Ah, all those stereotypes! Some are rude, some are insulting and some can even be funny, if the situation is right, of course. Our culture and location can make us face some of the most ridiculous stereotypes but the story doesn’t end there. In fact, even the way we look, our hobbies, likes and dislikes can label us “this” or “that”. Here’s the list of stereotypes I’ve had the chance to hear often and my own humble opinion about them:
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I just have to put this one first because I have been a blonde for 5 years so you can only imagine the number of good, bad and even funny first hand experiences this drastic change has brought me. I’ve had some professors congratulating me for getting barely passable grades, others giving me a lower grade than I deserve and people describing me stuff like I’m an idiot. The comments when I’ve changed my hair back to dark? “Great, you are smart again!” Ok, I know that was a joke but still… come on people, we all know intellect has nothing to do with hair color.
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Spending a lot of time in front of the computer for both work or pleasure qualifies as a lack of physical activity so I guess it can affect anybody’s weight, right? After all, there is no rule that says you’ll gain weight if you play WoW but not if you spend your days updating your Facebook status. And I certainly haven’t heard a thing about games affecting anybody’s beauty! All gamers I know are completely normal people who happen to like games. That’s all there is to it. Plus, I believe that a rational amount of gaming can even stimulate one’s social life, especially if it’s a game played online. People have the chance to meet, communicate, share common interests and even organize get-togethers where they can focus on live communication and both game and non-game related topics.
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Why only men? One of my best friends has struggled with this issue for a long time after her break up with the man she had been seeing for 5 years. Bad experiences force us to build a wall around ourselves – the worst those experiences are, the higher that wall grows. Until a person brave enough to tear it down stone by stone comes along, of course! I think fear of commitment has nothing to do with gender, it’s more of a universal thing.
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What constitutes a bad driver anyways? Is it driving faster than the speed limit board allows? Hitting the breaks like it’s a life or death situation? Making all the people inside the car feel like potato sacks? Well, then I must say I’ve seen my fair share of bad driver and, “surprisingly”, none of them were females. Statistic data says male drivers are involved in more accidents, so there you have it guys! Not all of us are very talented drivers but hey, neither are all of you.
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I blame TV for this one because I know a lot of police officers and neither one of them is fat or obsessed with donuts. Furthermore, all members of police forces have to maintain a certain level of physical fitness and even special checks are conducted to determine whether the individual is capable of staying on the active duty. So, let me put it this way – I love doughnuts, Homer Simpson likes doughnuts and I’m sure doughnuts have many more fans all across the globe. The poor boys in blue probably got confused for donut freaks because this tasty snack is indeed very practical for those long night watches–they are easy to take along, they go great with coffee and they taste good even when they get cold.
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Great students are hardworking, smart and future-oriented. They know the only way to keep their scholarship and qualify for internships in some of the world’s most profitable companies is to study. However, some of the best students in my group don’t just have great grades but possess incredible organizational skills. And while I’m up studying 24-7 because my exam is in three days, they spend their last few days before the exam resting, casually reading the book and chilling in the coffee shop. Why? Because, unlike me, they studied on time! So, who’s the antisocial one?
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According to this popular stereotype, a man can have only one important characteristic– good looks or amazing brain. There is no way a guy that visits the gym often can be smart too! What do you think about that? True or false? I have seen a lot of guys that think muscles are enough to get a girl interested but I certainly don’t believe all muscular guys are stupid. If this was the case, I would have never found my dear fiancé a.k.a my perfect mix of brains and muscles.
Be careful of how you look and what you eat or read these days because it obviously doesn’t take a lot to get a name slapped on you. Lol! But now, seriously, tell me what do you think about these stereotypes? Have you ever had a firsthand experience with some of them? Of maybe you can list some other stereotypes popular in your area. I mean we all know that the list of stereotypes is growing longer as we speak.
Top Photo Credit: Miss Frannington