Are Stereotypes Created by Society?
I’ve been pondering this for a few days, so I asked my brother what he thought about our stereotyped society. He agreed that we are raised to believe people are a certain way based on where they are from. We are taught by the media, friends, sometimes even family, to think that girls in Los Angeles wear big sunglasses, drink coffee 24/7, and are obsessed with becoming famous, while people in Washington, DC are nothing but politically obsessed uptight workaholics.
My brother said this: “We look to verify stereotypes in our subconscious – as a way to verify the wrong things that we were brought up to believe. When people do not fit stereotypes- we look at them like they are not the norm already.” Do you agree with this statement?
Stereotypes about Northerners
Stereotypes about Southerners
For the record, I am married to a man from the South, and he is the most classy, motivated, handsome man on this Earth – and he has NEVER worn overalls.
What kinds of stereotypes did you once/do you believe in? What do you think about how our society labels people based on the geographic area they were born or reside in?
I totally agree with you. When I went to school in Florida, they asked me if we had indoor plumming. Nice! It’s those type of people who should be labeled as IGNORANT!!!
Wow, it’s so interesting to read your perspectives on the North and South. I’ve lived in the Pacific Northwest my entire life. Visiting my husband’s family in St. Louis and going to my sister-in-law’s debutante ball was so foreign and cool to me. Seattle is especially liberal and hippie-like (as a stereotype) but the state as a whole tends to trend Republican. When I went to school in Eastern Washington, it was a pleasant change to be around rolling wheat fields and wine country versus the dense, lush green Seattle area. Although, I did miss the rain in the desert. Unfortunately, I don’t think stereotypes will ever go away, the best we can do is be polite and not too judgmental, right?
You should hear the reactions I get when I say that I’m from Indiana. People in CA look at me like it’s a miracle I ended up turning out okay! People are so clueless!
Don’t even GET me started on the stereotypes of Canadians…
What I think, as far as regional stereotypes, is there are going to be a few people in each region that make it or break it. You’re going to meet that ONE person on the East Coast that is loud, obnoxious and rude and THAT is what’s going to stand out in your mind. I have met wonderful people from ALL over the US… but I think stereotypes are so deeply ingrained in our society that they will never go away 🙁 Quite sad actually… because not only are many of them inaccurate but they can also be very hurtful too 🙁
For the record:
I live in VERY northern Canada… we have running electricity, we don’t live in igloos, our summers get into the high nineties – low hundreds, and we even have starbucks up here. I don’t say “EH” all the time and I don’t say ABOOT. lol… oh but one stereotype that IS correct – we LOVE our hockey 🙂
Love this post Mrs.Bear:)
honey you are SPOT on with this! people from the north used to ask me if i rode a HORSE to school. WHAT? most people in texas have never been on a horse, let alone RIDE ONE to school!
and i have heard my share of “oh well he/she’s a yankee, of COURSE they’re rude.” however i have met some of the NICEST people when taking trips up north and some equally NOT SO NICE people down here in texas.
geographical stereotypes are for BABIES (this is a saying that i say a LOT – my little brother and sister, twins, when they were about 3 would say EVERYTHING they didn’t like or want to do was for BABIES, and put tons on emphasis on the word babies … like they weren’t babies at 3, cracked me up)
I’ve seen children without shoes at my local walmart in Nashville. That being said, not everyone is a redneck in the south. And not everyone is nice. However- I found NC to be way nicer overall than TN. I think it’s because parts of Nashville are very wealthy areas, which can normally be attributed with a snobby attitute. There were so many people at my college from New England, and let me tell you…I have yet to meet a genuinely nice person from Boston. But you’re very refreshing to me since you’re from CT and seem super duper nice! I will say that southern manners seem to be lost on most men from the north. I’m happy my husband-to-be is from Georgia.
I completely agree with you about our nation of stereotyping. Sadly, I think we all do it to some extent. I certainly try not to because I’ve had some horrible things said about me and my family for living where we live.
One woman I train at work was telling me about a restaurant that she thought was good, suddenly stops, and says “nevermind, you country club folk wouldn’t find it to be good enough for you.” I was appalled. Yes, my parents live in a country club, but they are not snobby, up tight people who would pass up a good meal because it wasn’t a four star restaurant.
Unfortunately, I’ve never been able to look at that woman the same because I was really hurt that she thought my family was like that.
Great, post!!
xoxo!!
Amen, sister! Ignorance runs rampant…everywhere! Stereotypes are annoying. Plain and simple. I’ve been a victim of a few and I’ve learned to overlook such ignorance…it’s quite sad that some people are so narrowminded. Ugh. Anyway – thanks for the post 🙂
I completely agree that, as a nation, we stereotype! I’m from Boca Raton, Florida. snooty, bitchy, too rich, Jewish, old, etc, etc, etc. is the responses I get ALL THE TIME when I tell someone where I’m from! But, it’s definitely interesting to see that people are very different when you go to a different part of the country.
I completely agree with your post. I live in the midwest and am so sick and tired of being labeled a hick by people of other regions! Sooooo annoying!
And most of the people who judge and stereotype have never even been to my state…..they just assume. Like the saying goes- “Assuming makes an ass out of you and me.” lol