Stereotyping In How To Date A Brown Girl

In the book, The Concept of the Stereotype, Michael Pickering introduced the idea that stereotyping is a gain and loss system where the individual who is stereotyping gains the illusion of power while the stereotyped are downgraded and lose their individuality. This process is evident in "How to Date a Brown Girl (Black Girl, White Girl, or Halfie)," written by Junot Diaz, as the narrator finds himself coping with the impact of being racially stereotyped by gaining power and confidence through stereotyping his dates. This leads me to the question, if an individual has first-hand experience with the consequences of stereotyping, why is he willing to project the same effects on the girls he dates?
Through Pickering suggestion that stereotyping is as a gain and loss system, it gives entail on why an individual may stereotype. For the individual that

It cannot be defined whether the narrator is stereotyping his dates in his subconscious state or if he is purposely doing so, but I perceive that he is not intentionally projecting the consequences of stereotyping onto his dates. Due to his lack of confidence and desire to be someone else, he appears to be focused on using stereotypes in order to gain on his behalf. This suggests that perhaps he is obvious to the fact that by doing this, he is projecting the same negative experience to others. Through the connection of stereotyping being a gain and loss process and the example that "How to Date a Brown Girl (Black Girl, White Girl, or Halfie)" offers, it reveals that individuals may use stereotyping as a tool to raise their self-esteem while not recognizing the impact they cause to others. This idea is useful as it suggests society is in need of an alternative process that can increase an individual’s self-esteem without having to do so at the cost of someone