Stereotypes

On the first day of school I was walking around with The Hunger Games, the first book in the trilogy of the same name, and one student came up to me and asked “Why are you reading that? Isn’t that ‘Chick Lit’?” Chick Lit is basically the book equivalent of a Chick Flick. But before judgments can be made, let me give you some background. For those of you who do not know what The Hunger Games is about: it is not another Twilight. No sparkly vampires or lustful werewolves are present in the dystopian country of Panem. This book pits 24 randomly selected children against each other in a harsh battle to the death. Does this sound like a “Chick Lit” story to you? Me neither. This question caught me off guard. Why am I reading it? I didn’t know I was constricted to reading only certain books.

But more importantly, where am I going with this? I want to talk about stereotypes: judgments that are derived from observation and expectation. This offhanded remark led me to question why such things even matter? Who cares if a boy wants to read “Chick Lit” or a girl wants to play football? It all comes down to one thing: stereotypes. Gender stereotypes define what “normal” boy and girl activities are. For example, the “traditional” male often depicted on TV is shown as a star athlete whose main goal in life is to chase women. Similarly, the “traditional” girl is depicted as an airhead who cannot live without a caring man to take care of her. In the rare occasion any character strays for the “norm” they are often outcasts and misfits. So why is there such a large emphasis placed on gender stereotypes? Can anyone say for certain?

Let’s take me for example. Males in musical theater were often thought of as effeminate and possibly even gay. Well, I’m in musical theater. And I took it even one step further: I was apart of the dance department last year. TWO activities classified as “feminine”. I must be gay, right? Not so fast. This isn’t my coming out story, and yes, I do in fact like girls. Everyone, me included, has had the thought run through their head, “Is that person gay?” or “That kid is really weird.” Why is it? Why is it that first thing that comes to our minds are rushed judgments? It is because we see someone who strays from the “norm” and does not fit into the tight stereotypes assigned to them by society.

And gender stereotypes are not the only ones present here at West High. We stereotype people using the classes they take, the sports they play, the clubs they are apart of and the friends they have. Would it be fair to say that all football players are idiot meatheads whose sole purpose in life is to womanize cheerleaders? Of course not because that is not even close to reality. Can I say, without backlash, that those of you taking 4 or 5 AP classes are video game nerds and have no life apart from your computer and homework? Probably not.

It is hard at the beginning of the school year to not form judgments but I believe it is essential to do just that. Walking into situations with an open mind will help you achieve your goals faster. Has stereotyping someone ever helped you? Probably not. In fact, it has probably hurt you a lot more in the long run than it has helped.

My purpose right now is not to criticize teenagers. I just want everyone to be aware how detrimental it can be for some when they are consistently judged for doing things they love. Do not write off peers for their quirks, but embrace your similarities. Think of everyone as a potential new best friend. Everyone you have previously written off has more to them than meets the eye! Why call someone weird, when you are, in their eyes, just as weird.

Taken from my "Oratory Presentation" in AP English Language and Composition