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One Should Never Assume

Kimberly Thomas
PHI 103
Instructor James Hardy
December 9, 2013

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Personally I have encountered stereotypes however those that are most common. Three
stereotypes I have found myself placed in concerns my status as an individual, a parent, and a
woman. These generalizations have at times left me feeling insulted and offended however, I
have addressed them appropriately.
A stereotype is when a particular group of people or persons is categorized. This is
usually due to those being ignorant to what type of individual this is so therefore they are placed
into different classifications. When placed into a particular category it causes others to assume
this label true. When we hear the word stereotype, we think of the more common stereotypes
such as those surrounding the African American community in which all are good athletes.
Another common stereotype involves women in saying that women are not smart or they are not
able to do the same type of work.
I am the mother of five children the oldest being 21 and the youngest is 9 years old. My
three younger children are currently enrolled in elementary school where I am an active
volunteer. I am not ashamed to admit that my two older children are from my first marriage and
my last three are from my second marriage. Currently I am divorced therefore when the time
comes for Parent/Teacher conferences I am usually the immediate contact. One category I have
found myself placed in by teachers and Administration is that my childrens father is not active
in their lives. The school that my children attend is one that is not in the best of neighborhoods
and unfortunately, there are many single parent households where the father is not active. This is
however not the case with my children as their father is very active in their lives and is usually
available when needed for a conference or grade pickup. There have been instances where I
have been unavailable and their father has been the available parent. He shared with me the
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surprise he encountered when he arrived for grade pickup or if our children were being picked
up early as they expected the mother and not the father to pick up.
Another stereotype is that as a parent volunteer I am not looked at as an equal among
the staff at the school. It is assumed that since I am a parent that I am not as educated as the
other staff therefore they do not engage in dialog with me as most parents are looked at as not as
educated. I blame this assumption on the interactions teachers have had with some parents that
have attended meetings or conferences and have displayed behavior that some would deem
inappropriate or parents who never show even by request from teachers. This is unfortunate as
parents should not all be placed in the box as I consider myself their equal while not as
educated as they may be I am my childs first educator. It takes a team, both parent and
teacher, in order to make a successful student.
The final stereotype I have encountered is that of my being a woman and thought of as
not being able to drive, not being as strong as a man, and being solely responsible for raising my
children. All of these misconceptions are just that as I am a very good driver (I have never had a
ticket or accident), I am very strong, and despite our differences, my ex-husband(s) and I have
both raised and are continuing to raise our children.
When we take a look at the different stereotypes that I have encountered what I noticed
immediately is that the argument strongly evident is that of hasty generalization. An argument
that contains hasty generalization is one where a hasty conclusion or generalization is made of
a particular group or situation. Hasty generalization occurs when someone draws a conclusion
based on "small sample size" rather than looking at statistics that are more in line with the
situation. A teacher may think All of the students parents in my classroom are unemployed
therefore they must not be as educated as I am. This generalization is one that can be offensive
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to some because not all the parents may be unemployed this is an assumption. Even if the
parents are unemployed, there may be valid reasoning and those particular parents may be
college graduates. Placing all individuals in the same category is inappropriate, offensive, and in
some cases demeaning. We should first get to know an individual before placing them in a
box therefore not jumping to conclusions or making a hasty generalization.

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REFERENCES

Judd, C. M., & Park, B. (1993). Definition and assessment of accuracy in social
stereotypes. Psychological review, 100(1), 109.
Mosser, K. (2011). An Introduction to Logic. San Diego. CA., Bridgepoint Education,
Inc.
Kemick, A. (2010, August 12). Stereotyping Has Lasting Negative Impact. US News.
Retrieved from http://www.usnews.com/science/articles/2010/08/12/stereotyping-has-lasting-
negative-impact