Nerds, jocks, Goth, and preppy are just a few of
the stereotypes we hear in high school almost every single day. Stereotype
a noun, defined as a widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of
a particular type of person or thing. Stereotypes
are assumption that people make based on what they see and make people fear
social interaction at high school. Social categorization, discrimination has
the same meaning as stereotypes. Like in the movie
"Mean Girls," many adolescent girls have perfected the lunchroom snub
and the art of vicious gossiping says ABC News. Following
stereotypes do not lead to success by limiting you to associate with other
stereotypes, making you feel obligated to act a certain way, and change your
priorities in life.
Stereotypes often
set a role for us, telling us how to act. With a role being set for us, us
teens don’t have to question the social rules of high school. All we have to do
is follow them, which is easy enough. With a role or stereotype placed upon us
we don’t have to deal with social awkwardness. Although we might think that
having your high school life all straighten out is a good thing, well it’s not.
The roots from T.V, magazines, books, etc. generalize what type of stereotype
fits you best. An estimated 160,000 children miss school every day
out of fear of attack or intimidation by other students says officials. Since
we won’t have our priorities in check we do things that are not the best for
our body and mind. 23.5 million persons aged 12 or older needed treatment for an illicit
drug or alcohol abuse problem in 2009 and 1 in 7 Students in
Grades K-12 is either a bully or a victim of bullying. We do these stupid
little actions because it helps us fit in. If the priorities were set right
from the beginning we wouldn’t have to deal with drug abuse and bullying. By
seeing things one way we forget that having a role isn't the best option. Being
yourself and creating your own role is much better.
Being in high school your priorities need to be
set straight, but with stereotypes in the way we feel the need to set them
aside. Taking part in a stereotype means that your priorities are being a set
aside, but it’s for the better. You will soon fix your priorities to set them
with the social group that you hang out with. Feeling the need to be in a
stereotype just to fit in with the crowd is tough, but we do it anyway.
Stereotypes over take our sense of priorities, messing with our heads, making
us think it’s a good thing when it’s really not. The Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention report of 2004 says that nearly 10 percent of high
school girls say they’ve been in a physical fight in the last 12 months. When
joining a stereotype you feel obligated to act a certain way. If we have to put
a fight we will to stay with the stereotype we think we belong to. The stereotype threat is
a significant factor in the achievement gap (Massey et al., 2003). These
studies shed considerable light on how stereotypes suppress the performance,
motivation, and learning of students who have to contend with them, and they
suggest what educators can do to help (Aronson & Steele, 2005). When
being someone that is completely not you, you feel uncomfortable. Stereotypes
make people feel like they don't belong.
Entering the high school world, the first
thing you want to do is to make friends. Being in a stereotype makes that ten
times easier. With a group of people already form you would fit right in.
Having no trouble being alone when it comes to lunch. Stereotypes make
people uncomfortable when being friendly. In the real world you have to
communicate with people on a personal level. Limiting yourself to associate
with certain stereotypes will allow you to make close friends. Stereotype
threat can be overcome with the proper mind-set about the nature of ability,
and this mind-set can be taught (Dweck, 1999). Having only
certain people that talk to you to really understand them. When you limit
yourself you don't get to experience the interaction of other people
surrounding you. "They don't know how to handle conflict face
to face because so many things happen through some sort of technology,"
said Melissa Ortega, a child psychologist at New York's Child Mind Institute. Stereotypes
enable us to respond to situations.
Stereotypes contradict the way the human mind
should think. Making people feel isolated about their actions. Prejudging them
based on how they look and act. A real friend will get to know you, be by your
side. A friend will tell you to do things for them but won’t do the same for
you. Having a stereotype placed on you makes us feel that we belong in society
and we are not outcast. Stereotypes do not lead to success because they change
who you are really suppose to be in life. For much of history, our society
portrays African-Americans as being unintelligent, lazy, or violence-prone. As
a result of these stereotyped pictures of African-Americans we are pre judging
them before even meeting them. What society doesn’t see are the all the
African-American people that did well for their community, state, and country.
But us Americans fail to put that stereotype aside. Stereotypes don’t lead to
success because it doesn’t let us see truly who people are.
