Dealing with stereotypes is something that everyone in the world goes through to a certain extent. It is possible to try to tell someone about certain stereotypes, and then it is another to actually experience them first hand. I sat down with Serene and learned some very interesting things that she has to deal with virtually on a daily basis.
Cultural Stereotypes
First, one of the most influential thing Serene has to deal with are cultural stereotypes. When people first find out she is Middle Eastern, they automatically assume she is either from Pakistan, Egypt, or Saudi Arabia when she was actually born in America. Serene’s parents were born in Lebanon. She noted that sometimes people have asked if she’s ridden a camel or lives in a desert. Serene stated that most of her ‘Cultural Stereotypes’ connect directly to the next section, Religious Stereotypes.
Religious Stereotypes:
Serene notes that religious stereotypes make up the majority of the stereotypes she deals with. Some people think she is forced to wear the headscarf. Actually, she chose to wear it herself in the middle of 6th grade. She even wanted to wear in sooner! When she started wearing it, people in school became a little more distant/cold because they thought of her as a terrorist or a really violent person.
The same thing applies to when she goes out in public. She usually has to deal with that one person who's just really rude or mean because they refuse to accept the fact that she is NOT oppressed or NOT a terrorist.
Of course there are the usual stereotypes, she noted. There are people that assume that she can't have any fun or that she is unfriendly. Others are curious about her headscarf because of a common misconception they've heard, so they'll ask her if she showers with it on or sleep with it on. Some people assume that she does not have hair at all! She said that she gets these questions really frequently, so she is used to answering stuff like this. A lot of people in public act wary around her, so the way she deals with it is that she tries to be nice about it and ignore it.
Educational Stereotypes:
Ever since Serene was young, she has been labeled as one of the smart kids. She was put into the gifted program in elementary school, so once every week, she would be pulled out of class and put into a separate classroom where she’d learn some of the more advanced material. She was also expected to make up the work she missed, although there was no one to teach it to her because she was expected to already know it.
Serene notes that sometimes it is really stressful to keep up with people's expectations, and even her own expectations. People's assumptions that she knows everything made her a perfectionist over time, and so she set really high standards of herself. Since these standards are impossible, she beats herself up over it, and it's become something of a cycle.
No one has ever taught her good studying skills or any basics whatsoever because they just thought she should already know how to do it. The stereotype for this is the misconception that she already knows basic skills at a young age. However, she wasn't born knowing them. Everyone needs to be taught the basics. Because she learned a little faster in her elementary school years, adults just assumed she knew the material and it carried on throughout her life. Believe it or not, there is a stereotype for this. Over the years, people's opinions that Serene need to be perfect and get an A on everything and be good at every single thing she tries has been integrated in her own daily thinking. It has caused anxiety, extreme perfectionism, mental/physical exhaustion, etc. She has lost sleep because she has tried to meet the standard ideas of how a smart kid should be. Serene is afraid of making a mistake as a result. Thankfully, she has gotten better at asking others not to tell me how she is so smart, and people have honored that request.
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Cultural Stereotypes
First, one of the most influential thing Serene has to deal with are cultural stereotypes. When people first find out she is Middle Eastern, they automatically assume she is either from Pakistan, Egypt, or Saudi Arabia when she was actually born in America. Serene’s parents were born in Lebanon. She noted that sometimes people have asked if she’s ridden a camel or lives in a desert. Serene stated that most of her ‘Cultural Stereotypes’ connect directly to the next section, Religious Stereotypes.
Religious Stereotypes:
Serene notes that religious stereotypes make up the majority of the stereotypes she deals with. Some people think she is forced to wear the headscarf. Actually, she chose to wear it herself in the middle of 6th grade. She even wanted to wear in sooner! When she started wearing it, people in school became a little more distant/cold because they thought of her as a terrorist or a really violent person.
The same thing applies to when she goes out in public. She usually has to deal with that one person who's just really rude or mean because they refuse to accept the fact that she is NOT oppressed or NOT a terrorist.
Of course there are the usual stereotypes, she noted. There are people that assume that she can't have any fun or that she is unfriendly. Others are curious about her headscarf because of a common misconception they've heard, so they'll ask her if she showers with it on or sleep with it on. Some people assume that she does not have hair at all! She said that she gets these questions really frequently, so she is used to answering stuff like this. A lot of people in public act wary around her, so the way she deals with it is that she tries to be nice about it and ignore it.
Educational Stereotypes:
Ever since Serene was young, she has been labeled as one of the smart kids. She was put into the gifted program in elementary school, so once every week, she would be pulled out of class and put into a separate classroom where she’d learn some of the more advanced material. She was also expected to make up the work she missed, although there was no one to teach it to her because she was expected to already know it.
Serene notes that sometimes it is really stressful to keep up with people's expectations, and even her own expectations. People's assumptions that she knows everything made her a perfectionist over time, and so she set really high standards of herself. Since these standards are impossible, she beats herself up over it, and it's become something of a cycle.
No one has ever taught her good studying skills or any basics whatsoever because they just thought she should already know how to do it. The stereotype for this is the misconception that she already knows basic skills at a young age. However, she wasn't born knowing them. Everyone needs to be taught the basics. Because she learned a little faster in her elementary school years, adults just assumed she knew the material and it carried on throughout her life. Believe it or not, there is a stereotype for this. Over the years, people's opinions that Serene need to be perfect and get an A on everything and be good at every single thing she tries has been integrated in her own daily thinking. It has caused anxiety, extreme perfectionism, mental/physical exhaustion, etc. She has lost sleep because she has tried to meet the standard ideas of how a smart kid should be. Serene is afraid of making a mistake as a result. Thankfully, she has gotten better at asking others not to tell me how she is so smart, and people have honored that request.
1) Credit goes here
2) Credit goes here