Sterotypes

Stereotypes Alicia R. Prince PHI 103 Renee Levant January 22, 2012 Stereotypes When walking out in public it is only human nature to use stereotypes to judge or put people in categories. Stereotypes are found everywhere in today’s society and form how we do most of our thinking. I often find myself using stereotypes and being stereotyped myself. Being a Army wife we live in a diverse culture and I use stereotypes to determine who I associate with and who I don’t. There are a lot of stereotypes found in the military culture and lifestyle. While some of these stereotypes are wrong and misjudging they are still there and form how many people think. The three most common stereotypes I find that surround me are that women do not belong in the military because they are the weaker sex and are not strong enough, obese people are lazy and lack self-control, and people on welfare are uneducated and unmotivated. People use arguments such as dogmatism, to explain these stereotypes even though they are weak in nature. Since I have been living the military life style it has allowed me to get an up close and personal look at the stereotypes that surround women in the military. Women are often stereotyped to be weak, lack motivation, and overall are not very accepted in the mainly men military world. Although the challenges that surround the women of the United States military are not as bad as they once were the women still face an uphill battle among their peers and coworkers. During the 1970’s the military extended their admissions to women. However, this has progressed slowly because of the stereotypes place on women. Out of all the military only fourteen percent are women and only two percent of women hold rank as an officer or higher (Boldry, Jennifer; Wood, Wendy; Kashy, Deborah A, 2001). Most of the stereotypes that surround women in the military are gender related. The argument used for the stereotypes held against the women of the military is dogmatism. Dogmatism is often used because it is the only belief there is and the men only want to assert their belief. There is no room for argument because they are right (K. Mosser, 2011). Men are looked at to make decisions more quickly and effectively. Typically men with the military are viewed to be more leader like then the women, and more competitive in nature. One major stereotype is that since women are more nurturing and gentle in nature it withholds the females from being a successful soldier. Often times the men can become hostile towards the women because they fear their masculinity is being questioned and their territory is being threatened (Boldry, Jennifer; Wood, Wendy; Kashy, Deborah A, 2001). This dogmatism argument is not only wrong but is very one sided. Women continue to prove their successful leadership qualities as a soldier. They have come a long way from the 1970’s and now fight alongside the front lines standing next to men. The women of the United States military have to endure the same basic training and leadership courses as the men. While they may be smaller built and more nurturing by nature it does not affect their capabilities to successfully lead troops into battle; whether it be overseas or on the home front (Boldry, Jennifer; Wood, Wendy; Kashy, Deborah A, 2001). By living the military life style I have learned that physical fitness and how you look plays a big part in how others look at you and treat you. Obese people are usually stereotyped to be lazy and lack self-control. I am big into physical fitness and eating healthily and have found myself at times categorizing obese people and stereotyping them. In the world where so much pressure is put on you at birth to look good and to eat right it is easy to see how such stereotypes are formed. To be physically attractive in the United States is looked high upon and is expected. To be obese is not only viewed to be outside what is expected but can even be called, “freakish”. The argument used for the obese stereotype would be Dogmatism. In the world today we have been programed to think that obesity is wrong and if someone is obese it must be because they are lazy and cannot control what they eat. The stigma against obese people no matter how mean it is, is consider to be a cultural norm. Obesity is a sign that one is personally failing (Deborah, Condon, 2011). Even third world countries that used to idolize the “bigger” person because it was a sign of fertility and wealth, are shedding their views and starting to stereotype obesity as a bad habit (Deborah, Condon, 2011). Most obese people are emotional eaters and therefore lack self-control when they are upset. Obese people are stereotyped to be unattractive and that they are obese out of choice. When a recent poll was conducted among three hundred and eighteen college students fifty-three percent of them said obesity was caused by overeating, and twenty-six percent thought obesity was caused by a combination of overeating and not being active ( Faulkner, K. 1994). While the Dogmatism argument is used for stereotyping obese people it is seriously flawed. While some obesity is caused by overeating and lack of activity, it is hard to categorize all obese people as being lazy and showing lack of self-control. There are many factors that must be looked at when stereotyping obesity. The obese person may have an illness that prevents them from losing weight or makes weight gain easy such as, diabetes and many thyroid disorders. Many obese people try to lose the weight and recognize the stereotype being held against them. The fact is that dieting is hard whether a person is obese or not and diets tend to fail at some point and time. This does not mean the obese person is lazy and is not trying. Lastly, some obese people tend to think there is nothing wrong with the way they look and are proud of their bigger stature. They may simply not want to lose the weight because they feel they are beautiful the way they already are. The last stereotype I have seen is not necessarily anything that has to do with the military. It is a stereotype I have witnessed all my life growing up in a white middle class community. In my community families worked hard to provide for their families and did not believe in taking handouts. While no one was rich, we still took pride in being able to provide for our own families. People on welfare were viewed to be lazy, uneducated, and wanted to live off the government. While we never knew what their circumstances were exactly we still judged them to be lazy, uneducated, and abusing the system. These families were shunned in the community, and their kids were viewed to be products of bad parents. Given this attitude was held back when the economy was good and jobs were plentiful in our community. We saw no reason for someone not to be able to work and provide for their families. The argument used to defend this stereotype would also have to be dogmatism. In our community there was only one way. Welfare people were seen to be lazy, uneducated, and abusing the government system, and that was it. There was no other argument for these people and none stood up for them or wanted to help. Families on welfare represented the lowest level status class. Often welfare families were viewed to be drug addicts, have a history of crime, and are incapable of overcoming their circumstances (Blankenship, Jody., 2011). Opinions were often fueled by politicians that spoke out against the welfare system. If politicians and the media see welfare to be a problem, then it must be true. Government aid was viewed to be an entitlement to the poor for simply being poor. Our community did not believe they should have to pay for poor families. Welfare families should be responsible for their own finances and their own families well-being. In 1995, the welfare system was costing the government seventeen billion dollars a year to fund and was collected by the tax payers (Westfall, J., 1995). Welfare makes poverty look more attractive to people who do not want to work and provide for their families. It places a unfair burden on the hard working families in America that do provide for their families on their own. Newt Gingrich stated that, “if society is responsible for everything, then no one is personally responsible for anything” (Westfall, J., 1995). While this argument was a strong one ten years ago when the economy was strong, it has weakened since the economy downfall. Now we are seeing many hard working families needing the same help they once shunned. Jobs are scarce and a lot of the ones you find do not pay more than minimum wage. Families that once had a nice saving account and could provide well for their families are now depending upon the government to get by. This has changed attitudes towards the welfare system quite a bit. While there are those out there that do overuse the system, there are also those out there that actually need it. A lot of welfare families are not poor because they want to be. They are on welfare because of their circumstances whether it be they lost a job, death, illness, or disability. Many welfare families are ashamed they had to call upon the help of the government and do not take pride in their dependence on the government system. Many are struggling to better themselves and are trying to find better work. Instead of stereotyping everyone in the welfare system; we need to show compassion and understanding because we never know when we may be the one in need. In conclusion, I have learned the negative impacts stereotyping has. By bunching everyone into groups and judging them we lose sight of what it is really going on. Stereotyping is all to common in the United States and worldwide. By stereotyping we are being one minding and in some ways producing hate and negativity. We need to be opening minded and look at every case individually by using logic and understanding. By studying the three common stereotypes I see daily such as, women in the military, obese people, and welfare families. I know have more understanding and compassion and understand how the argument dogmatism is weak in nature because it presents only one point of view. Reference Page Blankenship, J. (2011). A Lack of Work Challenges The Stereotypes of Welfare. Eyes on the Enterprise. USRiseUp. Inc. http://www.usariseup.com/eyes-enterprise/lack-work-challenges-stereotypes-welfare Condon, D., (2011). Overweight Stigma A Cultural “Norm”. Irish Health. Retrieved from: http://www.irishhealth.com/article.html'id=18904 Boldry, Jennifer; Wood, Wendy; Kashy, Deborah A.( 2001). Gender stereotypes and the evaluation of men and women in military training. Journal of Social Issues. Access My Library. Retrieved from: http://www.accessmylibrary.com/article-1G1-80856565/gender-stereotypes-and-evaluation.html Faulkner, K., (1994). Attitudes Towards Obesity. Missouri Western State College. Retrieved from: http://www.missouriwestern.edu/psychology/research/psy302/spring96/KevinFaulkner.html Mosser, K. (2011). An introduction to logic. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc. (https://content.ashford.edu)  Westfall, J., (1995). The Welfare of The Community. Santa Clara University. Retrieved from: http://www.scu.edu/ethics/publications/iie/v8n3/welfare.html