Concepts that stood out to me from the reading were “self-defeating stereotypes”, and the idea that people might subconsciously endorse a stereotype, even if they consciously reject it. In my Leadership 102 class with Dr. von Reuden, I learned that people can suffer mental and physical ailments due to the stress of feeling like they are a part of a minority group. For this reason, members of minority groups have shorter lifespans than members of majority groups when other variables are held constant. I was surprised to hear this at first, but the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. The reading mentioned our evolutionary history, and how we have evolved to prioritize being part of the “in-group” (for safety reasons). To feel like a constant outsider is to feel constantly as though a need for survival is not being met. It would be like your brain constantly sending your body signals that you are hungry, even when you just ate. No wonder the increase in stress hormones can have a real, measurable affect on a person’s physical well being.
Our vulnerability to self-defeating stereotypes presents a huge challenge. In order to be perceptive and self aware, we have to understand reasons why others might make quick (often negative) judgements about us. The catch is that even if we consciously choose not to agree with or believe in these negative judgements, the fact that they exist can create doubt and stress in our minds. Maintaining the balance between self belief and maintaining awareness of others criticisms (even if they are unfair and/or baseless) adds another layer of social difficulty for anyone who finds themself in a minority group in their environment.
I do agree with the idea that self-defeating stereotypes can create more stress amongst people. Thinking/knowing you are in a minority group makes you constantly more stressed, as although you are aware of most of the stereotypes/bias’ that people may use against you, it never feels good to have bias put towards you, and there is always an internal fear of being stereotyped when you dont fit that stereotype (and even if you do it can be offensive to assume something).
I really appreciated how you brought in the in-group vs. out-group lesson from Leadership 102. It is so sad to think about how much of white culture has relied on portraying minorities as the so-called out-groups as seen through stereotypical roles (particularly villain roles) in movies, books, and more. Media only further cements these stereotypes into our daily lives, so it requires a conscious effort by individuals to realize how this is being portrayed and to then go and educate themselves. There is some belief in our society that in order for one culture or group to thrive, other cultures or groups are not able to do so – but this is simply not the case and as a society we must work to get rid of this and create an equal representation.