Lacy Stevens, Co-Editor-in-Chief
Most people do not consciously stereotype themselves; they leave this to the
others who label. But when asked, most people have an idea of what they would
be stereotyped as.
Zach Buckner, senior, said he would probably be considered a prep.
“That’s just because of the way I dress and the people I associate
with. I wear what a prep, per se, would wear.”
So, what exactly is a prep? Buckner described his image of a “prep”:
“Someone clean-cut, kind of upper middle class, and usually pretty smart.
Name brand clothes, too.”
But, for the act of stereotyping, Buckner thinks it’s a worthless activity.
“I think it’s really stupid that people have a certain idea about
you before they get to know you -- so they expect you to act a certain way,”
Buckner said.
“Everybody should chill-out and just have fun with whoever they meet.”
Buckner, like many others, have stereotyped --- “I try not to, but I probably
do in the back of my mind,” -- but he, like the others, has learned that
sometimes stereotypes placed on a person can prove to be wrong.
Buckner said, “There’s someone that I met, I think I stereotyped them
as Goth, but they ended up being a really considerate person.”
Often times, a person stereotypes by how a person is raised; their background
also tends to play a large role in the way they look at other people.
Buckner said, “I think the idea of a stereotype has grown so much in the
past years that people do it without people even noticing they do it. Kind of
like a second nature thing.”
For some advice on overcoming the stereotyping syndrome, Buckner said, “People should get to know the person before they think they know what they’re like.”
Article prepared for web by J. Wheeler
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