What in our society leads to stereotypes and prejudgements Essay Example
What in our society leads to stereotypes and prejudgements Essay Example

What in our society leads to stereotypes and prejudgements Essay Example

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  • Pages: 3 (558 words)
  • Published: July 5, 2017
  • Type: Essay
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Contemporary society is highly critical, demanding conformity in behavior, speech, appearance and attire, resorting to immediate labeling of those who fail to comply. Amy Tan's experience growing up demonstrated this, as her mother was relegated to second-class citizenship due to her inability to speak "proper" English.

The perception of inadequacy towards a person is a common social issue. "Ways of Seeing" by Berger highlights the impact of gender roles and perceptions in our society, which affects everyone. These stories demonstrate the importance of perception in determining one's status and how judgmental our society can be. In "Mother Tongue," Tan emphasizes the significance of language and dialects in reflecting one's identity by sharing her mother's experience of speaking broken English.

Despite Ms. Tan's impressive habits like reading complex authors, daily stockbroker conversations, and keeping up with Wall

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Street Week, she is often disrespected due to her use of broken English. Many people perceive her as slow or dull-witted without realizing that her mother, who also uses this form of English, is actually quite competent.

According to 604, people believed that expressing thoughts imperfectly meant having imperfect thoughts. After reading Mother Tongue, I reflected on my personal encounters with various language structures. In spite of living in Canada for over 40 years and residing in a city with a large Italian population where stores, restaurants, and offices are predominantly Italian, my Italian-native grandparents never fully learned the English language.

Tan describes their English as "broken," prompting me to reflect upon instances where my own grandparents have been disrespected by native English speakers. Similar to Tan's mother, my grandparents have been treated as though they are incapable of forming coherent

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thoughts, and ultimately belittled. However, due to my frequent exposure to my grandparents and their "broken" English, I am able to comprehend and even converse in this manner of speaking.

Despite imperfect English, people's minds are not slower. We have all experienced being perceived differently than how we actually are. Ways of Seeing examines how society and media have taught us to view males and females as roles rather than as individuals. This typecast role assigned to each gender resembles a language barrier like that faced by Mrs.

Both Tan and my Grandparents are viewed as slow due to their language, while men and women are seen as concrete entities. The reason behind these misunderstandings in our society is unclear. Why do we impose gender-based expectations on individuals? Why do we judge someone's competence based on their diction? Perception holds a key role in our society as it dictates power dynamics.

Power is a matter of perception in society, and it often hinges on what others think of us. Status symbols like houses, cars, and clothes carry weight because they are considered important. As a result, owning these symbols can elevate a person's perceived importance. The media, including television and movies, likely contribute to stereotypes and preconceived notions that fuel this societal perception. For example, shows like Cribs on MTV present the wealthiest individuals flaunting their possessions and demonstrating their masculinity.

Watching the E! channel allows one to witness gorgeous celebrities donning designer attire worth more than some individuals' annual incomes. These individuals, idealized by society, can evoke a desire in people to emulate their behavior in hopes of being perceived as a celebrity.

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