Forest Whitaker Why Do Stereotypes Exist

In the words of Forest Whitaker, “Stereotypes do exist, but we have to walk through them”. Stereotypes are part of everyday life whether people like it or not. There is a wide range of stereotypes that can affect a person’s daily life and the people around them. In order to identify stereotypes, first, acknowledge the many different kinds. Race, gender, culture, and personality all contribute to present day stereotypical issues. Although stereotypes are perceived as an awful and forbidden act, can they really be helped? The definition of a stereotype is a widely held and oversimplified idea of a particular person or thing that usually comes into play when people first meet. First impressions are important and stereotypes may cloud an individual's
Another major controversy within our society are the stereotypes based on gender. The way people expect each gender to act can be considered a major social problem based on the stereotypes of society. People simply expect girls to be weak and dainty while guys are strong and emotionless. Obviously, most people don’t fit into the mold society has constructed for us and have their own way of doing things. A person isn’t solely defined by their gender and shouldn’t be treated differently based on the stereotypes of society. Sometimes people have a mental picture of what a certain type of person should be. This can get in the way of others dreams and discourage them before they can accomplish their goal in life. If people are unable to be themselves it leaves them feeling unsatisfied and empty
Many people imagine different cultures in different ways. Our predictions of cultures can be based on facts but, our generalizations can lead to confusion and misunderstanding. The mental picture people associate different cultures with can blur your concept of what that culture is truly about. There is also the problem of movies and shows that view most of an unknown culture in solely one way. They tend to generalize and group a culture into one big clump instead of just focusing on them as regular everyday people. The most widely known cultures to be generalized are the Muslims, Chinese, Indians, and Hispanics. These cultures are at the brunt of the most stereotypical