1) I believe that a good example of a group of people who are seen by a simple definition would be Mexicans. Mexicans, specifically Mexicans in the United States, are often and usually viewed as either poor, illegal, or illiterate. Some of these stereotypes could be a result of many Mexicans having lower ranked jobs compared to other citizens, such as farmers. In reality, a large portion of Mexicans are actually on the opposite side of the spectrum. Many are part of the wealthier class of citizens, many have prestigeful, well paying jobs, and significant amounts are very literate and knowledgeable. Also, not all Mexicans are in the United States illegally. Many are legally given documentation to allow them to be here. The United States allows people of Mexican citizenship to apply for United States citizenship in order for them to be allowed to live in the US and have the same rights as if you were a citizen. Parents, teachers, and society in general needs to take into account the large number of Mexicans in the united states, and realize that even though someone may see some on the poor side, that does not just explain the trend of all of them. This is the case of every ethnicity and the stereotypes that come with them; people take into account a small sample of people of that ethnicity and assign a specific quality to the whole ethnicity.
Source: "Mexicans." Encyclopedia of Chicago. 2005. Web. 23 Mar. 1020.
http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/824.html
2) As for a personal circumstance that I have been “defined” as something, I have been looked at as a "class-clown" in many of my previous classes. I was always one of the people who made a class entertaining as well as informative. I have been told this by many of my fellow students as well as many of my past teachers. I am happy with the fact that my peers saw me as a funny person and as someone who “helped them through their class” in some circumstances. Being labeled as a “class-clown,” showed me that I am a person who likes making people happy, whether I do so by telling jokes or by other means. I enjoy other people’s enjoyment, so this “definition” has changed my life to a life of me trying to make others feel great about their classes and their lives in general.
I agree completely agree with your your first answer! being Mexican and obviously coming from a Mexican family, I can honestly say that my family is not the "typical" Mexican family. All of my family is legal, and US citizens. They all hold very good paying jobs and atleast have high school diplomas. and as for your second answer I think everybody needs a class clown. it makes the class a bit more tolerable.
ReplyDeleteI like the point you made about how we take into account a very small sample of people of a certain ethnicity and apply it to the WHOLE ethnicity as if every single person of that ethnicity were exactly the same. Deep down we all know that is not accurate at all and I don't know why we all seem to do the same thing, it needs to stop.
ReplyDeleteYou did a very good job explaining the stereotypes surrounding Mexicans, and also why the stereotypes are the way that they are. You have very good examples in this post. I also liked the one about yourself , I have always been labeled the class clown myself so i find it very interesting reading someone elses perspective.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your excellent post, Tim. Good grasp of your grammar. You made one tiny mistake with the word 'prestigious'
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