Stereotypes

1. Stereotypes are set oversimplistic, overgeneralised, exaggerated views on the way we perceive others. Stereotypes are assigned to people who share a common characteristic such as ethnic group, origin, sex, sexual orientation,  religion, age, social group, social status, profession, social background, disability, appearance, clothes, etc. Stereotypes ignore the complexity of individuals and their right to be different. They impede communication and understanding and form a solid basis for discrimination. Racism, Nationalism, Sexism and many more –isms are rooted in stereotypes.
2. When people are perceived as one thing communication is characterized by misunderstanding, negativity and lack of connectedness. Stereotypical views lead to false perceptions of others and, therefore, to wrong expectations from them. People are not treated as individuals with multiple qualities but as members of “a tribe” who share identical features.
31. The negative stereotypes can only lead to a series of misunderstandings and  offensive comments. The single stories and negative stereotypes must be erased from the interlocutors’ schemata. They need to view one another as individuals who happen to come from different national and cultural backgrounds with positive and negative characteristics, strengths and weaknesses, talents, tastes, preferences, education etc. The European map of stereotypes reflects the stereotypical beliefs across Europe. However, there are many more: The English have “dirty homes”, the Greeks are “lazy” the Turks “cruel”, the Albanians “criminals”, Ukrainian women are all “strippers” etc. We need to be more open minded and aware of the communication barriers set by stereotypes.
3.2. The misunderstanding in this case is due to the stereotypical representation of Jewish people as stingy or mean. The person who offered the prawns to the Jew didn’t bother to ask if being a Jew had anything to do with eating prawns. He rushed to use his stereotypical image of the Jew as being stingy with money. His background knowledge about Jewish people was limited as he knew nothing about their religion and the kinds of food they are  allowed to eat. His attitude was the result of the “single story” approach. The Jewish speaker must have felt shocked and offended unless he had a good sense of humour and had been used to stereotypical jokes about his nationality. Thinking out the box (which is full of stereotypical beliefs) can lead to better understanding. Realising the complexity of human nature and the dangers lurking behind oversimple “single stories” could pave the way towards solidarity, interconnectedness and effective communication.