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Hammad Noor 17110103 Amina Khalid Writing and Communication (SS 100) 28 Oct 2013 Stereotypes exist because they are grounded in truth Asians are good at studies. All teenagers are rebels. Irish are alcoholics. All these conceptions come under the term Stereotypes, which are defined as a widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing (Oxford Dictionary). The picture portrayed by such statements may be regarded as absurd by some but this does not mean that it is completely baseless. These impressions do not come out of nowhere, but are influenced by a lot of factors. Although people generally believe that stereotypes are illogical however, stereotypes occur because they have cultural, biological and historical links connected to them. In countries like Pakistan, women are not seen as capable as men in professional fields. For instance, the stakeholders will be doubtful handing over the management to a female worker. This does not mean that women lack some ability that men possess, but this generalization is due to the male dominant structure of Pakistani society. However, we see that women today hold prominent positions in the job sector nullifying the assumption that they are not as smart as men. Dr. Shamshad Akhtar was the Governor of the State Bank of Pakistan in 2006 (Pakistan Herald), which is a position of great power in the financial sector of Pakistan. Hina Rabbani Khar is appointed as Foreign Minister of Pakistan which is considered as a prestigious profession

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(Dawn). Examples such as these shows that women do in fact possess the prowess to work side by side with men. Stating all this proves that the stereotype that women cannot work as smartly as men is baseless however, the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics shows that women constitute only 20 percent of the labor force, depicting that women actually are not as active in working as men in Pakistan (PBS). Moreover, politicians in many countries are linked with corruption and malevolence. This leads to a stereotypical view that every politician is dishonest; however this is not necessarily the case. History shows that politicians like Nelson Mandela and Gandhi were not only honest but also stood up for the rights of the oppressed. Imran Khan is another example in Pakistan where people, especially the young generation believes him to be a great leader and respect him for his effort to bring about a revolution in the political arena of Pakistan. Politicians do not necessarily bring about corruption but also hold the power to bring about a substantial change in a country which could even last forever. The above said brings us to the point that politicians are just and honest, however, some politicians do engage in dishonorable practices and bring bad name to their offices, which leads one to believe that they are involved in corruption in one way or another. A widely held belief in the world of sports is that people of black color are better sportsmen and best fitted athletes than people of any other color; this is not a mere generalization but a grounded truth based on biological facts. In his book, Taboo: Why Black Athletes Dominate Sports and Why We Are Afraid to Talk About It, Jon Entine states that Blacks have anatomical characteristics such as longer arms and legs, narrower hips and heavier bones that contribute to their athletic abilities and he further asserts that many scientists believe and test have suggested that blacks of West African ancestry, such as African Americans, on average

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have quicker reflexes than whites. Entine explains that blacks have an advantage in sports due to their specific genes which give them an upper hand compared to people of other races (Jon Entine). Furthermore this claim can be substantiated by the fact that eighty-one percent of the players in NBA are people of color and only seventeen percent are Caucasian. This example further substantiates the assertion that while one may consider something to be a stereotype, it may actually be concealing some reality that some kinds of people are different from the rest due to genetic variations and have developed different traits. The commonly held analogy between Asians and Caucasians about their smartness in studies is another example of stereotypes, but it buries another factual reality in it, which can be classified as a cultural truth. It is authenticated that Asian students are smarter by testing students from different cultures over the same level and observing that they perform far better than the rest. The reason behind this certainty is that Asian parents emphasize their children by providing them conducive environment and encouraging them more in their studies. This is explained by Dr Soo Kim Abbound, editor of the book, Top of the Class: How Asian Parents Raise High Achievers - and How You Can Too who says, When we were younger, I mean in elementary and middle school, our parents were very involved." (VOA news) Moreover, her Co-editor Jane Kim says that "I think Asian families, many of them, make sure that the number one priority is education." This promotes the idea that from a young age, Asian students are provided with such an environment in which they can grow their mental abilities to their optimum, therefore resulting in smarter minds than usual. Asian-Americans who are just 4% of the population make up 20% of the Ivy League students almost every year (VOA news). Cultural differences matter in classifying mental capabilities of people, and Asian parents are more dedicated to their childrens

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education, resulting in smarter children which create a stereotype that Asian students are smarter than the rest. Another known stereotype is that Irish are alcoholics. This generalization is reinforced by the research of 2009 Irish Health Board Report which shows that 54 percent of Irish engage in harmful drinking every year, compared to a European average of 28 percent (Life Ring). This practice is actually based upon the historical context that Irish Catholics regarded hard drinking as a compensation for their sufferings under the colonial rule which lasted over 400 years. Though the Irish today have not endured that suffering but the practice of drinking has passed down to them and has formed a part of their culture now. John Waters who is an Irish journalist explained this situation with the following words: Drinking in Ireland is not simply a convivial pastime, it is a ritualistic alternative to real life, a spiritual placebo, a fumble for eternity, a longing for heaven, a thirst for return to the embrace of the Almighty. He regards the Irish drinking patterns as, evidence of a deep hole in the Irish psyche which only alcohol can fill (Irish America). Thus, Irish drinking pattern is not merely a stereotype but has its roots in history, where alcohol was a motivation for the oppressed Irish to live and strive. A popular stereotype which is frequently observed is that women are bad drivers. This is not just an assumption but has actually been witnessed for decades that women do not drive better than men. Although women take it as false suppositions and think that men just say so out of hatred but over the time facts have proved that it is not just a stereotype but it has grounded reality in it. The ability of men to navigate better can be explained by history when men had to hunt for feeding their families. Scientists think that testosterone helped men find their homes after a long day of hunting, hence testing their sense of direction (Readers Digest). Hence, stereotypes like this are often based on biological facts that are authenticated by science.

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Although it seems right to say that stereotypes are false and hold no reality in them but this does not mean that one can regard them as being completely baseless. Such impressions about someone or something cannot continue unless there are historical, cultural and biological explanations to them.

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Works Cited "Are Men Better Drivers Than Women?" Reader's Digest. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Oct. 2013. "Breaking the Code of Silence: The Irish and Drink." Irish America Breaking the Code of Silence Br The Irish and Drink Comments. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Oct. 2013. "Definition of Stereotype in English." Stereotype: Definition of Stereotype in Oxford Dictionary (British & World English). N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Oct. 2013. "Dr. Shamshad Akhtar | Governer of State Bank Of Pakistan @ Pakistan Herald." Dr. Shamshad Akhtar | Governer of State Bank Of Pakistan @ Pakistan Herald. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Oct. 2013. "HEADLINES." DAWNCOM Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar Tag. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Oct. 2013. "Labour Force Statistics." Pakistan Bureau of Statistics. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Oct. 2013. "LifeRing Ireland: Alcohol Facts Ireland." LifeRing Ireland: Alcohol Facts Ireland. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Oct. 2013. "Western Journal of Black Studies Review of Taboo by Jon Entine. Washington State University, Reviewer: L. Keita." Western Journal of Black Studies Review of Taboo by Jon Entine. Washington State University, Reviewer: L. Keita. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Oct. 2013. "Why Do Asian American Students Excel in School?" VOA. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Oct. 2013.

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