Stereotypes are traits that people believe represent a particular type of person or thing based on factors like their race, nationality, and sexual orientation. Stereotypes are not always accurate and even if positive, can be harmful.
How do stereotypes affect the way that we communicate with each other?
The key to effective communication is to listen and understand the perspective of the person who we are communicating with but often we are being affected by stereotyping. We will put our expectation of how the person must react based on our categorisation of that particular individual.
Here are some general example of stereotyping. Sometime we would hear from our friend saying, people who watch anime or always play computer games are nerds or weird or no life. I feel that it is a false statement as not all people who play computer games or watch anime are nerds or weird or no life.
Another example we would hear from our parents is people who have tattoo are generally bad people which I disagree with that because it does not mean that people who have tattoo are bad. To some people who have a tattoo, is a form of art and tattoos can also be reminders of unique stories. For example, David Beckham, does it mean that he has a tattoo means he is a bad person or a bad dad? No, he is a father of four kids and he is doing his job as a dad very well.
Personal Experience
The experience I clearly remembered was when an adult was asking what school are you currently at and when you say ITE, people will think that “IT’S THE END”, “There’s no future for us”, “Many gangsters in school and ITE are all bad people”, “People in ITE are lazy and stupid” and so on.
People always have a bad impression on ITE. But from my personal experience from ITE is that people are not lazy and stupid in ITE. Most of them work hard to go to Polytechnic and people in ITE are nice and friendly. It is not true that there is no future for ITE. I have come so far from ITE to Polytechnic and now SIM. As long as you are working hard, you are not losing out and it is just a matter of time.
Conclusion
“We can’t just change the stereotype directly, or the psychology that underlies it, because it is based on everyday observations,” Eagly said, noting that people should seek to increase disadvantaged groups’ access to better jobs. “We have to change the reality that people observe.”
Resource:
How Do Stereotypes Form and Can They Be Altered? Retrieve from https://www.ipr.northwestern.edu/about/news/2015/eagly-stereotypes-social-role-theory.html
Xinhui’s blog 
Hi Xinhui,
I agree that it is almost inevitable for us to be affected by stereotypes and it is important for us to give the other party a chance to share their perspective before we categorise them. I have witnessed something similar to your experience during family gatherings as well, and I have to say I agree with you that ITE is not a bad place to be at, I have actually met several individuals who are bright, hardworking and are doing extremely well now.
This has been an enjoyable read, love the GIFs that you have used. I am looking forward to your next post!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi Xin Hui, interesting post on stereotypes! Liked the examples you have listed with regards to stereotyping. Especially for the tattoo example, I agree that most people usually generalise people that have tattoos as generally bad, which is not the case. They tend to jump in to conclusions and make assumptions just based on first impressions. The personal experience you shared also happens quite often. We should not be too quick to generalise and label people just based on hearsay. I agree that we cannot change the stereotype directly, we have to change the reality that people observe. It was great reading your post, looking forward to the next one!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi Xin Hui, thank you for sharing your experiences and thoughts on stereotypes. I agree with you that people tend to have the judgement that tattoos is linked to bad people or gangsters. We wrote on the same stereotype, great minds think alike! Similar to you, I think that tattoos are art expressions and a story reminders for a lot of people. Tattoos often carry meaning to the individual who possesses it. I like the example you have used, David Beckham 😀 The experience you shared also makes me realise to not be quick to judge someone based on their academic background and I’m proud of the journey you have come so far. It is not about how fast we go but the experiences and lessons learnt along the journey. Looking forward to your next post!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi Xin Hui. I enjoyed reading your blog post on stereotypes. It is evident that stereotypes affect communication between people, and it places an expectation on that category or individual. I agree with you that not all ITE students or graduates are poor in studying as I have friends from Polytechnic that came from ITE. In fact, they study very hard and does well in school. Although we cannot demolish stereotypes immediately, but others can make an effort to not be quick in their judgement. Loved reading your blog post!
LikeLiked by 1 person