereotypes point to being Texan as throwing on your cowboy hat, going to the rodeo, and eating everything and anything fried, it is not necessary to do these things to be classified as a Texan. While some of our population participates in ranching and cowboy culture, a true Texan is so much more diverse.

When people first hear Hispanics or Mexicans people first think Spanish music or Mexico for one. Some people may have different opinions on stereotyping Hispanics in saying that all Hispanic people love tacos and speak fluent Spanish and only Spanish. Not all people who come from a certain race, religion, or ethnicity fall into the stereotypical categories that people put them in. Placing people in stereotypical categories is wrong because it causes for misjudgment amongst people in society. It is dangerous to define a person based on stereotype because one person does not define a whole race and who an individual person is.

“Wow...there is no way you’re Latino. You’re way too white!” was the ignorant remark made by a one of my peers during my school’s annual Latin-American Fest. Initially, hearing this claim made me look into the mirror. I began to stroke my face and examine my physical features. Was this true? Was I not Latino enough? Did the amount of melanin or lack thereof deem me as Latino?

It seems every time I introduce myself to new people, their immediate response is something along the lines of, “So Hernandez, huh? You don’t really look Mexican.” Often, I’m left searching for a response. Should I be offended? Is this meant as a compliment? My usual reply, rather off-handedly and with a slightly forced laugh, is “Oh ya, I’m only half,” as if to justify my appearance, my lack of stereotypical Mexican features. As I look around me at school or around town, I find that I can never escape this sea of white, which I am technically half a part of. Seeing this everywhere too often leads me to forget my other half.

In The Way We Never Were, Stephanie Coontz suggests that society romanticizes past generations of family life and points out that these memories are merely myths that prevent us from “dealing more effectively with the problems facing today’s families” (Coontz x). Coontz proposes that researchers can take empirical data and create misleading causality for that data, thus feeding cultural myth and/or experience. Coontz believes that “an overemphasis on personal responsibility for strengthening family values encourages a way of thinking that leads to moralizing rather than mobilizing for concrete reforms” (Coontz 22). She calls on us to direct our attention to social reforms, which can be accomplished by avoiding victim-blaming

“If a man’s from Texas, he’ll tell you. If he’s not, why embarrass him by asking?” This quote by John Gunther, author of Inside U.S.A., reflects the pride I have for my great home state of Texas. Being a Texan means more than just saying one lives in Texas; it is the sense of opportunity and power, which promotes individualism and acts as the common identifier for all walks of life by instilling the feelings of belonging and pride. If presented with the decision to choose between being an American or Texan, one or the other, then my answer would be a quick ‘Texan’ as if that should even be a question.

Racial stereotypes have always been a serious issue in society. The stereotypes impact many aspects of our life. We more or less get carried away by our perceptions toward race, and judge people in a certain frame unconsciously, as Omi set forth in In Living Color: Race and American Culture. Taken by Hilary Swift, this photo presents an African American woman, waiting for a bus that can take her to the Kitchen of Love, a food pantry that located in Philadelphia aiming to feed people suffering from hunger, where she volunteers. It happens in dawn so it’s still dark outside. The surroundings give us an idea that it should take place in a black neighborhood (Stolberg “Black Voters, Aghast at Trump, Find a Place of Food and Comfort”). The woman is staring at the direction where the bus is coming, with a smile on her face. As a photojournalistic image, this photo is aiming to portrait a kind and helpful African American woman, however, does this photo really “positively” portrait an African American woman?

Bouncing off the walls, the sound of yelling pierces the ears of everyone nearby. The loud, harsh sound penetrated the eardrums and sank deep into the heart. No one could have seen this coming, nor would the outcome have been expected. The tone and demeanor of the voice distinguished this instance from previous incidents. It was the first time like this, but sadly, it would not be the last.

I found it difficult to examine and compare the list of occupations that my family has held both on my level and on my grandparents level. I did not input the chart listing their occupations and area of work because there would be many unknowns to work with. Even within the unknowns, I was able to identify a pattern that goes along with the gender stereotypes talked about in the reading. My family seems to reflect the gender stereotype trends. When thinking about the women in my family, minus my mother no one has tried all that hard to obtain a position that could lead to a career. A big part of that was due to them never being told that they should reach further and try to establish themselves. Thinking about my grandmother’s, one was a homemaker and my other grandmother owned a restaurant with my grandfather. While it appears that my grandmother fits the stereotype of becoming a homemaker and my grandmother that owned the restaurant did not, it’s not the case. Although my grandmother was the co-owner of the restaurant it wasn’t her dream, she did what women did, she followed him and helped him reach his dreams. Once he died, she got rid of the restaurant because she had no desire so keep it and keep working. She has not worked since then. When looking at my cousins out of the five I grew up the closest too, three males two females, both the females who are a few years older than me both have four each and they started having kids when they were teenagers.

At a young age, we are taught to adhere to norms and are restricted to conform to society’s given rules. We are taught that straying away from stereotypes is anything but good and encouraged to build our lives upon only these social rules. Recently, stereotypes based on genders have been put into the limelight and have become of high interest to a generation that is infamously known for deviating from the established way of life. Millennials have put gender roles under fire, deeming it a form of segregation and discrimination by gender. Researchers have followed suit. Mimicking millennial interests, numerous studies have been published that detail the relationship between gender, stereotypes, and the effects of the relationship between the two. Furthermore, gender roles have been used as a lens to study socialization; tremendous amounts of interest have prompted studies on the inheritance and dissemination of norms, culture, and ideologies based on the stereotypes that cloud gender. For sociologists, determining the extent of the impact of gender stereotypes on socializing our population has become a paramount discussion. Amidst many articles, the work of Karniol, Freeman, and Adler & Kless were standouts and between the three pieces, childhood served as a common thread; more specifically, these researchers studied how gender roles impact socialization from such a young age.

Since the beginning of time, gender has played a big role in how one acts and how one is looked upon in society. From a young age children are taught to be either feminine or masculine. Why is it that gender plays a big role in the characteristics that one beholds? For centuries in many countries it has been installed in individual’s heads that they have to live by certain stereotypes. Women have been taught to be feeble to men and depend on them for social and economical happiness. While men have been taught to be mucho characters that have take care of their homes and be the superior individual to a woman. For the individuals who dare to be different and choose to form their own identity whether man or woman, they are out casted and