Entry # 10  Deep Thoughts and true talk

          Stereotyping and discrimination are some of the most controversial topics and actions in our times right now, and most people would agree that these two things are things that nobody will ever stop doing, because there will always be someone who wants to hate and discriminate against others whether it is race, religion, age, sex, etc. Most of all are the stereotypes, no matter who you are, no matter where you are, almost everyone will always stereotype the people around them. Most people say that they do their best to stop themselves from stereotyping others but still admit that they have those thoughts, but never act on them.

           For me I learned stereotyping from my family growing up, while I was younger there would be times to where my mother and I would be going places and she would stereotype the others around us by locking the car doors three or four times if we are in a “bad neighborhood” or overdramatically keep track of her purse. But at the same time there would be people around us watching us, making sure that we didn’t steal anything or I would hear offensive words from cuts in the sentences that they don’t think that I heard. I think that I stereotype others because of the experiences that I had when I was a kid and going through all of this with my family when we went places, I instinctively due to others what was done to me, but later in my life when I started high school I had to go through a period where I was actively trying to get myself to stop thinking and acting on these thoughts. One experience that I can remember of when I stereotyped someone was when I first started dating my girlfriend was when we went to visit her family for the very first time and automatically I assumed based on everything that I was told when I was younger that we were going to a place that I need to watch everything and make people believe that I am super tough and “hard.” As soon as we got there I immediately found out that while it might have been the first time that we have ever met I just had to be myself and they were some of the most down to earth people and now when we visit them I just act like myself and everything is great. Also, since I am in a biracial relationship, and my girlfriend is African American I get those “double takes” and little side glances. My girlfriend told me some interesting stereotypes about her race, that really make me think where did they come up with this stuff. One of the common ones I have heard is that all “black people” love fried chicken and grape Kool-Aid. This is just stupid she does not care too much for Kool-Aid in general let alone grape Kool-Aid. The funny thing that she told me was that if you don’t fit within their stereotypes they try to say you are not truly “black” which is totally ridiculous because her race does not depend on whether she really likes fried chicken or grape Kool-Aid, it depends on what culture or skin color she was born into.