FREE ESSAY ON PERSUASIVE SPEECH ON STEREOTYPES

PERSUASIVE SPEECH ON STEREOTYPES

Persuasive Speech on Stereotypes
"Dumb jocks", "That person must belong to a gang, just look how he dresses". How often
have we heard somebody mention these things, yet, how often have we said something
similar? I believe our society is based on the superficial things, which we categorize
people because of the actions of a small percentage. All of the above statements are
prejudicial notions used to define members of a social or an ethnic group, and are called
stereotypes. 
Unfortunately, stereotypes negatively affect our ability to understand members of a
different group or ethnicity, and are we usually resistant to change because of them. We
stereotype various groups of people, but none like professional athletes and different
ethnic groups in our country.
Professional Basketball, Football, and Baseball players have been the victims of many
stereotypes. Hearing people call them dumb is common. A misconception by many people is
that pro athletes aren't educated. This is such a ridiculous situation since the vast
majority of them have attended prestigious colleges and universities, and received
degrees in different fields of study. A popular misconception is that the educations they
did earn were in areas like Liberal Arts, or other general fields of study, which didn't
challenge their mental capabilities. Another stereotype is that pro athletes received
preferential treatment while in college. Many believe that if an athlete needs a certain
grade to remain eligible to play sports, then the faculty would grade him or her lighter
than the rest of the class. We have also stereotyped athletes as above the law. There
have been, on occasion, incidents where a pro- athlete is treated better by the justice
system than an average citizen would be in the same situation. We are satisfied to say
it's because of the athletes' fame and wealth, but fail to realize that it was probably a
first offense, or to follow the story up and see that punishment was dealt accordingly. 
The most common stereotypes are those, which we have aimed at different ethnic or racial
groups. African-American stereotypes are the most obvious. We have often stereotyped
Young black men as gang members solely because of the kind of clothes they wear. The
media constantly blasts images of black men involved in crime and gangbanging across the
six o'clock news, but hardly ever the White or Asian doing the same. We have also
stereotyped African- Americans as the largest ethnic group on public assistance, which is
not true at all. It just seems that way because people are ignorant to the fact that
whites make up most of the welfare system. We have also stereotyped them as superior to
other races involved in sports. They can jump higher than everyone else, run faster, and
have better balance because of their extra muscles. It may seem this way when we watch
sports on television, and it does seem that way at times, nonetheless though it is a
stereotype. 
Stereotypes are products of our own individual inadequacies. They make us feel better
about ourselves because we can point the finger at a person, and label not only him or
her, but also an entire group. Stereotypes seem harmless at first, but overtime they
cause serious damage to our society. Because of them, we have become narrow minded and
less receptive to people different from us. Stereotyping a person, or a group of people,
is easier than it is to get to know them. Stereotypes are just another product of our
society, which puts more value on what an individual possesses rather than who a person
is. Sadly though, stereotypes will remain. In order to decrease the percentage of
stereotypes I believe that it all starts with us.