African American Stereotypes
African American stereotypes are generalizations about the behaviour of African Americans originated primarily in American culture and derived from how slave owners used to view slaves. Since then African-Americans and other races, to classify African-Americans use African American stereotypes. Somehow African American stereotypes allow the user to escape from getting to know a person individually lest they are proven wrong. African American stereotypes are mostly used in a negative way although there are positive African American stereotypes . In most cases however, African American stereotypes are used to reinforce the negative perceptions persons have of African Americans, the main perpetrators of these African American stereotypes not of African American origins.
Subscribing to African American stereotypes is like saying you only need to meet one African American to know what all other African Americans are like. Just by relating to several people in a day, will make one see how erroneous it is it to buy into African American stereotypes .
One of the most damaging features of African American stereotypes is the influence they have on young African Americans. When young people grow up under the stigma of these negative African American stereotypes , it somehow informs their psychology and these African American stereotypes bring about what Psychologists refer to as the self-fulfilling prophecy. Quite a number of African Americans do not even know that they play into and help to reinforce the African American stereotypes . They believe that the African American stereotypes have been imposed upon them and while partly right, they reinforce them through acceptance. For example, some African Americans do not aspire to higher education because they live under the African American stereotypes of being dumb and lazy. It is even more painful to hear children label themselves according to these African American stereotypes.
Let us take a look at some common African American stereotypes . Historically some African American stereotypes labeled African Americans as servile, primitive and simple-minded. These African American stereotypes created negative stigmas for African Americans and since then these African American stereotypes have been upgraded and unfortunately expanded. The current African American stereotypes include criminal, poor, athletic, religious and musically gifted. Though some of these African American stereotypes seem to be positive, it does not make the practice of perpetuating these African American stereotypes right.
African American stereotypes are often times used to mask real issues. For example: it is said that is twice as hard for an African American to get a job, when the fact is that these men are severely marginalized.
Another example: African Americans will complain that the system is set up to prevent black people from attaining certain positions. If they accept these African American stereotypes, how do they explain the current Barrack Obama holding the highest office in America?
African American stereotypes whether positive or negative need to be eradicated. They are cowardice and insufficient ways of looking at African Americans or any other sets of people for that matter. I believe the incidence of African American stereotypes will begin to decrease when African Americans take a greater look at themselves and also reduce the stereotypes they have of others. When one looks into African American stereotypes , he sees how far they have come as a nation but he can equally see how far they still have to go as a people.
Even though African American stereotypes seem to have quite a negative influence upon the young African Americans, African American stereotypes can be used in positive ways to tell historically of where the African Americas are coming from and where they needs to go.
