“The way in which the world is imagined determines at any particular moment what men will do.  (It does not determine what they will achieve.  It determines their effort, their feelings, their hopes, not their accomplishments and results.)”

Lippmann believed the world (our reality) is too big to truly comprehend.  In order to make sense of reality, he thought human beings used stereotypes to help shape their view of the world.

These stereotypes help to create mental pictures in our minds, which we use to interpret reality.  ”Certainly for the most part, the way we see things is a combination of what is there and of what we expected to find.”

Propaganda is used as a tool to help shape images in the minds of human beings in support of an enterprise, idea or group.  Propaganda can be used to substitute one social pattern for another.

Lippmann argued that people rely on the images in their minds in formulating judgments rather than by critically thinking.  He advised, “Yet in truly effective thinking the prime necessity is to liquidate judgments, regain an innocent eye, disentangle feelings, be curious and open-hearted.”

This last valentines day, 2/14/2012 was the worst yet. I decided to open up my heart, mind, and talents to try to win over a girl in my class. I spent the entire night before hunched over a cutting board with stacks and rolls of colored duct tape. Nearly three hours later, I had completed a red and white petaled duct tape rose. It was the most beautiful flower I’d ever made. All the green leaves pointing out in just the right direction, and the thin strips of duct tape folded into striped bows were perfectly rounded and centered underneath. It truly was beautiful. I got a silly little store-bought card that wouldn’t be too embarasing, and then spent the next two hours composing and editing, finally deciding on a good message.

“Some men just want to watch the world burn. But I don’t want to set the world on fire, I just want to light a fire in your heart. Every time I see you it makes my day a little more beautiful. Have a happy Valentine’s Day. Love, Rouge”

Yes. It’s been 5 days. I still remeber the way your lips moved and your facial expressions as you read it. It was one of the greatest things I’d ever done. I bought a see’s candy box with the cutest kitten I could find, wrapped it in light red tissue paper, wrote her name on the outside of the card envelope, and put the flower on as a bow. I put it in a bag and left it one her desk during class.

She came back, saw the flower. I was trying to glean her feelings by watching her reaction from across the room. She was so amazed by the flower, I can’t really describe it. She was showing it to people around her and saying something like “Oh my god, isn’t this amazing?”. I saw her eyes light up and the “aww” form on her lips when she saw the kitten on the box of candy. Then I saw how her face blushed as she read my note, and then she saw my name and stopped. All the hard work I put in, all the emotions I stirred in her, gone. Simply because it was the “nerdy kid” in the corner. She walked up to me before lunch, stuttered to come up with something to say, and finally gave the whole “I like you as a friend” deal.

It’s not that I’m mad that she doesn’t like me. I’m just mad because I can’t figure out why. I’m not that nerdy kid in the corner anymore. I’m well known, I’m a high level swimmer, I’ve played the piano for 7 years, I’m doing a 200 mile bike race this spring, I’m in all advanced classes, I solve rubik’s cubes in my spare time, I’ve written hundreds of online articles, released programs and mods, and I have a passion for everything. If she were simply a popular girl, that wouldn’t have bothered me. It’s just that she was many of those things as well. She’s a Calculus student, AP Biology, also plays piano, she’s very athletic (cheerleading), very smart, and is decent with technology. 

The only difference between she and I is that I keep an open mind about things. I don’t simply take things for granted. If someone I know is acting even the slightest bit odd, I will be able to notice and talk to them abo ut it. I consistantly make sure that I’m not ignoring people and that I don’t make any off-hand remarks that will un-intentionally hurt people. I thought long and hard about who to give that valentine to. I thought that she, of all people, would understand that.

I thought hard, worked hard, all for naught. She let me down, I wasted valuable time and effort, and now I have nothing except another label stuck to my back. “Oh he’s that nerd kid that tried to ask that cheerleader out”. Thank you very much. You know who you are, if you ever read this.

It seems as if the moment I stepped foot inside this school three years September, I was labeled as unpopular and a nerd. Even if that was true at the time, while I’ve lived here I have grown. I have become an individaul, trying to break free of stereo-types and treat people for who they actually are. Obviously, that realm of thinking has never been introduced to many people. I’m no longer that person. I’ve now competed at regional piano competitions, been certified as a life-guard, swum at districts and state swim meets, ridden my bike thousands of miles, released minecraft mods that have become internationally popular. But no one sees that me.

I’m now taking a step back again, Jumping out of the road. I still have a month or two to find another person who may answer with an affermitve response to my question:  ”Will you go to prom with me?”. I have time. Sitting in the distance, observing all I can. Waiting for the perfect girl to come along. 

Figure 1 shows the four friends gathered around the table at the diner.  The teenagers are dressed in a hoodie, vest, leather jacket, and track jacket.  Figure 2 shows the teenager sitting on the bench.  gets on the bus forgetting her purse. The teenager runs around the corner, and appears to have evaded the police. It then shows the woman exiting the bus and the teenager handing her the purse. This is another stereotype because people think that teenagers steal all the time.  The police call the teenager over and give him a donut as a reward.  The police having donuts in with them are another stereotype against the police. These two advertisements show that teenagers do drugs and steal which is a stereotype within itself because they steal in order to get money to do drugs.  In the Above the Influence commercial, the logos appeal is that most teenagers are susceptible to peer pressure and often times make poor decisions.  The teenager in the video got rewarded, but at an expense to the diner.  The Honesty commercial pathos appeal was surprise when the teenager stole the purse, then confusion due to so many logical fallacies.

To read the full article, please go to the author’s website.  This article has been moved do to copyright concerns.

Figure 1 shows the four friends gathered around the table at the diner.  The teenagers are dressed in a hoodie, vest, leather jacket, and track jacket.  Figure 2 shows the teenager sitting on the bench.  gets on the bus forgetting her purse. The teenager runs around the corner, and appears to have evaded the police. It then shows the woman exiting the bus and the teenager handing her the purse. This is another stereotype because people think that teenagers steal all the time.  The police call the teenager over and give him a donut as a reward.  The police having donuts in with them are another stereotype against the police. These two advertisements show that teenagers do drugs and steal which is a stereotype within itself because they steal in order to get money to do drugs.  In the Above the Influence commercial, the logos appeal is that most teenagers are susceptible to peer pressure and often times make poor decisions.  The teenager in the video got rewarded, but at an expense to the diner.  The Honesty commercial pathos appeal was surprise when the teenager stole the purse, then confusion due to so many logical fallacies.

To read the full article, please go to the author’s website.  This article has been moved do to copyright concerns.

All women do is complaining and all men are idiots. Well, that’s how it looks like to a lot of people, but why? Why are woman usually the one cleaning after the man? Why are men such slobs at home in the first place? Why aren’t men romantic? Why do woman nag men to death about not being romantic enough?

These questions have been asked all around the world and since people spoke for the first time. First and foremost you have to understand that the brain has change because of human’s physical traits and evolution. For 100,000s of years women had to stay home to protect they’re child especially when they’re pregnant. Woman wouldn’t want to hunt a saber tooth and risk the life of their unborn child, so they stay home a let the men do the hunting. Only in a proximately 50 years, women were known to go out and take charge in the work force, but there is still evolutionary bits left in woman’s (and man’s) brain that stayed with the humans.

In general when it comes to problem solving, men and women have different ways in viewing things. consciously a woman will ask “How do I solve it?” An example that could be used for 1,000s of years; when a mother’s child gets sick, she needs to find the solution to that problem right away, without asking any other questions.

when problem occurs to men they will first ask “Why should I solve it?” Another example that can be used for 1,000s of years; when men go out to hunt for food and risk their lives, they want to know why instead of how first, to make sure the risk is important and worthy.

In modern times where the differences in roles between men and women had blurred significantly but their attempt to solve the problems has not change, so as they attempt to solve everyday challenges subconsciously the woman will only ask “why?” after their attempt. “Why is this happening to me? Why am I even doing this in the first place?” In that attempt the woman will complain because she doesn’t have the answer that she was asking subconsciously, While men in the other hand will ask “how” after their attempt, usually looking like incompetents.

If you go to a woman’s house usually it will be clean, pretty and with lots of decoration while inside of a man’s house usually dirty and barely any decorations whatsoever. The reason behind that is evolution. Remember that for 100,000s of years the men would hunt while the women would stay home. That has affected both sexes up to even today. Men in general do not like to stay home compared to women (they much more rather go fishing, hunting or go play football) Women in general much rather stay home and read a book. Because of evolution, men are more comfortable to go outside of their environment.

Psychologists at Queen Mary, University of London did a research that shows gay men and straight women share a poor sense of direction. The Sun news site says: “Both (women and gay men) are poor at navigating and rely on local landmarks to get around, the study suggests.

They are also slower to take in spatial information than heterosexual men.

This means driving in a strange environment is likely to be more challenging for gay men and women than for straight male motorists.

Psychologists at Queen Mary, University of London, conducted computer-based tests of spatial learning and memory on 140 volunteers recruited through advertisements in newspapers and magazines.

They showed that gay men, straight women and lesbians navigated in much the same way and shared the same weaknesses.

But there were also differences between gay and heterosexual men and straight and lesbian women.

Previous research had already shown that the male myth of women being poor navigators has some bearing on reality.

Men consistently outperform women on tasks requiring navigation and discovering hidden objects.

Women, on the other hand, are more successful in tests requiring them to remember where objects lie.”

This means the female human learned to organize to their surroundings; the human male did not.

As hunters the men tend to be visualized and be systematic; women (who were left in the village) were socializing, tacking care of the children, and doing whatever they can at home. This can explain why men are not as romantic as women would like them to be. Women sexuality is stimulated on touch, and tends to sympathize when it comes to romance. Men sexuality is stimulated more on visualization, and tends to systemize when it comes to romance. This would explain why men are known to be more sex oriented, and woman to be more oriented towards relationships.

It is common knowledge that men and women are different; these differences have caused a great deal of arguments that has ended in terrible circumstances, all because they do not quite understand each other. Men and women both have they’re strong points and weaknesses but together with two different mindsets, they can complete each other, and lets not forget some of the best romantic literature were written by men, and some of the best world leaders were women, we should never judge anyone simply because of their sex.

“Ahhh, here’s a great resume!” You declare. “15 years experience, Stanford University, variety of equipment expertise, what’s this guys name, let me give him a call….hm..hm..hmmm” you sing while scrolling your eyes upward to the name section. “Deonte Jones??? aaaah, file it under T!” you say as you fling it in the trash.

Now, Deonte is probably a nice young man but names can be loaded with stereotypes. When people think of names like Deonte, they conjure up an urban kid who got into college on an equal opportunity scholarship and probably thinks the kid stirr up racial animosity on the job. As a result, a potentially great guy may be denied an opportunity for a job. And that’s not to say that the interviewer wouldn’t consider a name like Sanja Muptah or Akinowo Owujo or Sun Yi Moon either. Those guys have the benefit of hard working immigrant here to take advantage of American opportunity disclaimers attached to their names.

Unfortunately, names like Deonte, Chaequan, Beyonce, Amesha and Brontay don’t have that privilege especially when attached to names like Jones, moore, smith and Williams. Why am I saying this? Because it’s true. I had the same problem being the child of two biracial 1970’s radicals searching for a connection with Africa. I had a a Nigerian first name with no connection to Nigeria whatsoever and an Irish surname. It caused my resume to scream “BLACK AMERICANNNNN!” whenever it went across a desk and either got buried under the pile or tossed in the trash. That’s when I decided to do a little experiment.

I made two separate biomedical imaging resumes and instead of using my last name, I dropped it, and put my middle name in it’s place. My middle name is a common Israeli surname and also the name of a Native American tribe from Louisiana. Suddenly, the phone started ringing off the hook and I was granted tons of telephone interviews. For me, it was great because the need for a job taught me to conceal my vocal identity and yes, you can sound very ethnic on the telephone, even when you use standard English. Hey, sometimes we just have a richer tone, and there is nothing wrong with it. Depending on the locality, they sometimes never identified me as a black American,even in person. Yet, at other times, there was always a bit of shock.

I am trying to convey the importance of considering that which you decide to name your child. Racism is not going to end any time soon. However, studies have proven and I experienced it myself, that having an easily identifiable name can be a hindrance to economic gain. Don’t do this to your children! You can talk about keeping it real all you want but your kid is going to need to survive.

If you are that desperate for a name, do some actual research on authentic African names and if your that into African culture, consider changing your surname to match it. So when you look at that cute little baby you have brought into this cruel world and think of naming him Dashawn, think of my story about Deonte and just name him Robert instead.

     Besides the obvious physical characteristics there are also many differences between the psychologies of the two genders. For example, men and women differ in the way they respond to stress. Men respond by activating the flight-or-fight response while woman have a more emotional response (Science Daily, 2008). Some studies also show that men are more independent thinkers and think globally while women tend to cooperate and focus more on details. Women are able to handle financial problems, hardships and pain better than men. However, men are more willing to take risks when they are creating or building and also have a higher self-appraisal (Simon, 2009). Although there are physiological and psychological differences between men and women they should not dictate our activities and interests.

     Due to our physiological and psychological differences it is reasonable to say that men and women respond to situations differently. However, it does not indicate that they can’t participate in the same situations. It’s clear that gender stereotypes exist. These stereotypes have the potential to change the way we not only view others, but how we view ourselves as well. Each of us unknowingly continues to stereotype and until we realize how we treat the genders differently we won’t be able to change it.

     Gender stereotyping was something that I never even thought about. It didn’t occur to me that such ideas could enter our minds without us being consciously aware of them. In some circumstances I’ve even shorted myself because of it. Often when something breaks around the house I just think, “Well, my husband’s a man, he knows how to fix it.” In most cases, he does. However, by just giving up because I don’t think I can do it since it isn’t a “woman’s” job; I never try to fix things. Therefore, I’m falling into the stereotype before ever giving myself the chance to prove it otherwise. It has now become my goal to bring my subconscious stereotypes to light and revise my thinking of the genders. Maybe tonight I’ll tackle the, “men can’t cook,” stereotype and have my husband make dinner tonight!

References

Zhumkhawala, S. (1997). Dolls, trucks, and identity: Educators help young children grow beyond gender. Children’s Advocate. Retrieved from  http://www.4children.org/issues/1997/november_december/dolls_trucks_and_identity/

n/a. (2008). Men are from Mars: Neuroscientists find that men and women respond differently to stress. Science Daily. Retrieved from http://www.sciencedaily.com/videos/2008/0403-men_are_from_mars.htm

Simon, G. (2009). Men and women: The real psychological differences. Counseling Resource. Retrieved from http://counsellingresource.com/ask-the- psychologist/2009/07/08/men-and-women-the-real-psychological-differences/

I remember at primary school we looked at Stereotypes, we had to draw stereotypical people from Scotland, France and Australia. Surprisingly I didn’t really know what to draw, I just copied the girl next to me. So here’s what I ended up drawing:

• French – A man in black trousers with a blue and white stripey t-shirt wearing a beret. He was holding a baguette and a croissant.
• Australian – A man in khaki shorts and a matching shirt with a cork hat. He was standing beside a crocodile and a barbecue.
• Scottish – A man in a kilt with ginger hair holding a can of Irn Bru with Nessie the Loch Ness monster in the background.

Funny how they were all men eh? Nearly everyone else in my class has the same idea. But stereotypes don’t stop with different countries do they? There are stereotypes for different fashion trends too:

• Emo – dark clothing, usually black. Dark make up. Black skinny jeans, usually black hair with a side fringe. Listens to “alternative” music
• Goth – More or less similar fashion sense but with flared jeans rather than skinny. Hair styles vary. Listen to rock and heavy metal.
• Mosher – Baggy clothing, long -ish hair. Skateboarders (In my town anyway). Listen to mostly rock music.
• Scene Kids – Practically Emos but instead of black they have multicolours. Listen to “alternative music”
• NEDs (Non educated delinquents) – They tend to wear tracksuits and walk with a swagger. The tracksuits usually are designer which mystifies everybody cause NEDs tend to be unemployed and cause trouble. They usually have short/shaved hair (boys) or long sleek straight hair (girls).
• Casual – They tend to have clothes from Top Shop, River Island, Jane Norman. Clothes which is not usually classified as NED but is definitely not Emo or goth etc. They usually listen to RnB and Pop music. 

I hate labels, I really do. But when talking about other people I tend to label them. Hypocrite much? But I don’t mean to label them in a bad way. I label them as a description, so when talking to people they can visualise the kind of person i’m talking about. I don’t know what I would be labeled as myself because my style changes daily; depending on my mood. Most of the time I guess I  fall into the Emo-Scene Kid range but mixed with Casual a lot. A lot of my friends a Casual but a fair few are Emo. I’m friends with goths and scene-kids and moshers. Though I do stay clear of NEDs, purely because I know a few who beat people up and wouldn’t like to get on the wrong side of them.

What are your views on Stereotypes? Are they discrimitive or are they descriptive in this day and age?

Because of this general stereotype that men are the ones who do wrong in relationships, this image has been formed of lonely, heartbroken girls sat at home, watching chick flicks and eating ice cream because they are so upset. However, men also hurt and feel heartbreak, we too fully commit to relationships only to find out that our partners have not felt the same way and then we become no different to all those heartbroken girls out there searching for the right person. So, when it is put like that, is it right for men to be portrayed as such evil, heartless creatures the whole time? It is often the case that the men who break the hearts of girls, have at one point, had their hearts broken too.

I just wanted to state my view on this topic as it is one which is close to my heart and it aggravates me a lot when men take the brunt of the bad press, whilst women are able to get away with it seemingly unscathed.

I knew what I had to do.  I had to protect my friend, and I had to do it in a way that the Man-Beast would understand.  I had to pretend to be Nikki’s significant other, and, being the uglier of the two, I had to be the dominant one, the Husband lesbian.  (The Ugly Friends never get to be the Wife lesbian, they always have to be the mister.)  “Listen, you man,” I said with disdain, tightening my grip.  “That’s my baby you’re messing with, and if you touch her one more time, it’s going to be you and me in that back alley, throwing blows.” (Notaro 2002)

Within this joking account, there are many male and female stereotypes that are addressed in reference to lesbian subculture.  Current American thought is aligned with Notaro’s understanding of lesbian relationships in that they mimic heterosexuals ones; “Butch women were thought to be aping men, while femme women were accused of objectifying themselves” (Levitt 2005).  However, lesbian partner roles are inherently different from that of heteronormative roles in a variety of ways including: partner preference, role responsibilities, and sexual encounters.

            In choosing a partner “the implicit expectation was that butch and femme women were attracted to one another (or to women on the other side of the butch-femme continuum)” (Levitt 2005).  While in some cases that might be true, in a study based on personal ads it was found that “butch lesbians’ offers and requests were similar to those of femme lesbians, supporting the suggestion…that butch lesbians’ mate preferences may be more similar to those of femme lesbians than to those of heterosexual men” (Smith 2011).  In the study it was noted that both butch and femme lesbians requested honesty, while heterosexual men and women focused their ads on status measure (education, profession, and monetary standing); “honesty was requested by 34% of butch and 36% of femme lesbians (compared to 20% of heterosexual women and 9% of heterosexual men)” (Smith 2011).   Because lesbian relationships consist of partnership of two women the relationship is predominantly focused on emotion, and will stress the importance of sharing feelings.

            When thinking of male the next assumption is dominant and vice versa females.  The same assumption makes an appearance when thinking of butches and femmes, however the butch’s role is primarily to please their femme.  When interviewed about these obligations one femme says, “It’s sort of like, ‘I’m femme and I have these secret… And maybe, if you’re nice, I’ll tell them to you.  But you have to be nice.  And nice looks like, rub my feet.’” (Levitt 2005).  Comparatively one butch stated, “I’m more aware of letting them go first… I want to do everything… to make them like me… Showing them I like them by respecting them… Complimenting is important too.” (Levitt 2005).  Here the distinction between gender role and power is evident; “a strong feminine woman seems to have a certain power, a certain in-chargeness, that a butch woman doesn’t have” (Levitt 2005).  Heterosexual relationships very rarely emulate this masculine as submissive and feminine as dominant, as well as the male as the pleaser of the female.

            Sexually, yet another difference is determined.  The fact that women know their own anatomy is one of the largest of them:

The higher frequency of orgasm in the homosexual contacts may have depended in part upon the considerable psychologic stimulation provided by such relationships, but there is reason for believing that it may also have depended on the fact that two individuals of the same sex are likely to understand the anatomy and the physiologic responses and psychology of their own sex better than they understand that of the opposite sex.  Most males are likely to approach females as they, the males, would like to be approached by a sexual partner.  They are likely to begin by providing immediate genital stimulation.  They are inclined to utilize a variety of psychologic stimuli which may mean little to most females. (Kinsey 1953)

Kinsey then goes on to say the same for females.  However, the physical aspect of sexual intercourse is not the only difference.  Again, roles are very important in displaying the difference between lesbian and heterosexual relationship; dominance plays a key part in the role reversal.  Unlike their hetero female counterparts, lesbian “femme participants emphasized that this femininity did not connote passivity” (Levitt 2005).  Femmes get pleasure from topping, or taking charge, of their butch and without that distinction in gender power, femmes found that they actually lost the pleasure of being in control (Levitt 2005).  In heteronormative couples, it is standard for the male to top, and take less emotional care of his submissive female.

            Ultimately “female masculinity is not an imitation of male masculinity [nor is femme an imitation of female femininity], rather than it is a specific gender with it’s own rich cultural history” (Smith 2011).  Assimilation fails to account for intersectionality; gender, sex, and identity are all very different aspects of a person/relationship.  When we take intersectionality of these aspects into account, we stop using mainstream binaries and realize the infinite possibilities that exist in all different relationships.  Thus, heterosexual and butch and femme relationships exist in entirely different cultures.

Works Cited

Gibson, M., & Meem, D. (2002). Femme/Butch: New Considerations of The Way We Want To                    Go. New York: Harrington Park Press.

Kinsey, A. (1953). Sexual Behavior In The Human Female. Philadelphia: W. B. Saunders                          Company.

Levitt, H. M., & Hiestand, K. R. (2005). Gender Within Lesiban Sexuality: Butch and Femme                  Perspectives. Journal of Constructivist Psychology, 18(1), 39-51.       Retrieved from                        EBSCOhost.

Notaro, L. (2002). The Idiot Girl’s Action Adventure Club. New York: Random House.

Smith, C., Konik, J., & Tuve, M. (2011). In Search of Looks, Status, or Something Else?                           Partner Preferences Among Butch and Femme Lesbians and Heterosexual Men and              Women. Sex Roles, 64(9/10), 658-668. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.[*]

[*] The Smith article includes personal interviews as well as research, so it is used as both a primary and secondary source of information in this essay.