STRATEGIES FOR OVERCOMING ETHNIC STEREOTYPES

 Hello people, who are all present over here. Today, I will give you a speech on a topic that is kind of relevant to bullying. Now, most teenagers nowadays do a lot of bullying like in high school and middle school based off of looks, which can be pretty mean, considering they don't even know them.

 

Now, the topic that we are about to discuss is the strategies that are needed to overcome ethnic stereotypes. Now stereotypes, in your day-to-day meaning would be those hurtful assumptions and comments we make, about people based on their looks and colour and be all judgemental, like seriously, the other day, one of my classmates was bullying this guy, and I thought to myself, like is this really necessary, like someone's day has been going perfect and suddenly, you have to poke your nose in, and ruin the rest of the day. But, luckily, there are ways to deal with this!

 

But before we delve into that, I want you to know that stereotypes are just a mere concept, so they must have an origin. That origin is 'society'. If society thinks it's good, most people think it's good, and if society thinks it's bad, most people think it's bad. 'Society' change, and they are unpredictable. We don't know when they will make another stereotype. And as I said earlier, there are ways to deal with these stereotypes, nd for that matter, deal with 'society',

 

See, when we learn about the different cultures and their histories, we start to understand and appreciate that diversity that exists in our tiny planet from this big universe that we live in. It's like opening a book to a whole new dimension. The more we know, the less likely we are to believe these silly stereotypes. Think about it!

 

Building friendships is also another great way to break down such stereotypical barriers. When we make friends with people from different backgrounds, we see them as humawhohat are not what the stereotypes say they are. Personal connections are really powerful in this kind of situation! For example, my classmate Ishaan is the silent guy who never talked much in class, and he was so harmless, like everyone, excluding me, always bullied him. Don't worry, no stereotypes included in that bullying! But like after working on this group project with him, I learned that he had such immense creativity and passion for the work that he is focused on. Like, you give him a task, and he does it so efficiently. It's like I learned about a new side of him that I never knew about.

 

Anyways, don't get me wrong on what I'm about to say, but like, honestly, we all have biases, but just for a moment, look in the mirror and ask yourself, "Everyone bases me off on stereotypes. Is this really fair to me?" It's kind of like checking yourself in the mirror to make sure you're being the best version of you. Now that I mention looking in a mirror, I remember that there is a phobia, dysmorphophobia, where, like, if someone sees themself in a mirror, they see all the worst things about themself. It's actually an irrational fear of deformity. And like, stereotypes can actually cause this kind of stuff to happen, too.

 

Overcoming stereotypes also has a lot of benefits, since it promotes equality between us humans, and it also enhances the social harmony that is there with other people of different races. Now, stereotypes can take a toll on somebody's mental health, and by overcoming these stereotypes, we can reduce stress and anxiety. Stereotypes don't let them talk too much because of the overwhelming thoughts of "what would he think? what would she think?", but by overcoming these stereotypes, we can make them showcase their extraordinary talents that they didn't even know about themselves. Crazy, right?

 

So, my point is, we shouldn't judge someone just on how they look or what they do and how we would overcome this, but society can't. They would see the world from their perspectives, and they would see and say what feels right to them. We can't change them, but we can change ourselves. That's why I always like to say,

 

"Do whatever you want. Let the world think, let society say. It doesn't matter. They will just keep on thinking and saying. The only person who can change the present is you. They will bend towards you when they see that your opinion is much superior to their opinion."

 

So, don't think much about them, and lead a happy life being yourself.

 

Be You,

Thank you.