Findings and Conclusion

This project has taught me that whether positive or negative stereotypes can have a major impact on society. This is due to the fact that stereotypes are formed as a way to characterize one group or culture in a simple way.  An example of a positive stereotype is that everyone Asians are smart because Asians take great pride in that which allows their culture to succeed. However, an example of a negative stereotype is that everyone from Russia drinks Vodka. This stereotype negatively impacts Russia’s society because everyone labels them as drunk. While this stereotype might not affect everyone in the specific group, the association is still made causing a form of discrimination and therefore having a lasting effect on the world.

~ Elizabeth

During my research, I learned a lot about stereotyping and what makes a stereotypes happen. I think it is important to remember that stereotypes are made from a generalization about that society. I also think it is also important to remember that positive and negative stereotypes can have bad effects. An example of this would be smart people in East Asia. This is positive because it portrays them as smart but it gets rid of the individuality of each person at varying degrees of intelligence. The important thing is to consider individuality when thinking of stereotypes.

~Will

What I discovered from this project is that stereotypes could also be positive as well as negative, but even though stereotypes can be positive the majority of them are negative causing negative views on an entire country. This should not be because stereotypes come from watching one person or a small group and broadcasting it as a culture for an entire country giving a false image for all the people. With these negative stereotypes people will be judged right away for what someone else did and not for their own actions creating a negative profile for them. With these negative profiles there could sometimes be a positive stereotype which makes a whole country look good even though some people do not fall into this category, but these are still considered a stereotype because it categorizes a country.

~Geoff

From our studies I have learned that stereotypes do not come from thin air. Stereotypes are a way for people to make things simpler to understand. When someone creates a stereotype it is usually not to be mean. People make these assumptions, because they see one person of that ethnicity doing something, and assume everyone else in that culture does the same. But, when someone assumes something it can also be negative, making that culture be seen as a bad group of people. So, I think people should be careful with what they say, because they could be talking casually with a friend and say a stereotype that can be found offensive.

~Josh