Four Basics of Good Definition

A 1 stereotype 2 is a conventional idea or image that is simplistic — and often wrong, particularly when it is applied to people or groups of people. Stereotypes can prevent us from seeing people as they really are because stereotypes blind us with preconceived notions about what a certain type of person is like. 3 For example, I had a stereotyped notion of Native Americans until I met my friend Daniel, a Chippewa Indian. 4 I thought all Indians wore feathers and beads, had long black hair, and avoided all contact with non–Native Americans because they resented their land being taken away. Daniel, however, wears jeans and T-shirts, and we talk about everything — even our different ancestries. After meeting him, I understood that my stereotype of Native Americans was completely wrong. 3 Not only was it wrong, but it set up an us-them concept in my mind that made me feel that I, as a non–Native American, would never have anything in common with Native Americans. My stereotype would not have allowed me to see any Native American as an individual: I would have seen him or her as part of a group that I thought was all alike, and all different from me. From now on, I won’t assume that any individual fits my stereotype; I will try to see that person as I would like them to see me: as myself, not a stereotyped image.