I have been apart of a group that has been stereotyped. I have been stereotyped because I was black. I can still remember walking down the street with my brother, who is a lawyer, and an older white lady gripping her purse tight as we walked by. She stereotyped us as muggers, when we were simply walking from our car to the store. We weren't using any non-verbal communication that may have given off the intention of a crime in the future.
This does reflects the concept in the book. One of the concepts is communication contexts. This could be true because the lady may have had learned her views from the culture she was in. There could also be pressure for conformity. Her group that she is from could pressure her to act a certain way. The book states that “We learn our automatic and perceptual responses to our surroundings from those who nurture and care for us.” If this lady was raised to view certain cultures in a negative connotation, then this will clearly explain her reaction.
Henry
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If the lady from your post did learn this behavior then I guess it does explain her behavior towards you and her brother but it still must be difficult to live through as well as frustrating. I can only speak of my experiences so I’m finding it very interesting in reading everyone in the class’s experiences with stereotypes. Everyone has very different experiences but somehow they are similar. We all had someone from a different group act towards us in a way that was unnecessary or rejecting. I think an aspect of conforming also is about living in a way that makes is easy and safe and therefore we stick to people from our own groups whether it be race, sports, or special interests.
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