For every and any small to big group, there are always norms, stereotypes, and assumptions made about the group. Especially when it comes to diversity and all the different heritages out there, I can think of many stereotypes and assumptions made on people from different backgrounds. We all know what they are; we just don't like to repeat them. So I will mention a stereotype and assumption made about people from my background, Middle East. I am an Assyrian American; we have not had our own country for over thousands of years, since it was overthrown by Iraqis. So our country is extinct. There are a little over a million of us in the world and we are all Christians. Shocking to hear, since there is an assumption made that all middle easterners are known for being Muslim which means their terrorists. Assyrians living in Iraq and Iran currently are being killed by Muslims, and even though they are from the Middle East and from Middle Eastern background, the "bad guys" of the mid east are making the entire Middle East look bad. When I tell people or am asked what my nationality is, when I say Assyrian, people assume "Syrian" from Syria, who are 90% Muslim. I say no, it is "Assyrian" and I emphasize we are all Christian and we do not believe in martyring and we had nothing to do what happened on 9/11.
Even according to our text in CH. 5, when U.S. workers were asked who is most likely to be treated unfairly at work, one of the highest ranked was Arab Americans (18%) and 12% Muslims, since 9/11 resulted in a negative perception from the U.S. towards Arab, Middle Eastern, and South Asian who are viewed as different, and dangerous to society. As the text also mentioned as well, stereotypes and assumptions can be damaging to our society. It is an ongoing battle of diversity our nation has endeared and most likely still endear, however if the communication amongst group became more clear and not given the wrong perception, diversity can move towards its' purpose in the first place; to add more culture, uniqueness, and harmony to our society.
Hey food junkie,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your post. I love that ignorance and stereotypes can be diminished through communication. Although it can literally take a lifetime to change many minds on issues like this, it is still something that is possible. I think that is very frustrating when people make assumptions or stereotype about things they are not even familiar with. I think we are all guilty of stereotyping to a certain degree, but this does not mean that people should not be corrected or properly educated on matters like this. It is a good thing that you are aware that people have theses stereotypes about your background, and I am sure you have changed many minds just by informing and communicating. Nice post.