Stereotypes: A Narrative Analysis

There exists in our community a monster, a monster as old as mankind itself. This monster is known by many names; some call it racism, others discrimination but the only thing certain about this monstrosity is that it can be overcome if we all unite to fight against it. Racism is “a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race” (Merriam Webster). Racism has multiple causes ranging from living in a secluded community, to the basic instincts of mankind which likes exemplify the differences found in others not like themselves. Racism can destroy the foundations on which a community is laid upon and can intrude upon the peace and sanction of many of its members. By informing members of the community on the reasons why racism continues to persist, encouraging acceptance and providing further education on how to relieve racial tensions, we can resolve the issue of racism once and for all.

The danger of a single story is that they let the powerful downgrade the weaker because they create stereotypes, they can hurt the people, and no one gets represented from the culture.

Have you ever noticed how violence is just a result of racism? Hate crimes have been occurring all over the country. Just look around you! IT’S EVERYWHERE!!!! Out of all of the hate crimes, even including the ones like gender, disability, ethnicity, religion,etc., race has fueled the most violence. There are so many killings, murders, shootings,etc. They are hard to keep track of! Let’s look at one well known group in particular where we see a criminal history. The KKK (Klu Klux Klan) started with a group of confederate soldiers creating a path of destruction and pain and grew to even larger numbers even after the war was over! It’s growth was fueled by hate for a certain race. Seriously? You are going to kill and hurt someone because of how they look? That is MESSED UP. Some of our wars, in the past and present, were fought just because of racial inequality - civil war, World War II. We have to accept and trust each other and not worry about the color of our skin getting in between us. ENOUGH WITH THE HATE!!!!! YOU ARE HOLDING YOURSELF BACK FROM A PATH TO

“No one is born hating another person because the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.” – Nelson Mandela. In today’s society, minorities deal with racial issues such as racial profiling, racial bullying in institutions, and because of these racial attitudes, groups and movements have formed due to these acts. To this day, society is still burdened with many people who do not fully grasp the concept of equality; because of this, outdated racial attitudes are still an ongoing issue in modern society.

The single story is about how a people stereotypes one another based on what they learned through books, media, people, and other sources. For example, Chimamnda announced how she viewed Mexicans as immigrants and them trying to get through the borders, but the moment she stepped foot into Mexico the perspective she got from other sources changed everything. She was ashamed of herself because when she visit the view was completely different because what she saw was happiness, love, and fun. The single story is an image that is created based upon information that was given, but not on your own perspective. In other words, it is the truth to the reality. For example, when people hear of Niagara everyone think of land, poor, Africa, homeless,

Anyway, going back to when we were kids, sometimes Ken would babysit me and Maddie. He was 14 at the time and no one knew then how unstable he was, my parents thought that they could trust him. The first time that he crossed the line we were outside playing. It was a cold day in December, I'll always remember that because I was nervous about the upcoming Christmas pageant at school.

Lux stands there motionless. Mallory and Anastasia run over embracing her. Walking her over to the couch to sit down.

What if I were to tell you that you that for the rest of your life, you would be unfairly judged, and possibly even discriminated against, based on false perceptions and ideas gathered from influences that only resemble you in the vaguest of ways, most likely being, skin color? And what if no matter how an individual person chooses to carry oneself, they will still commonly be regarded as a member of said misconceptions? Enter, stereotype: “A widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing.”(1)

When we were innocent, and young, the world was our chew toy, and we thought, as we licked our lemon lollies, and played hopscotch and jumped rope, that we could handle anything, because we were oblivious of the lies, that hung like thick sheets of smoke, a veil over the truth, that we call our world. And as we sat in our dining rooms, under crystal chandeliers, with our turkeys and blueberry pies, we didn’t know that, half a world away, lay a starving child, homeless, motherless, and lifeless, and couldn’t afford a single blueberry, much less the whole pie.

The past was best left in the past. Forgotten and ignored, buried in oblivion, and omitted from the present. That’s how one survives. That’s how one gets from day to day without breaking down in a puddle of mush. It didn’t work to face the problem, to confront it head on with the conception that you could overcome. That was just a fantasy, like fairy tale stories it was unrealistic. I learned the way to survive is by stuffing the invasion of feelings that surface when the bloodcurdling past threatens to suffocate you. If PHDs were awarded for perfecting this talent I would be first on the list to receive one. At least I thought so, at least up until this point it was my greatest ally and friend. But looking into the mirror now trying to focus

“Elders, this is a scan of Katherine Ayla Regan’s brain when she arrived here yesterday. I’d like you to note the unusual activity in the parietal lobe. She tapped the screen, and the parietal lobe became greater. Kat looked at the screen confused. A weird pink light was pulsing across the lobe.

Hate groups have been around for many years, and don’t seem to be going anywhere any time soon. According to an article in the Washington Post, hate groups have rose for the first time in 2015. Just last year, “a year characterized by levels of polarization”, there was a 14% spike in hate groups. Hate groups are a danger to everyone because you never know who is participating in hate groups or if you are a target of a hate group. Religion hate groups are not as popular today, as the Ku Klux Klan and Black Separatist groups. The WCOTC is a religious hate group that has been around since the 1973 and still exist today (Chokshi, 2015).

I felt my heart beating out my chest as I walked in the room for try outs for the debate team. I had always like to argue and to make people see things from my point of view. I couldn’t quite comprehend why I was so nervous though. Maybe it was the crowd I had to speak in front of. I really disliked talking in front of people especially, when I really wanted to prove myself worthy for this elite team. I would forget how to read and I stumble across words that I knew so well. Yolicia you’re up! As I began to walk to the podium to speak, I felt like everyone eyes were little beams on me.

It was ten minutes until the start of class when they approached me. Donning dark jeans, fresh highlights, and an air of seventh grade superiority, these two girls had caught wind of a rumor and had come to see if it held any truth. “We heard you were adopted,” one said to me. “Is that true?” I was flushed with a mixture of shame and embarrassment, the girls’ stares piercing me as I grappled with my response. I was faced with two options: either admit it, which seemed as attractive a choice as gnawing off one’s leg; or lie, denying what I knew to be a fact. Deciding, I turned to the two girls, looked them straight in the eye, and muttered, “I don’t know who told you that but it’s a lie. I wasn’t adopted.” Their eyebrows furrowed together and my heart seized in my chest, hoping they wouldn’t interrogate me further, praying they would believe me. After an

It was a very cold and windy night, the wind was so loud it sounded like one of our members from our pack howling. The cold winter was slowly creeping up on us. The sky had never been darker than tonight it was a grey and black mix, kinda like our fur coats that everyone trembled over, but it was faintly streaked with purple. My two brothers, two sisters, and I have been our own pack since our parents died when they went out hunting following the rich smell of sickness and weakness towards town. We hadn’t eaten in days and our prey were finally outsmarting us as much as we hated to admit it and we were slowly starving to death. Usually on the prairie we could find dear or even bunny rabbits that were just waiting to be teared apart from our