Myself between Stereotype and Individual Characteristic

What is my stereotype? Is there any gap between I am consider myself and a stereotype people thinking about me? Am I a kind of stereotyped individual? Or am I different to the typical stereotype? At first, let’s define what a stereotype is. According to the Collins Dictionary, a stereotype is a fixed general image or set of characteristics that a lot of people believe represent a particular type of person or thing.

A stereotype is often considered to be connected with the characteristics of race and ethnicity. The United States of America is one of the multiracial countries so that there are so many stereotypes which are from race and ethnicity. For example, Latinos are considered to be optimistic and enjoy dance and music more than other ethnics. In addition, Americans make jokes with stereotypes about of race and ethnicity. For instance, a joke about Jew is a common source in comedy shows. As an international student, I feel this is very strange because Korea is a kind of single-race country.

Of course, in the case of Korea, there exist stereotypes from different provinces. For example, the people of Chungcheong-do province, central region of South Korea, are known as speaking and acting slower than other provinces. Sometimes, comedians exaggerate the characteristic of the Chuncheong-do people in Korean TV shows. Like this example, I know Texans are known as big sports fans and people say everything is bigger in Texas. However, when I talk to my friends about this, some of my Texan friends say they do not fit in this stereotype. Sometimes, they ask me whether I think about Texas people like that. I think that in many cases, people do not understand or accept their stereotypes that other people see them in general images of the groups in which they exist.

Meanwhile, many stereotypes about gender exist. Let’s imagine this scene as an example. In a sports bar, many people are watching a football game and drinking. who do you think they are? Are they men or women? Maybe you just saw the scene as a bunch of men who are watching the game and sometimes yelling some words while drinking beer. People usually consider that men are big sports fans. I think that Korean people think this more than American people. However, I am a woman and I love watching baseball games. I am the representative example, my characteristic and stereotype of my group Asian woman, do not match each other. I have many experiences of who people kept glaring at me in baseball stadiums when I went there by myself. Maybe “the sports-fan stereotype” is men in Korea. I should get used to this in Korea, of course sometimes it was very stressful for me.

I think that we involuntarily try to understand other people through stereotypes of groups in which they are included. In most cases, those perceptions can help strange people easily understanding others, although the stereotypes make us uncomfortable when those stereotypes conflict with our own characteristics. Let’s think about my stereotype. Are stereotypes in my race, ethnic, gender, and job match with my individual characteristics?