Stereotypes by Edward Kim

Usually stereotypes develop from the first impression or what people have seen me doing from time to time. Some of the stereotypes that I’ve heard from my friends were either I looked like a mean person or I was really good at science. I discovered that first stereotype developed mostly because of my first impression. Even before when we actually talked with each other, just looking at my behaviors or impressions, he though I was a mean person (even though I’m a really nice guy J). The second stereotype developed probably because I got good grades for both of my science classes. One time, during Chemistry class, I argued with a teacher that I deserved a point more for a certain question and got an A on the test. Because of the excitement, I automatically shouted at that spot, and everyone in the classroom found out that I got a high score on that test. Not that I got A’s for every test in my science classes, only one or few incidents were enough to establish stereotypes in people’s minds.

I tend not to develop any stereotypes towards other people, but sometimes I find myself labeling the others. For example, when I see or hear something about a person and my friends start making fun about it, I tend to do the same thing even though I never really knew that person. As result, next time I see or hear anything about that same person, I expect to find something funny. Also, even without any impacts from my friends, after observing a person for few days, I tend to judge his/her characteristics. For instance, if I find a person playing computer games all day long for few days, I label him as a lazy person. After all, stereotypes develop from what other people have said or what I have observed for few times.