Have you ever been a victim of stereotyping , or have done it to someone?

If people find out I’m a Christian before they know me they assume I’m some sort of right wing tea party lunatic. That couldn’t be further from the truth.

@Judi See stereotyping ,why do so many do it?

You know all those Canadians are the same, right? They chill their beer in the snow. They switch to t-shirts when the temperature rises above freezing. And everything ends with eh.

Other middle-class middle-aged white guys assume I like golf and racist jokes.

@Hawaii_Jake well better than everything ending in HUH, nice stereotyping.

@SQUEEKY2 Do you mean to tell me it’s not true?

Sure,sure and we all live in igloos as well.

Nah! Everybody knows it’s just the Eskimos who live in igloos in Alaska.

Tell me. What’s it like to go ice fishing in August?

Couldn’t tell ya, it is usually around 110f for most of August around here.

The problem in fighting stereotypes is that there is a basis of truth to most of them, which makes it hard to refute. But then the small common behavior or habit gets spread to everyone in a group, and often exaggerated far beyond what is real.

I’ve been stereotyped, since I was in a fraternity I was considered a nascent republican drunkard abuser of women. Well, I was a drunkard.

People use stereotypes because it is an effortless way to pigeonhole people.

Long blonde hair I’m dumb. Accent= I must be Polish, which is ok if they didn’t let their discrimination for Eastern Europe show through.

I try my best not to, but…I have to admit, I tend to stereotype certain poverty stricken people and think they are lowlife, illiterate, mentally unstable, or drug addicts. Not cool…unless it’s true. lol
It has come to my attention lately because I have been stricken down via this economy and am terrified that I could end up having to live in some less than environment with scary people.

How I get stereotyped:

My accent = I’m a hick (apparently I sound like I’m from the South)
Half Scottish = must be a drunk who likes his sheep
Half Korean = I’m a communist spy from N. Korea
Nihilistic = I’m a sociopath
Lack of sympathy and empathy towards things I find superficial but which many others seem to care a lot about = I’m a sociopath
Kinsey 1 or 2 (I like to say 1.5) = “Oh so you’re bisexual? You must be a slut.”
Political centrist = fence rider who can’t make up his own damn mind/closet liberal/closet conservative (depending on who I’m talking to)
Dealt/Dealing with Depression = Whiny Pussy
Ex-Army = Baby killer
Half Asian = small penis

What I’m guilty of doing:

Blonde stereotypes
Female stereotypes
Marine stereotypes
Air Force stereotypes
Navy stereotypes
Coast Guard stereotypes
Merchant Marine stereotypes
Caucasian stereotypes
Asian stereotypes
African American stereotypes
Hispanic stereotypes
Middle Eastern stereotypes
Native American stereotypes
Indian stereotypes…
[insert your race/nationality/gender here] stereotypes
Right wing stereotypes
Left wing stereotypes

I admit, I’m immature (and an asshole) and all but the last two stereotypes are in jest (I usually/always – can’t think of a time I have done these to someone not my friend – pull those with friends who know I’m playfully pushing a few of their buttons). The last two are commonly in spite.

I’m a male nurse. I’m therefore gay and incompetent.

A time I’ve stereotyped someone was when I ended up befriending and later having a fling with a gothic woman from high school.

In high school, it was also pretty embarrassing when you’re put on the spot in front of everyone at parties and dances because I should know how to dance because I’m black. This was in the era of 90s R&B when being a smooth black man was the thing to be hahaha.

As a female, I’m expected to be gifted in social skills and tolerant of incompetence in the workplace. I’m also not supposed to know anything about cars or have any grasp of mechanical concepts. I’m supposed to want to try to look like I’m 22 even though I’m more than twice that, and to be OK with making less than my male counterparts, but being charged more for clothing, dry cleaning, etc.

Because I’ve never fit neatly into my gender role, I’ve tended to not stereotype much. I’ve learned that one-on-one, we are all far more alike than we are different.

It’s human nature. Everything has to fit into a category. Stereotyping is something we all do and that we’ve all been a victim of. Sometimes stereotypes are true, and sometimes they’re not. Sometimes they’re helpful, and other times they’re harmful. Like I said, it’s human nature.

I honestly can’t think of a time I stereotyped someone and ended up being very wrong about them. I’m sure it’s happened, but I like to think I’m a pretty good judge from the get-go.

I chill my beer in the snow, I say eh and put on t shirts in -3, of course. Also it’s Inuit, not Eskimo.

I wear my hair in a buzz-cut and I’m short but quite stocky, so people sometimes assume I’m a bit of a “tough guy” (I am totally not). One time another guy accidentally bumped into me in the street and he was actually scared of me. I have a pair of cherry-red Doc Martens boots that I love but hardly ever wear because I don’t want to be stereotyped as a “skinhead” (it has right wing/racist connotations here).

My wife thinks I stereotype Toyota drivers (particularly Camrys), because they’re all so bad…...

Well I’m mostly European but my background is a mix of all sorts of things, so I don’t look very Finnish apart from my facial features (even though my mom is from there). People will sometimes ask me where I’m from- I’ll say I’m Finnish and American. I sometimes get the response: “Finnish- really? You don’t look that Finnish.” Apparently my accent also confuses people- it’s a fairly generic american one, with a hint of british (and possibly a hint of finnish? I dunno- people don’t seem to know about that one).
As for gender roles- don’t get me started. People expect me to have good social skills and be interested in shopping (really?? I’d rather do other things with my time, thank you very much).

@downtide Haha oh shit someone else with Doc boots. You’re now officially awesome. :D