The dangers of stereotyping groups based on race,
ethnicity, culture, etc. are preached to people of all ages. Through this
sermonizing, we learn that we can never trust these assumptions, that they're
offensive, and that we should not believe them even if they seem to be true.
However, something we are not taught is how pronounced the impact is on those
who are victims of stereotypes. People who belong to a group that is commonly
stereotyped suffer the consequences of our assumptions on a much larger scale
than imagined, but there is no way to teach this as a danger of stereotyping
because most of us can't understand it. Sherman Alexie's essay, Indian
Education, displays how stereotypes can make people resent
their own culture. Alexie writes, “…when we look in the mirror, see the history
of our tribe in our eyes, taste failure in the tap water, and shake with old
tears…” (lines 64-66), his tribe lives with an underlying shame because they are
aware of how society perceives them. This embarrassment is the result of being
portrayed in a way that does not accurately represent who they are, what they
believe, or what lifestyle they choose to live. These people shoulder the
burden of walking around knowing that strangers they pass on the street have a
preconceived misconception of not only their culture but the essence of who
they are as an individual. These assumptions, although false, are hurtful.
There are infinite variations of personalities and people that exist within a
culture and stereotypes strip them all of their individual merits and
accomplishments, defining them in terms of what uneducated and insensitive members
of society see from the outside. These stereotypes degrade individuals, entire
cultures, and society as a whole and people who don’t experience it firsthand
are entirely unaware of how widespread and intense the effect is.
