Positive And Negative Stereotypes

Any stereotype is based on prejudgments. People who take stereotypes into consideration when judging a person can make assumptions on others from multiple sources, such as peers and the media. In the article, “Paper Tigers,” Wesley Yang, an Asian-American, implies how stereotypes affect people of his culture in both positive and negative ways. Either way, negative and positive stereotypes can both negatively have an impact on a person by altering how a person feels about themselves. The negative impact of stereotypes on individuals causes friction to potential relationships and creates an impossible standard for a person to reach thus making a person feel imperfect. Initially, a negative stereotype alters a person 's view to become cynical

Positive stereotypes such as saying that Hispanic people are good at dancing or that Asians “are good at math” creates a standard that most can not reach (521). By implying a positive stereotype towards someone, then they will either have that characteristic or will most likely feel the need to want and gain that attribute. If an Asian-American person were not good at math, then the individual would feel excluded from their ethnic background. Since Asians culturally believe in acting to their traditional principles and if an Asian person was not able to meet the standards of his or her culture then they can be viewed as a nonconformist. If an individual is not accepted in their culture, this could impact the person and make them feel that they must conform to Asian standards thus make an individual feel offended or imperfect. However, a person may not make an effort to reach that standard at all. Sometimes, an individual would rebel against the norm that stereotypes create and decide to become an independent person. Yang is a proud example of someone who clearly stated his negative “feelings toward Asian values” (521). By Yang saying that he chooses to live with the “unyielding part” of himself rather than accepting any “reward the world has to offer” or any “ingratiating demeanor,” shows how stereotypes impacted him to become someone who will not conform to the pressures