As you enter the cafeteria of UWCSEA East during lunch time, you’ll hear screaming and shouting. You’ll see students running around and laughing. Picture sun rays beaming down towards the tent plaza and the rapid movement of people’s shadows. Listen to the chatter of students going about their day and later lessons. Breathe the air of the hundred sweaty students and welcome to UWCSEA East Zoo. Every friendship has its own cage for protection but also as a way to keep people in. The cage gets bigger when newbies come in. The cages move closer together as the lessons go by but they are never merged and when they are, bad things are bound to happen.
I’ve started to pay more and more attention to labels and stereotypes after watching the movie Mean Girls. I can tell you straight away the names of the Plastics in the school or the names of the Best People You Will Ever Meet. This is because we have given names to these people. Keeping animals in cages is never the right thing to do because we’re supposed to be able to roam free and interact with other animals even when the risks are high but when it’s about humans, circumstances tend to change. Anyone that tries too hard to fit in won’t as people become judgmental about your every move as if you are being hunted by your predator.
A lesson that I’ve learnt just by going to lunch is how separated we are. In classes we are forced to be with someone for group works. This by no means will determine that you are going to speak to them outside of class. Just looking at the canteen you’ll easily spot the Asian, Nerds, Geeks, Popular People etc… Within these groups it seems that everyone in them has the same interests or get the same grades. Is that how we want our school communities to be like? Living as if our friendship groups are cages? Not being able to be a confident individual?
Mean Girls isn’t the source of influence to stereotypes and labels. You may not have realized, or you may have, but Divergent, the popular book in a trilogy, has their citizens divided into factions. These factions are separating the stereotypes from the beginning of their life. Ultimately, they do get to choose which ‘label’ and ‘stereotype’ they want to be in, though in the book these labels are called factions. There is a test to see which faction you belong in, almost like the permission that you can sit with a certain friendship group. Once you do choose which faction you want to be in, you must prove yourself. This system that is introduced in the book has actually been going for a long time. Needless to say most, if not all, of us have experienced some type of neglection from a certain group of people.
Mr.Raisdana, an English teacher in UWCSEA East, said “ People often joke with me when I have a beard, that I look like a terrorist. It makes me feel bad. They are not aware enough that a comment like that makes them appear ignorant and unkind. Also, they don’t know me enough to know that something like that might bother me.” Jasmine, a student of 8JRa, said “ People often say that I’m smart and when I don’t get 6’s or 7’s their reaction is just “I thought you were smart though.” and it really puts pressure on me.” Jasmine also remarked “Being labeled ‘Asian’ gives me the pressure that I have to be smart and get good grades.”
Although some may only be joking when they are calling somebody by a label and don’t mean to hurt anybody, it has the great potential that it will. Some people automatically categorize Asians as the smart kids when in all reality we start of the same. Just with different cultural backgrounds it ranges. Labelling someone is hurtful and insensitive. By labelling them you are telling them that you belong to this group of people and you should stay there. Within that group of people there might be expectations.
According to simplepsychology.org, stereotypes makes us ignore the differences between individuals therefore what we might think things about people that are probably not true. Stereotypes lead to social categorization, which is one of the reasons for prejudice attitudes.
So the next time you are about to judge somebody and stereotype them, remember this article. Stereotypes and labels are hurtful to people even when it doesn’t seem like it is. Catch yourself before you categorize people and judge them as you probably don’t know them well enough and grouping people never quite gets you as many friends.
I’ve started to pay more and more attention to labels and stereotypes after watching the movie Mean Girls. I can tell you straight away the names of the Plastics in the school or the names of the Best People You Will Ever Meet. This is because we have given names to these people. Keeping animals in cages is never the right thing to do because we’re supposed to be able to roam free and interact with other animals even when the risks are high but when it’s about humans, circumstances tend to change. Anyone that tries too hard to fit in won’t as people become judgmental about your every move as if you are being hunted by your predator.
A lesson that I’ve learnt just by going to lunch is how separated we are. In classes we are forced to be with someone for group works. This by no means will determine that you are going to speak to them outside of class. Just looking at the canteen you’ll easily spot the Asian, Nerds, Geeks, Popular People etc… Within these groups it seems that everyone in them has the same interests or get the same grades. Is that how we want our school communities to be like? Living as if our friendship groups are cages? Not being able to be a confident individual?
Mean Girls isn’t the source of influence to stereotypes and labels. You may not have realized, or you may have, but Divergent, the popular book in a trilogy, has their citizens divided into factions. These factions are separating the stereotypes from the beginning of their life. Ultimately, they do get to choose which ‘label’ and ‘stereotype’ they want to be in, though in the book these labels are called factions. There is a test to see which faction you belong in, almost like the permission that you can sit with a certain friendship group. Once you do choose which faction you want to be in, you must prove yourself. This system that is introduced in the book has actually been going for a long time. Needless to say most, if not all, of us have experienced some type of neglection from a certain group of people.
Mr.Raisdana, an English teacher in UWCSEA East, said “ People often joke with me when I have a beard, that I look like a terrorist. It makes me feel bad. They are not aware enough that a comment like that makes them appear ignorant and unkind. Also, they don’t know me enough to know that something like that might bother me.” Jasmine, a student of 8JRa, said “ People often say that I’m smart and when I don’t get 6’s or 7’s their reaction is just “I thought you were smart though.” and it really puts pressure on me.” Jasmine also remarked “Being labeled ‘Asian’ gives me the pressure that I have to be smart and get good grades.”
Although some may only be joking when they are calling somebody by a label and don’t mean to hurt anybody, it has the great potential that it will. Some people automatically categorize Asians as the smart kids when in all reality we start of the same. Just with different cultural backgrounds it ranges. Labelling someone is hurtful and insensitive. By labelling them you are telling them that you belong to this group of people and you should stay there. Within that group of people there might be expectations.
According to simplepsychology.org, stereotypes makes us ignore the differences between individuals therefore what we might think things about people that are probably not true. Stereotypes lead to social categorization, which is one of the reasons for prejudice attitudes.
So the next time you are about to judge somebody and stereotype them, remember this article. Stereotypes and labels are hurtful to people even when it doesn’t seem like it is. Catch yourself before you categorize people and judge them as you probably don’t know them well enough and grouping people never quite gets you as many friends.
Written by Seika
I agree that students or people tend to push people away just because they are in different ("the smart ones" or "the popular kids") groups. I seriously want to change this system ,because all the time if I get a low grade or something people tend to mock or just say "You are smart right?" or when I step up and do something different "I thought you were shy." without even noticing that they sound rude and hurt my feelings.
ReplyDeleteThank you for this article,I enjoyed it.Keep telling the story with your heart.