Racial Stereotypes: Not Simply Black and White

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Wow! You are really smart for a black girl! You dress very nice for African-American, or I didn’t expect you to be so quiet. I have endured all of these comments on countless occasions. Many of my attributes genuinely surprise people, and I often wonder if my ethnicity influenced their reactions. Would my intelligence, sense of style, or shyness perplex others if I was of a different race? My dark brown skin is inevitably the first impression that I express, which dominates the presumptions and biases that others have about me. Moreover, racial stereotypes affect people of all races, and this issue exists in many aspects of our lives, anywhere from a casual conversation to law enforcement to a trip through airport security. Many individuals observe the appearance of others and employ the common beliefs of different races such as, all Asians paint nails and are excellent at math, every Latino is from Mexico and an illegal alien, or that African-American men abandon their children and commit crimes. There is an abundant amount of racial stereotypes, both positive and negative, but where do these theories originate? In our society, which thrives in the information age, mass media is a prominent source for knowledge because it reaches expansive audiences on a daily basis. According to A Journal of Association for Psychological Science, “the prevalence of violent acts on television has been linked to increased aggression and escalating impressions of a dangerous world, and the overrepresentation of youth and beauty may be a causal factor of eating disorders” (Anastasio, Rose, and Chapman). Furthermore, the media is a powerful influence on our beliefs and behavior. We faithfully check our social media pages, read our newspapers, and vie...

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