Clearing up stereotypes

[Rydia]

So pick a group or groups where it's members are commonly negatively (or even positively) stereotyped, and basically say what is not always true about the stereotype. And if possible, say what is true or why or how the stereotype came to be.

Hispanics:
-Not all are illegal aliens. My friend is 4th generation American.
-Not all are uneducated or spend their lives working minimum wage jobs. Many are also very successful.

People from the "south":
-Are not all gun waving republicans
-Are not all uneducated hillbillies.
-Are not all racist
-Are not all old people (don't know why anyone would even believe that)
-Are not all poor, again, many are very unsuccessful.
-Do not know about the outside world. Again, many have traveled to other countries and do know there is a world outside of theirs.

 

[Valvalis]

I've got some good ones, which will probably sound like broken records from me at this point, but seeing as how this seems to be sort of my area I guess...

-Not all vegetarians are stuck-up, rich nut jobs who only eat disgusting vegetable dishes no one's ever heard of. I'm poor as shit compared to the stereotype, and I don't constantly hate on people I know for eating meat (even though I am sort of a nut job in other ways ). And I eat a crapload of the same things that meat-eaters eat: most desserts, several types of pasta, all fruits and vegetables, all dairy products, french fries, bready breakfast items such as pancakes/waffles/muffins, and the list goes on. Also, vegetarian does not equal vegan, which many people confuse, so many of us vegetarians still use certain animal products without any problems.

-Also, I may as well just throw out there that environmentalists are not all just crazy "tree huggers" who love animals. The main point for many environmentalists is to save the entire earth, not just animals, and many of them are not even vegetarians. People who hate on environmentalists would still be saved by their efforts if their efforts were to succeed.

-Another good one: people who don't dress up/wear makeup DO NOT always have low self-esteem Some of us just really cba to spend even an hour each morning in front of the mirror getting ready to go out somewhere, life is short and there are *soooo* many fun things to do out there that I hate doing something that is so repetitive and will just be washed away and/or taken off later anyway.

-Overweight people are overweight because they eat too much. That is bullshit. They may have eaten the wrong things to get that way, yes, but many people who are overweight and stay that way actually try dieting by eating too little food, and then their body goes into starvation mode and hangs onto everything you eat. And it takes a very long time to lose weight so someone could have been dieting for a long while now and it's just taking a long while for it to show up. Not everyone who's overweight stuffs their face at all you can eat restaurants all day long.

-And one last one, while we're on that note: blaming farts on the "fat kid". The heaviest person in the room is not always automatically the one who farted; a lot of overweight people don't eat enough to substantiate whatever gross smell just happened, and skinny people have ripped off so many disgusting ones in my presence that it's not even the least bit funny to stereotype this

 

[The Witch]

- Middle Eastern people are not all Muslims nor are they terrorists. I hate it when I listen to Nancy Ajram and people say she's a terrorist or something just cause she's speaking Arabic. She's from Lebanon... and she's Christian from a Jewish family, bet they didn't see that coming.

 

[Kandy-Sugar]

HAH good topic.

Australians: This one really shits me off. The amount of foreigners that assume we all have fucking kangaroos in our backyards is ridiculous!

We have cities too people! We don't all live in the bush!!!

We don't all have beer bellies and say g'day and wear old thongs!!!

And no. Just because it's fucking hot here does not mean that we are all tanned! I've seriously had at least five people act shocked when they saw I had pale skin and lived here. <_<

Potheads: Not everyone who smokes marijuana is a loser. And I hate the term 'Potheads.' But this is what they're most commonly referred to. Yes most of them are losers who sit on the dole and do shit all with their lives except aspiring to become a couch potato. I have seen it and it's a fucking scary site.

But the ones that I am friends with actually all go to uni, they're all in great paying jobs and have a level head. You can smoke marijuana without getting too high and becoming a dickhead. Most of them just prefer it to alcohol to wind down after a day of work or whatever.

Just like alcohol drink/smoke it in moderation.

 

[Rydia]

I'll add more:

Catholics: Are not all blue collar working class pessimistic folks. Some do have very good jobs and some are stuck in the inner city. Also, they don't hate sex. Yes, most of them in the older generation may scold you for moving in with your partner before marriage, but many Catholics under the age of 50 have infact *gasp* had sex out of marriage. And from people that I know, I might even say most. Also, most Catholics have moved in with their partners before tying the knot. Also, catholics do not find sex evil, infact it's more the opposite, they find it sacred and to have it out side of marriage perverts the act. But that is mostly with the OLDER generation and the more strict young ones. And I see people saying that they are either republican or democrat. They are neither. In a survey taken in my city, there was a 50/50 split in political party membership among the population in several catholic churches. Also, most will disagree with the pope if they see fit and do not "worship" him. Yes you will get crazies that do.

Otakus (those that watch anime) are not all goths or punks. And we do not all major in Japanese or computer science. Some of us are just "regular" people who have our own lives that happen to like anime and visit conventions. And not all of us have brightly colored rainbow hair. And many of us do not watch hentai and fine much of it to be quite twisted XD. And yes, you will get the scary hardcore people that live in their mother's basement past 40, but that is not most of us.

People that attended a private school are not all snobs that think less of people that attended a public school. Many people went because; they had scholarships, the public schools in the area were not good, or their parents found the uniformity and the discipline a positive thing. From attending a private school all my life, most students wanted to attend the public school and found their uniforms nerdy.

 

[Ilyena]

- Middle Eastern people are not all Muslims nor are they terrorists. I hate it when I listen to Nancy Ajram and people say she's a terrorist or something just cause she's speaking Arabic. She's from Lebanon... and she's Christian from a Jewish family, bet they didn't see that coming.

And for that matter, all Muslims are not terrorists either. That one really irritates me. It's amazing what fear and ignorance causes people to do. My sister wears a hijab (a traditional Muslim head covering) and she gets harassed by morons constantly. It's just plain stupid and ignorant to assume that anyone of the Muslim religion is planning to blow you up.

Another stereotype is that skinny = healthy which is not the case at all. Some thin people are just as unhealthy as some overweight people. Some people starve themselves and take all kinds of weird diet pills to keep themselves thin and that is extremely unhealthy. Some people have hormonal problems that cause them to remain thin no matter how much they eat or what they eat. The same goes for some overweight people. Thyroid problems in particular can cause people to gain weight very easily no matter what they eat.

 

[The Master]

The HO-MO-SEXUALS: Not every gay person has AIDS. It urks me when someone uses the term "gay as AIDS". Ugh... I can't think of any other gay stereotypes...
Oh! Wait. There's the whole "Gays are weak and femmy."
I'm sure there are plenty of manly gay men who would come kick your ass for being so ignorant

 

[Will Graham]

"All Irish people are potato eating feck wankers who'll do a poor job tarmacking your drive and probably steal your gates" is a stereotype I've heard many times. It's also true. Anyone who says it isn't true is lying and probably French, because all French people are liars

 

[Squid]

If it was an australian saying it we'd say "Lets put another Prawn on the barbie." we don't fucking call it 'shrimp'. That is an american term!

Also we're not all surfer bums and like already mentioned we don't have kangaroos jumping around the streets.