Why are people stereotyped?

Answer 1

• The media and society as a whole has stereotyped the elderly for centuries as being inefficient; unable to make decisions on their own; incapable of looking after themselves; classifying them as 'needy' or addle-brained. Between the media and society this can psychologically affect some elderly people and they basically cave in to the thought that what the media and society is saying they are just that. Thankfully, the stereotyping is fading away a little at a time and many elderly people are still very active either in volunteering; jogging; riding their trail bikes, going to the gym, etc., which causes society to view them in a different light. Even for some elderly that have several illness' they may be dealing with they can hold their heads up high and are veered as being sincere, wise and kind. It is only a young fool that doesn't listen to someone who is much older and experienced in life. Times change as far as progress, but life in general does not change!

Answer 2

People are stereotyped because of cultural biases, lack of understanding, and generalizations made about a particular group based on limited information. Stereotypes can also serve as a way for individuals to categorize and make sense of the world around them, though they are often oversimplified and can lead to unfair judgments.

Answer 3

I personally think that stereotypes come from a time when humans lived in small tribal groups and had to be defensive or suspicious of other groups in order to keep their group safe. As modern societies have become more universal over the centuries, it has become clear that each individual society shares the same human traits and that human behavior is universal.

I also think it is up to us as individuals to recognize our own innate bigotries, which are part of our human nature, and try to overcome them and if we have the opportunity, to oppose bigotry when we see it around us.

Answer 4

We stereotype because people tend to judge others by their looks. If you've ever heard the old adage, "Don't judge a book by its cover" then that's stereotyping in a nutshell. For instance, in high school, a person like a wannabe will look over at a girl who's joining the popular girl clique and think, "Oh, that girl must be really popular." or a jock will meet a really smart student and think, "That person's a total geek!" when they're not. Stereotyping kills because some people are too shy to shake the label, while others DO try to shake their label, but end up being disliked by a lot of people.

Answer 5

In some ways stereotyping simplifies the world for us. It allows us to group large numbers of people together by assuming they all have similar characteristics. These assumptions however, are often incorrect. Sometimes stereotyping is encouraged for questionable reasons, such as the anti-semitic Propaganda that Hitler produced.

Answer 6

Stereotyping Is Just Another way to lower peoples self esteem !

Answer 7

There is not a purpose. Sterotypes just generalise certain groups of people.