I was among a group of friends the other day, and one of them was eating a meal he had prepared himself. When I asked if it was any good, another one of my friends blurted out, "Of course it's good! He's Cuban, they're awesome at cooking!" Despite us all laughing it off, it made me think of what I had learned about preconceived notions about different people, and stereotypes in general.
As we advance in in technology, knowledge, and progress, many stereotypes have still persisted, sometimes stubbornly and against reason. Only recently have women been considered for, but not yet admitted for, active combat roles; gay men are still barred from donating blood to blood banks; most Muslims are regarded with distaste, if not open hostility; and all of these examples are motivated by misconceptions and negative stereotypes.
In all of these examples, however, there is one positive element. For each stereotype, there are constraints put on people, telling them how to act around others, how to behave, and how to shape their personality. Looked at the surface, this is not particularly helpful or good for individuals. After all, how are restrictions placed on a person good? However, looking at this another way, these constraints are a challenge, a positive challenge for people to break these barriers, and go against the stereotypes that they feel do not truly define who they are.And for those who are on the other side, and observing and collaborating with the stereotyped, this would be the perfect opportunity to realize what stereotypes they are coming in with, and see beyond that, and notice anything and everything that does not adhere to that model. Each person is unique, and despite thoughts that each person fits a certain "cookie-cutter" mold, even from the person the thoughts are being directed towards, it is important to see that just as no one's life history can be seen from a first meeting, a person cannot be classified according to a stereotype.
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