Breaking Stereotypes: Shattering Categories and Promoting Pluralism
Breaking stereotypes is a concept used in many walks of life, from society to politics to culture. This phrase means breaking or dismantling the crystallized stereotypes that are adopted in the classification of people or ideas, by breaking common expectations and using surprises and diversity in dealing with individuals and ideas. Stereotypes are based on the general and known beliefs of a group or society, and serve as a screen for quickly evaluating and categorizing people or concepts. Usually, these images are some kind of general beliefs that are entrenched by individuals and challenge the living reality. Stereotypes can be found in many areas, such as gender, nationality, religion, culture, race, or social class. For example, some may think that women are weak and lack competence in some areas, or that a person with black skin is lazy or stubborn, or that a foreign immigrant cannot contribute effectively to society. The importance of breaking stereotypes is to bring about a posit