Negative Stereotypes Behind Bad & Ugly Gossip: People In General

My collection of stereotypes comes from books, magazines, newspapers, movies, television shows, radio programs, news shows, conversations, podcasts, etc. Sources can be 10s to 100s to 1000s of years old.

Stereotypes and categories overlap at times. I create categories of stereotypes as I have stereotype examples to put into those categories.

The research into gossip goes back at least to the middle of the 20th century. Both men and women research gossip. Putting all of their research together, this is my definition:

Gossip is talk and writing about people
— both other people and ourselves —
in family, social, workplace, and public settings.

Much of the research shows that gossip is both positive and negative. I define gossip as good, bad, or ugly. Good gossip ignores or breaks stereotypes. Bad gossip uses stereotypes. Ugly gossip manufactures stereotypes.

Negative stereotypes exist about everyone, no matter their age, gender, race, religion, profession, etc. These stereotype blog posts will help you understand the negative stereotypes about you.

If you use negative stereotypes about people who are different from you, you are inviting everyone who hears you to use negative stereotypes about you.

 

Stereotype Updates

I add stereotypes as I come across them.

I will add the new stereotypes at the bottom of each listing, putting ~~~~~ between the older stereotypes and the new stereotypes.

More Stereotypes

Negative Stereotypes Behind Bad & Ugly Gossip: Ethnic, National, & Racial Identities

Negative Stereotypes Behind Bad & Ugly Gossip: Workplaces

Negative Stereotypes Behind Bad & Ugly Gossip: Romance

Negative Stereotypes Behind Bad & Ugly Gossip: Poverty

~~~~~~~~~~

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~~~~~~~~~~

Adults

College Students

clueless about their careers

Debutantes

snotty
stuck up

Male College Students

childish
irresponsible
stupid

Sororities

superficial
ridiculous

Young People Who Don’t Vote

lazy
apathetic
ignorant
disengaged

Middle-Aged People

lack motivation

Elderly People

incompetent
sad
lonely
ill-tempered
demanding
selfish
stubborn
nosy
slow moving
snobbish
prejudiced
hypochondriac
bored
miserly
incapable of making effective decisions
too old for business success
deserve to die

Unhealthy Old Age Is…

a punishment for living “wrong”

People With Superior Sounding Vocabularies 

idiots

Children

Adopted Children

screwed up
troubled
delinquent
burden to the family
yearn to find birth parents

Children From Single Parent Families

end up in trouble
low self-esteem
behavior problems

Child Nerds

friendless
book-smart sissies
suck up to authority figures

Infants

extensions of women

Only-Children

spoiled
maladjusted
selfish
lonely
prone to imaginary friends

Preteen Boys

mean
rowdy
aggressive

Preteen Girls

selfish
promiscuous
jealous

Teenagers

juvenile delinquents
brainless
bubble gum chewers
hormone laden slobs
wild
rude
irresponsible
tacky
video gaming loafers

Families

Birth Mothers

bitches
irresponsible
abandoned her own flesh and blood
sinners
whores
sluts
prostitutes
dopeheads
weak
poor
unhealthy
uneducated
AIDs carrier
slick manipulator

Birth Fathers

drop out of sight
weak
poor
unhealthy
uneducated
drug users
alcoholics
AIDs carriers
slick manipulators

Mothers Seen As Successful Career Women

bad moms

Mothers Seen As Dedicated To Their Children

washouts in their professions

Mothers Who Are Employed

have children who get fat

Single Fathers

deadbeats
clueless about cooking, housekeeping, laundry
can’t handle pressure
not nurturing
resentful
no good with infants or toddlers
emotionally inexpressive
ineffective at jobs
harm their children
ignorant

Single Mothers

promiscuous
immoral
leeches
not trustworthy
selfish
dangerous to married women
strippers
raise children who resent and hate them
have questionable income
gave up on marriage too easily
desperate for a man
milking the system

Single Parent Families

broken

Surrogate Mothers

baby sellers
gold diggers
hicks
opportunists
unemployed
deceitful

Women Without Children

selfish
superficial
poor decision makers

Generations

Baby Boomers

whiny
spoiled brats
not discerning about employment opportunities
destroyed the environment
enjoy living off the government

Gen Z

don’t want to work

Men

Muscular Men / Body Builders

thick-headed
villainous
thugs
dummies
homosexual (assuming homosexuality is bad)
cocky
conceited
constantly looking mirrors in self-admiration

Women

Muscular Women

lesbian (assuming lesbian is bad)
mentally ill
after other women’s men

Single Women Attending Parties Alone

lesbian (assuming lesbian is bad)
mentally ill
after other women’s men

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Appearance

Beautiful People

adulterous
vain
egotistical
greedy
status-seeking
arrogant
aloof
self-indulgent
rotten lovers
too impatient to work at relationships

Unattractive People

political radicals (which stereotypes political radicals negatively)
homosexual (which stereotypes homosexuals negatively)

Note: Most hair color stereotypes are about women.

Blondes

dumb
less trustworthy
can’t be taken seriously
vain
promiscuous

Brunettes

mousy
boring
less attractive
plain

Black Hair

untrustworthy
cold
ruthless

Afro Hairstyles

out of place
wearer can’t be taken seriously
not looking put together

Redheads

mean
wild
hot-tempered
brash
vampires
demons
witches
aggressive
promiscuous

~~~~~~~~~~

Plus Size People

smelly
dirty
lazy
failures
unable to control self
unable to maintain personal health
take up too much space

Plus Size Men

lazy
low self-esteem
lack will power
few friends
unattractive
sloppy
dirty
slow
unhealthy

Plus Size Women

few friends
lazy
slow
unhealthy
unattractive
low self-esteem
lack will power
must answer intrusive questions
gluttons
undisciplined
lack self-control

People Who Have Difficulty Losing Unwanted Pounds

not really trying

Short People

arrogant
defensive
perverts

Thin Men

few friends

Thin Women

vain
flirtatious
egotistical
have an eating disorder
~~~~~
full of themselves
cold
bitches

Behavior

Cross Dressing Men

sickos

Female Body Builders

unattractive
unfeminine
disgusting

Geeks (Nerds)

real pains
know-it-alls
uninteresting
social outcasts
~~~~~
socially awkward
male
unattractive

Helping Poor, Outcasts, & Marginalized People

leftist

Men Not Interested In Sports

wimp
gay (which stereotypes being gay as bad)

Nice Men / Sensitive Men

less competent
less hirable
lower performer
less likable
weaker
not assertive
not independent

Male Body Builders

flakes

Loners

creepy
pathetic

Newspaper Readers, Television News Audience, & Radio News Audience

unintelligent
uninformed
morons
uninterested in good news
uninterested in hard facts
want soft news, uninterested in world news
only interested in crime

People Who Recommend Kindness

needy
insecure

People Not Part Of Organized Religions, Conspicuous Consumption, Car Culture

weird
mentally ill

People Who Live Alone

antisocial
antifamily
need charity company

People Who Report Being Abducted By Aliens

masochists
inclined to fantasize
have a propensity to daydream
enthralled by novels

People Who Save Money

cheap
selfish

SUV Owners

selfish
stupid
dangerous
unpatriotic
unChristian
rollover waiting to happen

Television Audience To Advertisers

lying
cynical
mindless boobs

Terrorists

represent everyone in their ethnic group or religion
feel racism and hatred without reason

Truth Tellers

naive
suckers
fools

War Dissenters

unpatriotic
give aid and comfort to the enemy

Western Societies

decadent
materialist
exploitative

Women In Jane Austen’s Time

laughing is a sign of sexual availability
showing teeth is a sign of being garrulous, plebeian, vulgar

Events

Nonalcoholic Weddings

god awful

boring to death

soulless

worse than watching

paint dry

Health

Adults Living With Mental Illness

willing it on themselves
all in one’s head
pretending
seeking attention

Children Living With Mental illness

in a phase they will grow out of
should be able to control themselves

Crack Babies

hopeless
lost generation
permanently damaged

People Living With Allergies

selfish
whiny
deserve to be exposed to their allergens

People Living With Physical Disabilities

less than human
unhappy
need to be fixed
menacing
full of rage
hostile
immoral
choose to be disabled
fakers
liars
slobs
have a chip on the shoulder
obstinate for not doing what abled people assume they can do
~~~~~
not trying hard enough to live a normal life
choose to be poor
~~~~~
couldn’t possibly feel more pain than abled people feel

People Living With Epilepsy

drink
do drugs
vagrants
have a malady of the soul
witches
cause their own seizures
cursed by gods
possessed
associated with the devil
heretics

People With Tourette Syndrome

behavioral problem
possessed by the devil

Hobbies

Bowlers

big
fat
square
wear unflattering shirts

Life Situations

Homeless People

want to be homeless
single men
drunks
worthless
thieves

LGBTQ+ People

promiscuous
nonreligious
godless
mentally ill
determined to ‘convert’ others
lesbians are masculine
lesbians hate men
gay men are feminine and flamboyant
gay men are sexual predators or pedophiles
transgender women are drag queens

Little People

deaf
contagious
selfish

People Dependent An Others

immature
weak
shameful
uniquely feminine

Prison Inmates

liars about health problems

Unemployed People

lazy
freeloaders

Politics

Democratic Politicians

self-appointed elites

Democratic Voters

ignorant
bad Christians
bad Jews
bad Muslims
lazy
immoral
dishonest
unintelligent
closed-minded

Republican Voters

lazy
immoral
dishonest
unintelligent
closed-minded

People Who Want To Debate The Tactics Of The War On Terror

fringe of society

Pro-Life Advocates

hillbillies
ignorant extremists
greedy
misogynist
oppressors

Women Seeking Abortion

kissing cousin relationships
ignorant about sex
childless
irresponsible
thoughtless
feckless
unmarried
didn’t bother with birth control

Religion

Atheists

immoral
stupid
not citizens
not patriots

Hare Krishnas

greasy
scarred
Third World
weasel-looking aliens
skanks
creeps
rejects
deluded scammers

Jews

primitive-minded

Points To Ponder

Pay attention to shared stereotypes and opposite stereotypes. You can see who you share stereotypes with and when people see opposite negatives in you. Many stereotypes can be similar, but I highlight only shared exact word stereotypes here. The date for this analysis is February 22, 2024.

Examples of opposite stereotypes for the same group follow the shared stereotypes.

Shared Stereotypes

Shared Stereotypes #1

Plus Size Men
Plus Size Women
Thin Men

few friends

Shared Stereotypes #2

Elderly People
Little People
Only Children
People Living With Allergies
People Who Save Money
Preteen Girls
Single Mothers
SUV Owners
Women Without Children

selfish

Shared Stereotypes #3

Beautiful People
Thin Women

egotistical

Shared Stereotypes #4

Blondes
Preteen Girls
LGBTQ+ People
Redheads
Single Mothers

promiscuous

Shared Stereotypes #5

Democratic Voters
Plus Size Men
Plus Size People
Plus Size Women
Republican Voters
Unemployed People
People Living With Disabilities
Young People Who Don’t Vote

lazy

Shared Stereotypes #6

Atheists
Democratic Voters
People Living With Disabilities
Republican Voters
Single Mothers

immoral

Shared Stereotypes #7

Democratic Voters
Republican Voters

lazy
immoral
dishonest
closed-minded

Shared Stereotypes #8

Preteen Boys
Redheads

mean
aggressive

Shared Stereotypes #9

Democratic Voters
Newspaper Readers, Television News Audience, & Radio News Audience
Republican Voters

unintelligent

Shared Characteristic #10

Beautiful People
Short People

arrogant

Shared Stereotypes #11

Elderly People
Only Children

lonely

Opposite Stereotypes

Opposite Stereotypes #1

Thin Women

flirtatious cold

Opposite Stereotypes #2

People Living With Disabilities

need to be fixed fakers

Opposite Stereotypes #3

Birth Mothers

weak slick manipulator

Opposite Stereotypes #4

Muscular Women

lesbian after other women’s men

~~~~~~~~~~

Because medical professionals misdiagnosed my childhood spinal injury for 33 years, I’ve lived with the stereotypes about people with disabilities. No one alive has any guarantee that they will never become disabled. How many elderly people confined to wheelchairs planned to be confined to wheelchairs at the end of their lives? None, of course.

You face the same stereotypes if you become disabled. Break stereotypes about disabled people to protect yourself in the future.

Strategies For Shattering Stereotypes

Choose a strategy based on the level of danger in the situation. Talk to the target in front of the harasser only if the situation is safe for conversation. If the situation is dangerous, create some kind of distraction. I now carry a personal alarm with me for creating distractions quickly.

Talking to the target instead of the harasser allows the harasser to just walk away. If harassing situations come up regularly in a workplace or other common location, you could also use these strategies at calm times to increase understanding about the consequences of using stereotypes. Just tell stories to your coworkers/colleagues as opportunities come up.

Adapt the strategies as you need to. Write about other successful strategies in the comments section.

Surprise The Harasser(s)

If you can possibly do so, give the harasser(s) a moment of dignity. People harassing others will not expect positive statements. The positive statements might be enough to stop them in that situation. One example:

“It’s obvious —– is having a bad day. Let’s give him/her/them time to
calm down and ease the strain on his/her/their heart(s). Let’s hope
tomorrow will be better.”

This statement tells the harasser(s) that they are under stress and deserve to feel better. By expressing concern for their health, you are letting them know you consider them valuable. They may not feel much value in their daily lives.

Visit the website below for resources on opening doors that give moments of dignity. Read People Success Example #5 on the People Success page. You’ll learn how I turned a bad relationship around using moments of dignity, and reaped an unexpected reward.

smilessparksuccess.com

Make Yourself An Example

This works best if you are not whatever is the reason for the harassment, not Muslim, not black, not Jewish, not Hispanic, not whatever. If you can identify any commonality between yourself and the target(s), talk about them to the target.

“Excuse me, but I noticed that we share a taste for … How would you
recommend cooking it?”

Your commonality will at least partially shatter the stereotype.

Provide Information About Stereotypes

If you can connect to the Internet, bring up the appropriate stereotype blog post and tell the target what the stereotypes are about you and why they are wrong. You could start with:

“Did you know there are stereotypes about everyone? The stereotypes
about me are …, but they don’t fit me because …”

You would be shattering a stereotype in front of the harasser.

Talk About The Consequences Of Creating Failure

Visit this Success & Failure Choices page to read about various types of success and failure. If you can think of an example from your own life, tell that story. Otherwise, use one from the blog below.

You could use this example from “Standout Success For 19 Year Old Joey Prusak”:

“A Dairy Queen customer saw manager Joey Prusak stand up for a
visually impaired customer. The bystander customer sent an email
to Dairy Queen. The story ended up on Facebook. The owner of Dairy
Queen, Warren Buffet, called Joey to thank him. Queen Latifah invited
Joey to appear on her show and gave him money for his college fund.
NASCAR driver Kevin Harvick invited Joey to a race. Good things can
happen to people who take care of other people.”

blog.smilessparksuccess.com

Talk About The Benefits Of Living The Golden Rule

Remind the harasser of the Golden Rule:

“Since the Golden Rule is important to me, I’m going to treat you
the way I want to be treated. I also know that being kind to others
is good for my health.”

My favorite version of the Golden Rule comes from Buddhism, “Hurt not others in ways that you yourself would find hurtful.” See these Golden Rule statements in 21 religions, 5 philosophies, and 2 moral/ethical systems to pick your favorite version.

Read up on the health benefits of kindness for details to talk about.

And again, write about other successful strategies in the comments.

~~~~~

Critical Thinking Questions

1.  What’s happening?

2.  Why is it important?

3.  What don’t I see?

4.  How do I know?

5.  Who is saying it?

6.  What else? What if?

Stereotype Thinking Questions

1.  What is threatening my beliefs?

2.  How can I make it unimportant?

3.  What can I reject?

4.  What can I laugh at?

5.  How can I attack people who threaten my beliefs?

6.  How can I deflect?

The stereotype thinking questions are mine, based on my observations of stereotype thinkers.

~~~~~

Paula M. Kramer
© 2015 to the present
All rights reserved.

Posts on this blog alternate with posts at the link below. Posts for both blogs are published on Wednesdays as they are ready to be published. Time between posts could be weeks or months.

blog.smilessparksuccess.com

Resource Websites

speakingfromtriumph.com

smilessparksuccess.com

Business Directory

betterplanetbusiness.com

Positive Identity Directory For People With Mugshots

myrecordnow.com

 

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