Stereotyping In The Workplace

Stereotyping is a worldwide illness that has placed judgment on black men and women to the point that they are limited to opportunity and advancement in the working world and the political environment.

Since the United States’ inception, the negative stereotypes and generalizations of African Americans have been some of the worst examples of racism that has been extremely prevalent in American culture. African American stereotypes date back all the way to colonial American times, where African American slavery was considered to be accepted and practiced. Since then, black people in America have been treated horribly for stereotypes that have deep roots in the mistreatment of black people in American history.

Stereotypes seem to be very present in our country, especially stereotypes towards African-Americans. For the longest time, like it has been instilled as a fact in my brain, black people have been directly related to the words “ghetto” or “hood”. I don’t remember a time where I actually can remember the words “ghetto” or “hood” without the picture in my mind of an African-American person. I think that this is a big problem in today’s society because it is not true but still seems to be taught. In politics, society, and everyday life, it feels like African-American’s are being slammed for being hoodlums. This is a problem because there are millions of African-American people who do not fit this stereotype, but still get degraded and treated badly because of this age old belief.

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.

The stereotyped group that is a problem is African American and black athletes being portrayed as beast like, unintelligent, emotional, dominating, violent, and brutal. The specific sport of focus is the NBA. Black athletes are portrayed as beast and animal like in media images like poster, magazine covers, tee shirts, and game freeze frames. Black players have made many strides in the NBA, nearly 75% of NBA players are black, while only 23% of players are white (The 2015 Racial and Gender Report Card). Although there are many black players the media is still owned and operated by predominantly white gatekeepers. This negative stereotype is because it disregards the hours of hard work that black players complete to play professionally. African Americans feel this cover misrepresents them. Blacks could feel exploited, manipulated, or even subconsciously use it as justification for confirming the negative stereotypes the media feeds society. It is a racist notion that black players are unintelligent and rely on genetics “animal instincts” to be great players. If this stereotypes continues young blacks may see believe that they are unintelligent and slack off in school, believing that they can make it through like based on their athletic ability. It perpetuates a “super model minority”. An excellent example of this stereotype is the visual portrayals of NBA superstar LeBron James in the media. James has been prevalent in sports media dating back to his high school years when

African Americans can be considered as the most stereotyped group in the modern and the historical United States. Criminals, “mammies” (a loud, brash mother figure), the “sidekick”, and maids/butlers are common stereotypes portrayed

Over the years, stereotyping has reached an all-time high especially in this contemporary society. Everyone is stereotyped in different ways whether it is their race, religion,  gender or culture  and unfortunately this only results in negative outcomes.For example African Americans are stereotyped as violent and wild individuals that are uneducated gang bangers, but the real question is how did this stereotype come about and why is it still relevant today? In the movie "Crash it gives great examples of stereotyping and prejudice behavior towards different racial groups. They had two different examples of  a group of people that are the same race living completely different lifestyles. What people fail to realize

There are three stereotypes offered today and taught to many: the angry black stereotype: Always pointing his finger at the rest of the world and had appeared so often that it was all that people knew. The noble Negro, who was always victimized by whites and could only be saved by the good will of other whites. And the urban outlaw stereotype, which is the violent or criminal outlaw that is most popular today. What is left out is the middle class, the people supporting a family, volunteering at school, attending church, and seeking the American dream .

Black Americans have been stereotyped for years and continue to be today. The media is one great source of portraying African Americans in certain roles. African Americans are portrayed as criminals, drug dealers and sex offenders in many instances. Many Africans are outraged at how they are portrayed in the media. Protest groups such as the Young African Americans Against Media Stereotypes have done what they can to show there stance on stereotypical media portrayal. "Majority of the time you see a young African-American male in the media he is singing, rapping, scoring a touchdown, dunking a basketball or committing a crime"(

Stereotypes exist in various forms and can be perpetrated in ways which can pose as a harm to the people. A very good example of how stereotype is used is in American football. According to Belanger (2014), Indigenous peoples have been used as mascots

Stereotyping is not only something teens do, adults do it as well. When at stores women tend to grab their purses closer or tighter when a black male walks passed or is near, as it is shown in cartoons, movies, and shows. Adults think that everyone is the same as the person who is shown doing the crime or made a poor decision. If in a movie a black male steals a purse, adults might think every black male is like that. If in the past a white female has stolen clothes, adults may assume that every white female steals.

Either African Americans are stereotyped as being aggressive and having an affiliation to a gang or they are general labourers and unsuccessful due to their race. Asian Americans are depicted “…such as architects, dentists, medical doctors, nurses” ( 586). Asian characters are smart and successful because of the stereotype that all Asians are academically smart. Many Asian actors have criticized Hollywood for not representing them in different lights and the lack of representation given to Asians unless it is to be one of the above stated roles. The racial stereotyping even if portrayed as positive, such as being Asian makes you smart, should still be perceived negatively because racial stereotyping should not be normalized in today's

Stereotype threats are negative consequences about one’s race, sex, nationality, or social group. Stereotype threats are used a lot more frequently than people realize. Gender is a powerful stereotype that affects many people’s decisions and actions. The stereotype of women in the workplace has come a long way even in the last twenty years. Many businesses tend to want to diversify their demographics by making the ratio of men to women almost equal. “Demographic projections anticipate that by the year 2000 women will exceed 50 per cent of the total workforce…” (Johnston and Packer, 1987). Women were able to make their way in to the workplace when men were off at war during the 1950s. During this time, women proved their ability to do the same kind of jobs men did. Many women worked as machinist, factory workers, and clergies.

Stereotyping can be negative because it can affect the way people are treated based on race, social class, and gender. According to Claude Steele, "The reason is that we have a lot of

Stereotypes are a part of everyday life. They help us differentiate and categorize to make quick decision on a person's character; however, stereotyping can be misleading or incorrect resulting in false judgment and mistreatment. In the workplace, this can show to be especially heinous. Stereotyping is a preconceived notion that all members of a group are the same, and behave in the same way. This act of judging others based on perception can cause many problems; especially when linked to the work environment.