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

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. Below are some of the negative stereotypes other people could use about you because of your ethnic, national, or racial identity.

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, 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 while bad and ugly gossip are based on negative 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. Each post will focus on one or two or a few characteristics.

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: Workplaces

Negative Stereotypes Behind Bad & Ugly Gossip: Romance

Negative Stereotypes Behind Bad & Ugly Gossip: Poverty

Soft Skills Are Power Skills On Facebook

~~~~~

Soft skill power strategies can help you overcome stereotypes about you.

softskillstrategycourses.com

~~~~~

African

noisy
produce kitchen odors

African-American / Black / Negro

violent criminals
ignorant
lazy
dirty
quick tempered
emotionally submissive
superstitious
hostile
dirty
on welfare or jobless
unintelligent
negative personality
mean
corrupt
ignorant
stupid
ostentatious
lewd
dishonest
submissive

African-American / Black / Negro Women

angry
entitled
single mothers

African-American / Black / Negro Men

tall men are brutes
tall men are threatening
wearing hoodies and sweats are lazy
wearing hoodies and sweats are unintelligent

“African-American” Suggests To Many People

more concern for one group than for society
less persuasive ability
not as likable
tend to complain about small things

Liberals Often Feel Excluded By The African-American Label, Feeling It Focuses

attention on the label rather than on larger issues

American

intrusive
forward
pushy
stingy
selfish
hoarders
aggressive
materialistic
mercenary
crazy
governed by buffoons
arrogant
self-indulgent
hypocritical
unwilling or unable to engage in dialogue with other cultures

Arabic

aggressive
Asian
cunning
slant eye
gook
chink
Kung-Fu fighters

Belgian

egotistical
unhelpful
unscientifically minded
inefficient

Canadian

would be living in igloos without America

Chinese

superstitious
sly

Cuban

bring exotic diseases to the United States

Dutch

negative
egoistical
dominant
less intelligent
lacking individualism

English

aggressive
egoistical
unfriendly
unhelpful
snobbish
cold

French

rude
egoistical
aggressive
dominance

German

unempathic
dominant
aggressive

Roma (Also Known As Gypsy)

thieves
dishonest
spies
incendiaries
suspicious
school dropouts
mentally handicapped
retarded
worthless
not human
inhuman behavior
should be killed
wanderers
disliked by God
pagans
heathens

Haitian

undesirable blacks
peasants
uneducated
unskilled
poor
wild
weird
bring exotic diseases to the United States

Hispanic / Latinx

greasy
lazy

Immigrant

dangerous
dirty
threatening
criminal
dishonest
complainers
aggressive
violent
lazy
noisy
involved in crime
ruin neighborhoods
don’t want to work
take our houses
take our jobs
abuse social security and welfare systems
cause problems at school
have a different mentality
cause dirtiness
cause urban decay
should be sent back
have too many children
treat women badly

Iraqi

refugees
criminals
representatives of Saddam Hussein

Irish

pugnacious
quick tempered
extremely nationalistic
stupid
improvident
sloppy drunks

Italian

not intelligent
unreliable
aggressive
dominant
unscientific
clannish
Mafia
emotional
quick-tempered
impulsive

Japanese

sneaky
sly

Jews

aggressive
materialistic
mercenary
grasping
kikes

Native American

“Good” Native Americans

friendly
courteous
hospitable
handsomeness
stamina
endurance
modest
noble
dignified
brave
tender
proud
independent
innocent
child-like

“Bad” Native Americans

naked
lecherous
vanity
polygamous
promiscuous
warring
vengeful
brutal
lazy
impracticality
thieving
treacherous
conjurers
barbarous
low intellect
cruel
drunken
cowardly outlaws
inhuman fiends
improvident
filthy surroundings
inadequate cooking
repulsive diet
enslave squaws
culturally deprived

Native Americans on reservations

degraded
scorned
degenerate
poverty-stricken
outcasts from own race
drunkards

Pakistani

poor

Polish

stupid
racist
bigoted

Turkish

cruel
treacherous

WASP (White Anglo Saxon Protestant)

cold
insensitive

White

corrupt
greedy
competitive
arrogant
prejudiced
mean

White Men

angry
bros
prejudiced
entitled
bitchy
loud
dependent

White Women

self-absorbed
shallow
conceited
ditsy
uneducated
materialistic
sexually easy

Point to Ponder

Did you notice that both African-Americans / Blacks / Negroes and Whites are stereotyped as mean and corrupt?

Did you notice that African-Americans / Blacks / Negroes are stereotyped as both hostile and submissive?

~~~~~

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

 

Negative Stereotypes Behind Bad & Ugly Gossip: People In General

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, 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 while bad and ugly gossip are based on negative 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. Each post will focus on one or two or a few characteristics.

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.

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

Soft Skills Are Power Skills On Facebook

~~~~~

Soft skill power strategies can help you overcome stereotypes about you.

softskillstrategycourses.com

~~~~~

Beautiful People

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

Physically Unattractive People

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

Geeks (Nerds)

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

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

Redheads

mean
wild
hot-tempered
brash
vampires
demons
witches
aggressive
promiscuous

Black Hair

untrustworthy
cold
ruthless

Afro Hairstyles

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

Short People

arrogant
defensive
perverts

Heavy People

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

Heavy Men

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

Heavy 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

Thin Men

few friends

Thin Women

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

Women In Jane Austen’s Time

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

Nice Men / Sensitive Men

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

Men Not Interested In Sports

wimp
gay (which stereotypes being gay as bad)

Men In Ads Selling Beauty Products, Shopping, & Fulfilling Lives To Women

bumbling fools

Body Builders

flakes

Cross Dressing Men

sickos

LGBTQ+ People

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

Mothers Who Seen As Successful Career Women

bad moms

Mothers Seen As Dedicated To Their Children

washouts in their professions

Employed Mothers

have children who get fat

Infants

extensions of women

Crack Babies

hopeless
lost generation
permanently damaged

Children Living With Mental illness

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

Adults Living With Mental Illness

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

Child Nerds

friendless
book-smart sissies
suck up to authority figures

Only-Children

spoiled
maladjusted
selfish
lonely
prone to imaginary friends

Single Parent Families

broken

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 Fathers

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

Women Seeking Abortion

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

People Opposing Abortion

greedy
misogynist
oppressors

Children From Single Parent Families

end up in trouble
low self-esteem
behavior problems

Birth Mothers

bitch
irresponsible
abandoned her own flesh and blood
sinner
whore
slut
prostitute
dopehead
weak
poor
unhealthy
uneducated
AIDs carrier
slick manipulator

Birth Fathers

drops out of sight
weak
poor
unhealthy
uneducated
drug user
alcoholic
AIDs carrier
slick manipulator

Women Without Children

selfish
superficial
poor decision makers

Surrogate Mothers

baby sellers
gold diggers
hicks
opportunists
unemployed
deceitful

Adopted Children

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

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

College Students

clueless about their careers

Young People Who Don’t Vote

lazy
apathetic
ignorant
disengaged

Male College Students

childish
irresponsible
stupid

Sororities

superficial
ridiculous

Debutantes

snotty
stuck up

Bowlers

big
fat
square
wear unflattering shirts

Middle-Aged People

lack motivation

Baby Boomers

whiny
spoiled brats|
not discerning about employment opportunities

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

An Unhealthy Old Age Is…

a punishment for living “wrong”

People Who Recommend Kindness

needy
insecure

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 ofrage
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
witchs
cause their own seizures
cursed by gods
possessed
associated with the devil
heretics

Little People

deaf
contagious

People Who Live Alone

antisocial
antifamily
need charity company

Government Officials

tell lies
cover up the truth
engage in conspiracies to deprive citizens of their  liberty

War Dissenters

unpatriotic
give aid and comfort to the enemy

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

weird
mentally ill

People Who Report Being Abducted By Aliens

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

Loners

creepy
pathetic

SUV Owners

selfish
stupid
dangerous
rollover waiting to happen
unpatriotic
unChristian

People Who Save Money

cheap
selfish

Terrorists

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

Cheerleaders

gum-chewing ditzy snobs
airheads
gossipy
mean

Homeless People

want to be homeless
single men
drunks
worthless
thieves

Unemployed People

lazy
freeloaders

Truth Tellers

naive
suckers
fools

People Dependent An Others

immature
weak
shameful
uniquely feminine

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

Television Audience To Advertisers

lying
cynical
mindless boobs

Prison Inmates

liars about health problems

People With Tourette Syndrome

behavioral problem
possessed by the devil

Hare Krishnas

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

Jews

primitive-minded

Atheists

immoral
stupid
not citizens
not patriots

Helping The Poor, Outcasts, & Marginalized People

leftist

Western Societies

decadent
materialist
exploitative

Pro-Life Advocates

hillbillies
ignorant extremists

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

fringe of society

Democratic Voters

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

Democratic Politicians

self-appointed elites

Republican Voters

lazy
immoral
dishonest
unintelligent
closed-minded

Points to Ponder

Pay attention to shared stereotypes, contrasting 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.

Shared Stereotype #1

Heavy Men
Heavy Women
Thin Men

few friends

Contrasting Stereotype

Thin Women

flirtatious

Shared Stereotype #2

Women Without Children
Single Mothers

Elderly People

selfish

Shared Stereotype #3

Beautiful People
Short People

arrogant

Shared Stereotype #4

Beautiful People
Thin Women

egotistical

Shared Stereotype #5

Blondes
Redheads

promiscuous

Shared Stereotype #6

Heavy People
Heavy Men
Heavy Women
Unemployed People
People Living With Disabilities

lazy

Shared Stereotype #7

Single Mothers
People Living With Disabilities
Atheists

immoral

Shared Stereotypes #8

Democratic Voters
Republican Voters

lazy
immoral
dishonest
unintelligent
closed-minded

Opposite Stereotypes

People Living With Disabilities

need to be fixed
fakers

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