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Racial Stereotyping Research Paper

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The Declaration of Independence, the most influential document in our nation’s history, contains the phrase, “All men are created equal.” When Thomas Jefferson wrote this sentence in 1776, it carried with it the idea of hope, equality, and freedom. However, the once awe-inspiring phrase is now empty and meaningless. It's once patriotic message has been lost to the persistent and grotesque societal illness that is racial stereotyping. We must put an end to racial stereotyping due to its negative impact on students’ academic performance and emotional well-being.

Academic performance has been shown to be negatively affected by racial stereotyping. Hyphen Magazine News Reporter, Helen Hwang has stated that, “Asian Americans are the most frequently …show more content…

Mental health issues can develop in an individual as a result of racial stereotyping. “According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, “Racial and ethnic minorities in the United States face a social and economic environment of inequality that includes greater exposure to racism which takes a toll on mental health”.
-A significant number of racial minorities in the United States suffer from substandard mental health issues due to racial stereotypes.
“In a recent review focusing on African and Asian-American adults, greater self-reported racial discrimination was associated with increased risk of mental health problems in 37 of 40 studies.”

Mental health issues caused by stereotyping often leads many students to consider suicide. “In 2010, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report revealed that racial stereotyping has resulted in suicide becoming the third-leading cause of death for Black men between the ages of 15 and 24.”
-Students often cope with racial stereotyping by committing suicide.
-They can't think properly and, unfortunately, they see death as the …show more content…

That fear creates a sense of mental exhaustion, which just doesn't affect their academic performance, but also losing their confidence and trust in mankind.

Some researchers claim that “Racial stereotypes can be positive since they help us in guiding and shaping our attitudes and behaviors toward other people, basically providing us with conscious awareness of differences in race.” However, there are many other researchers who have concluded that racial stereotyping leads to systematic discrimination.
-This creates hatred and builds barriers between races.
In fact, people who are prejudiced believe they are more superior than their targets. The superior often think of themselves as liberating the inferior. Initially, the superior think they are turning ‘barbaric’ people into ‘cultured’ people.
-One Example of this can be seen in France, where religious wear is banned. France basically “stereotyped” religious wear and thought that if they banned it, women would look prettier and blend in easier when really, a lot of Muslim women are angry because they have been stripped of their right to express their religious

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