Unionhack
Dec 7, 2010, 07:42 PM
(I just felt like writing something, and this came out)
Stereotypes
Excerpt from ‘Defying the Laws of Teenage Society’.
No matter how you try to deny it, no matter how you try to sugar-coat it, you cannot ignore the fact that our society, as a whole, is prejudiced.
This is not to be contested; it seems logical enough. Our society prefers to do things quickly and efficiently; why waste time getting to know someone so you can fairly judge them, when you can just brand them on how they look or act like, and just move on?
When it comes to judging a person, there is always and with no exceptions, more than meets the eye. This is a simple truth that many people completely ignore, in favor of using prejudiced, preconceived beliefs when figuring out someone.
Stereotypes, while not always true, exist for a reason; they are commonly true, and are true because people in our society typically enforce them. Why does Eugene, president of the A/V club, not have any friends, while John, captain of the football team, has people dying for him to acknowledge their existence? Stereotypes are to blame.
These stereotypes in teenage environments are a root of many of society’s modern problems, and are typically extremely harsh for those on the ‘nerdy’ side of high schools. Why should Eugene try to be something other than himself, when people would just ridicule him if he tried to act out? On the other hand, however, remaining the same old Eugene would get him ridiculed as well, because smarts are generally undervalued in comparison to looks and popularity. No matter what little Eugene does, he will always be ridiculed, because he was branded early on as a ‘nerd’.
Harsh stereotypes are even more extreme in teenage dating situations, and teens who receive the short end of the stick in popularity are often penalized greatly. While John the football captain has girls falling over for him, Eugene is treated harshly by the females of his High School, often without ever approaching them or speaking to them.
Is this not an extremely misguided way to think? When girls fall head-over-heels in love with John and end up dating him, he will more than likely end up dumping these girls after making promises of love, and often he will show no regrets afterwards. However, while girls are whining about how John was such a jerk, and how they wish they could find a guy who wasn’t a jerk, little Eugene, a good and caring person at heart, is sitting alone, without any consideration whatsoever, because he has been branded as a ‘nerd’.
Could Eugene not appreciate feelings more than John ever could? Given the scarcity of such feelings in Eugene’s life, it would only be logical that he would appreciate those feelings more than John ever could. Why then, does Eugene still remain alone in this way? Once again, the answer lies in stereotypes.
The day that society can look past common, petty stereotypes, will be the day that benevolent people will rule. Those concerned with good will towards men are too far and few between, because of the primal desire to be accepted in High School societies capture most people early on. It is a sad truth, but a truth nonetheless.
Stereotypes
Excerpt from ‘Defying the Laws of Teenage Society’.
No matter how you try to deny it, no matter how you try to sugar-coat it, you cannot ignore the fact that our society, as a whole, is prejudiced.
This is not to be contested; it seems logical enough. Our society prefers to do things quickly and efficiently; why waste time getting to know someone so you can fairly judge them, when you can just brand them on how they look or act like, and just move on?
When it comes to judging a person, there is always and with no exceptions, more than meets the eye. This is a simple truth that many people completely ignore, in favor of using prejudiced, preconceived beliefs when figuring out someone.
Stereotypes, while not always true, exist for a reason; they are commonly true, and are true because people in our society typically enforce them. Why does Eugene, president of the A/V club, not have any friends, while John, captain of the football team, has people dying for him to acknowledge their existence? Stereotypes are to blame.
These stereotypes in teenage environments are a root of many of society’s modern problems, and are typically extremely harsh for those on the ‘nerdy’ side of high schools. Why should Eugene try to be something other than himself, when people would just ridicule him if he tried to act out? On the other hand, however, remaining the same old Eugene would get him ridiculed as well, because smarts are generally undervalued in comparison to looks and popularity. No matter what little Eugene does, he will always be ridiculed, because he was branded early on as a ‘nerd’.
Harsh stereotypes are even more extreme in teenage dating situations, and teens who receive the short end of the stick in popularity are often penalized greatly. While John the football captain has girls falling over for him, Eugene is treated harshly by the females of his High School, often without ever approaching them or speaking to them.
Is this not an extremely misguided way to think? When girls fall head-over-heels in love with John and end up dating him, he will more than likely end up dumping these girls after making promises of love, and often he will show no regrets afterwards. However, while girls are whining about how John was such a jerk, and how they wish they could find a guy who wasn’t a jerk, little Eugene, a good and caring person at heart, is sitting alone, without any consideration whatsoever, because he has been branded as a ‘nerd’.
Could Eugene not appreciate feelings more than John ever could? Given the scarcity of such feelings in Eugene’s life, it would only be logical that he would appreciate those feelings more than John ever could. Why then, does Eugene still remain alone in this way? Once again, the answer lies in stereotypes.
The day that society can look past common, petty stereotypes, will be the day that benevolent people will rule. Those concerned with good will towards men are too far and few between, because of the primal desire to be accepted in High School societies capture most people early on. It is a sad truth, but a truth nonetheless.