10. Stereotypes

Every race, culture, country, religion and a community has a stereotype. It is a way of oversimplifying groups of people. It is one of the easiest ways of establishing identity. By conforming to a fixed or conventional image, the identity can be recognized and understood. And, herein lies the problem. It’s hard to be objective if one doesn’t reject stereotypes. So, it is better not to use any stereotype and pass judgments only when you are familiar with others.

Word/Phrase Meaning ethnicity Of or relating to races or large groups of people who have the same customs, religion, origin, etc. People of different ethnicities [=people who belong to different ethnic groups] generalize To make a general statement or to form a general opinion especially: to state an opinion about a larger group that is based on a smaller number of people or things within that group. She tends to generalize. racism (Disapproving): Poor treatment of or violence against people because of their race. Have you experienced racism? A protest against racism. culture The beliefs, customs, arts, etc., of a particular society, group, place, or time. A study of Greek language and culture. intolerance (Disapproving) : Not willing to allow some people to have equality, freedom, or other social rights— often + of. Intolerance towards/to outsiders fighting the forces of racism and intolerance. assumption Something that is believed to be true or probably true but that is not known to be true : something that is assumed. I made the assumption that he was coming, so I was surprised when he didn’t show up. preconceived Always used before a noun: formed before having actual knowledge about something or before experiencing something — often + about or of. I didn’t have any preconceived ideas/notions about/of what the job would be like when I first started. false Not true or accurate, especially : deliberately untrue : done or said to fool or deceive someone. False testimony. False accusations/statements. prejudice An unfair feeling of dislike for a person or group because of race, gender, religion, etc. The organization fights against racial prejudice. — often + against. Evidence of prejudice against women and minorities. Religious, racial, and sexual prejudices. hatred A very strong feeling of dislike : hate. He had an irrational fear and
hatred of foreigners. misunderstanding A usually minor argument or disagreement. An unfortunate
misunderstanding between old friends. We had our little misunderstandings in the past but we managed to clear them up long ago. segregation The practice or policy of keeping people of different races, religions, etc., separate from each other. Racial/religious segregation. They fought to end the segregation of public schools. The segregation of men and women. oversimplify To describe (something) in a way that does not include all the facts and details and that causes misunderstanding.

pigeonhole

(Disapproving) : to unfairly think of or describe (someone or something) as belonging to a particular group, having only a particular skill, etc.