Staples and Cofer

In the United States, not only are Latin women being misunderstood, but African American women are also stereotyped by other people. Latin women are discriminated in their dressing and service occupations, while African American Americans are stereotyped in sexually promiscuous, caregiving role, and “welfare queens.” Both of them are victims of racial stereotypes, which affect them negatively on their identities and characteristics. However, the differentiation of their cultures makes them being stereotyped in distinct aspects. Some of African American women’s stereotypes are caused by their historical background.

Stereotypes are socially constructed, over-generalized views regarding a particular group of persons with certain characteristics that are widely accepted, and usually expected, in a society. The dominant group of a certain society, which in this case is probably Caucasians and men, usually creates these social constructions. Claude M. Steele, a researcher from Stanford University, performed multiple research studies on the idea and psychological effects of stereotypes on its victims. In his studies, he coins the term “stereotype threat” as the “social-psychological predicament that can arise from widely-known negative stereotypes about one's group,” which implies that “the existence of such a stereotype means that anything one does or any of one's features that conform to it make the stereotype more plausible as a self-characterization in the eyes of others, and perhaps even in one's own eyes” (Steele 797).

Currently, there is a problem with American’s. That problem is allowing themselves to be influenced by stereotypes. Stereotypes allow people to organize the world, but sometimes the stereotypes are negative. How do stereotypes affect the decisions of Americans about other people in their everyday lives?

Through out history society has created many stereotypes and assumptions based on race and nationality to confine us into categories. The reality is not every individual fits a specific category because we are unique even within the same ethnicity group. In “On Being Told I Don’t Speak Like a Black Person” Allison Joseph illustrates some speech stereotypes that come hand in hand with her racial background and how even people from the same racial background and house hold don’t all sound a like. The author portrays that race and linguistic has a huge impact on our daily life and how society sees her different to others. Also, her own identity is being put in to question base on a linguistic stereotype. Furthermore, base on ones racial orientation society already have a certain expectation of what they assume the person is capable of and an expectation of how one acts like. When we put stereotypes on individuals we discrediting the individuals identity, we are making those people part of a group base on a assumption and stereotypes can not be used to describe a who group because not everyone fits into a certain category.

Why do people think that ethnic stereotypes operate in the same ways for men and women? That’s just being ignorant in common sense. Honestly they may never operate in the same way for both genders. In “Ghetto Bitches, China Dolls, and Cha Cha Divas”, Jennifer Pozner makes it very clear that women in are judged heavily in a feminist point of view. Ethan Watters examines Joseph Henrich’s research and explains how researchers have failed to corporate how the connection between culture and cognition affect psychology.

People are stereotyped by their physical features and by the information we know about a certain group. In a chapter in “The Myth Of The Latin Woman” an essay by Judith Ortiz Cofer, the author speaks about women seeing as sexual objects. In the chapter, she says “The males were given an opportunity to admire the women and to express their admiration in the form of pirops.” The men would see the women as sexual objects and not as human beings. The way she and friends dressed shouldn't give men the right to harass them publicly. “I thought you latin girls were suppose to mature early” was a phrase one of her boyfriends told her when she was young (111,113). This is significant because it shows how American culture sees Hispanic women. Ortiz Cofer explains how different cultures can interpret things differently. Ortiz Cofer explains stereotypes can be broken by education

Throughout the day, many of us use stereotypes some noticed able than others; yet we do not know the affects they have on the person said to. The issue I want to get through is that we all go through most racial stereotypes every day not knowing it effects our health. People most affected racial stereotypes are Hispanics, Africans and Asian Americans, but how did they get those. Out of all the races in the United States Asian American have higher expectations compared to any other ethnics. Why are Asian American expectations so high? The positive stereotypes can make them stress even more than a negative stereotypes. Many race live up to stereotypes thinking that they have to be the stereotype even if it is negative because that is what people expect. Asians Americans are labeled minority model causing them stress that pressures them, to achieve higher expectations.

A stereotype can be defined as a widely held, but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing. Stereotypes are in most cases falsified views that are used to represent an entire entity. Even when proven untrue, these persisting ideas can consume the naïve and offend the accused. As I sat in this Latin American Pro Seminar course, I noticed how unique and extraordinary each young lady in the class was. Even though they were all of Latin American descent, they differed in so many ways. I also noted that these ladies were different than the Latina individuals that I had previously seen in the media. Captivated by how intelligent and distinctive my colleagues were, I was prompted to write my research paper on the different stereotypes of the Latina woman and how I perceive them to be inaccurate.

Throughout the years, racial stereotypes have played a major role in society. Even today, one combines racial stereotypes and prejudice thoughts before one even says a word to the person. Just seeing an African- American man while in a parking lot and pulling out ones phone, can be a simple example of modern-day racial stereotypes.

In life, there is a common ground on which most every person can relate. At one time or another, we have all been promoters of or victims of the unremitting nature of stereotypes. According to the Webster’s dictionary, a stereotype is defined as “a simplified and standardized conception or image invested with special meaning and held in common by members of a group.” Most stereotypes take on a negative form and are based on characteristics such as age, gender, race, status, and personal beliefs. Generally speaking, the greatest problem that arises with stereotypes is that they judge group of people by the characteristics and actions of their ancestors, rather than on an individual basis. More often than not, these assumptions will

Stereotypes can be defined as sweeping generalizations about members of a certain race, religion, gender, nationality, or other group. They are made everyday in almost every society. We develop stereotypes when we are unable or unwilling to obtain all the information we would need to make fair judgments about people or situations. By stereotyping, we assume that a person or group has certain characteristics. Quite often, we develop these ideas about people who are members of groups with which we have not had firsthand contact. Stereotyping usually leads to unfair results, such as discrimination, racial profiling, and unnecessary violence, all behaviors which need to be stopped.

In her essay “The Myth of the Latin Woman: I Just Met a Girl Named Maria”, Judith Ortiz Cofer analyzes the harmful outcomes that often result from stereotypes. Cofer states that mixed culture signals maintained stereotypes and they are promoted by the media. Today, stereotypes are displayed throughout the media. Stereotype is a generalized standard for a particular group or type of people or thing. Mostly groups of people are stereotyped ever since several decades ago. Over the years, stereotypes have grown to consist of categories such as race, gender, and ages. Her statement stands corrected until this day as the media continues to show stereotypes. In recent years the media has been promoting racial stereotypes just as Cofer’s statement in her essay.

“To believe unfairly that all people or things with a particular characteristic are the same” is one of many definitions for a stereotype. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary makes it seem like it’s nothing at a;l and something small and innocent when, in all honestly stereotypes are cruel and wrong. Using stereotypes in our daily lives should not be allowed because it causes people to think less of themselves and limit themselves from one 's full potential. Having these stereotypes in our minds really limits our thoughts and opinions about certain things or people. Both essayist Judith Ortiz Cofer, and Brent Staples have personally experienced stereotyping and people thinking wrongly of them. In Cofer’s essay “ The Myth of the Latin Woman: I Just Met a Girl Named Maria” and Staples “Just Walk on By: Black Men and Public Spaces”, they talk about what they have been through with racial stereotyping and what affects it has them, personally. But even with those stereotypes in play they both prove that stereotypes do not determines someone 's future and people are able to prove stereotypes wrong.

In many circles of the world, various groups of people distinguish themselves from one another through religion, language, culture, and sometimes gender. People also develop stereotypes about a particular group of people in order to identify them. However, most of the time, these stereotypes hold true for only some members of a group. Sometimes, these stereotypes are just plain misconceptions that do not even apply to the group it claims to. Stereotypes are placed on people because it is a way to easily identify what type of person or ethnicity an individual is. At one point in time, these stereotypes may have been true; however, in today’s modern society, most of these stereotypes are outdated and false, which leads them to turn into

People constantly try to gain direction and insight from their evaluations of other people. One such way they do so is through stereotypes. Stereotypes are cognitive constructs involving an individual’s half-truths and distorted realities knowledge, expectations, and beliefs about human groups. As such, racial stereotypes are constructed beliefs that all members of the same race share certain specific characteristics. In America, the media and Hollywood play an integral role in entrenching and dispelling these stereotypes. However, Hollywood and the media create characters according to stereotypes to attract an audience, from which the viewers can reflect on and laugh at the stereotypes recognizable within American society. This paper seeks to discuss the common stereotypes in American society and how the media and Hollywood promotes those stereotypes and their impacts.