My American Stereotype

Throughout my younger years stereotypes were not a major part of my life. Things were simpler then and I felt more innocent. Now that I have had the experience of being stereotyped, and of having to deal with the misunderstandings from closed minded people, my outlook on the world has changed. I used to only be exposed to the every day stereotypes of African American’s being ignorant and criminals; the Jewish being shrewd and selfish; and of course, persons from the Middle East as terrorists or ones to be suspicious of. In my life I am lucky to only been subjected to minor stereotypes, the kind that won’t get you shot or feared.

Last spring I studied abroad in Fiji—a third world and very isolated country. Fiji is a simple land with simple citizens whose idea of America is solely commercial and largely anti-Bush. At first the stereotype, of only representing the above aspects, was casual and something I would brush off. Every day I would be bombarded, mainly by the less educated and isolated, with statements such as, “You’re from America? That sucks!” However, after two months of this it became irritating and bothersome. I would turn a corner and see these people wearing and worshipping products from America, yet scorning where they were produced. But that is what stereotypes do. Stereotypes cause one to not see the positive and only focus the negative aspects of the object. The Fijian’s were unable to get past the fact that the majority of the world disliked our leader, who to supposedly symbolized America, so they should too. Stereotypes caused this culture not be thankful for the technologies that we had given them or the pop culture they digested daily, but rather cast doubt based on one variable element.

My studies in Fiji, and the stereotype of being an American citizen, caused me to examine my own country and the stereotypes that we cast daily. I started to examine the things in my life I hide to prevent from being stereotyped. I went to private high school, but rarely tell anyone at UNCW that. No one wants to hear about where I came from or my life before high school. Nor do they want to listen to the reasons why my parents and I choose that route. People hear the word private and immediately associate rich or snobby. I would hardly consider myself either, but I go on daily suppressing my background in favor of saving myself the effort of explanation. It is safe to say that some of my best friends here do not know that I went to a private high school. Ultimately, the enigma of society is that it is more beneficial to hide a questionable part of your life rather than to open yourself up to being wrongly stereotyped.

Stereotypes are detrimental to society and culture. However, they are an unfortunate part of every day life. My semester abroad taught me that until you are faced with one, and have no way to prevent it, you can not understand how it feels. I can not begin to grasp how it is to be an African American at UNCW a predominately white university, but I do believe that I have a small understanding. American’s in Fiji and private schooled students at UNCW account for a small amount, so with humility I can say that I have been the brunt of stereotypes and that it is not a pleasurable experience. Thus, I make a conscious effort not to judge race, ethnicity, or social status but to rise above the cultural pressures effectively giving everyone equality.