My collection of stereotypes comes from books, magazines, newspapers, movies, television shows, radio programs, news shows, conversations, 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: People In General
Negative Stereotypes Behind Bad & Ugly Gossip: Ethnic, National, & Racial Identities
Negative Stereotypes Behind Bad & Ugly Gossip: Workplaces
Negative Stereotypes Behind Bad & Ugly Gossip: Romance
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People Living At Working Class, Low Income & Poverty Levels
thieving
lazy
dependent
passive
uneducated
undeserving
deviant for not being middle class
don’t work hard enough
don’t work at all
can’t improve themselves
feel bad about themselves
don’t make friends well
unable to defer gratification
no respect for education
no interest in education
dishonest
promiscuous
apathetic or ignorant about birth control
ethnic minority
lack thrift
loose morals
no personal drive
no willingness to take risks
no initiative
unwilling to work hard
fail to seize opportunities
deserve:
to live near garbage dumps and toxic waste, near noxious industries
poorer school systems
inferior medical care
more frequent arrests
harsher prison sentences
more severe social control
People Living In Slums
criminals
drug addicts
delinquents
People living in Brazilian favelas
desperate
crushed
Mothers Receiving Welfare
lazy
freeloader
wild
lack confidence
abuse the system
practice fraud
get something for nothing
sit at home
lack work ethics
keep having babies for free
unskilled laborers
live high on the hog
on drugs
fat
sits in front of television all day eating potato chips
adopted children so they can get welfare
deserve:
contraceptive testing
involuntary sterilization
coercive treatment during pregnancy
prosecution for drug use
Fathers Of Low Income Children
deadbeat dads
Low Income People Are Poor In
friendships
verbal skills
education
social manners
resources
health
happiness
Low Income Parents
lack educational values
~~~~~
can’t do well at educating their own children
Low Income Children
lack motivation
do not value education
would not benefit from:
the same education offered by schools in wealthier areas
Low Income Men
buffoon
threat
Low Income Women
slobs
plain
unattractive
neglect their children
sexually loose
accustomed to roughness
less prone to the terror of rape
can be raped only through gang rape
Points to Ponder
Did you notice that people living in poverty might not be able to improve themselves because other people think they deserve poorer school systems?
Did you notice the opposite stereotypes that people living in poverty can’t improve themselves but can take advantage of the health care system?
Did you notice that people living in poverty can supposedly take advantage of the health care system, but are in poor health?
Did you notice that people living in poverty might need to take advantage of the health care system because other people think they deserve inferior medical care?
How do people in poverty live high on the hog when other people think they deserve to live in poor neighborhoods near garbage dumps, toxic waste, and noxious industries?
Personal Note
I wrote letters to the editor about poverty issues for several years. I was low income because medical professionals misdiagnosed a childhood spinal injury for 33 years. Eventually, normal sitting and standing became extremely painful. How would you earn money if you couldn’t sit or stand normally?
Early in my letter writing years, a friend was in a baby sitting coop. My friend attended a meeting shortly after the newspaper had published one of my letters about poverty. One of the other women in the coop asked if anyone knew Paula Kramer. My friend said she did. The other woman asked:
“Is Paula fat and does she sit in front of TV set all day eating potato chips?”
My friend told me she set the woman straight.
My husband was part Native American and our daughter has his darker skin coloring. A neighbor asked me,
“Did you adopt your daughter so you could get welfare?”
Why would any adoption agency allow someone living at poverty level to adopt a child?
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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.
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.”
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.
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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.
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Paula M. Kramer
© 2015 to the present
All rights reserved.
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