Stereotyping Nations – A slow poison

In social psychology, a stereotype is a thought that can be adopted about specific types of individuals or certain ways of doing things. Let us together introspect little more on this.

1. Do I stereotype people, communities and nations?
2. What are some of these thoughts each one of us adopts irrespective of how it is learnt, whether through our parents, our social settings or the media?
3. How do these thoughts play out in our daily life?
4. How do a collection of these thoughts form our belief systems and create our social fabric called “society”?

 

With increased globalization, it is imperative that we really explore the very fabric that we weave, very often ignoring that we are playing a dual role, that of a weaver and the user of the fabric.

For a moment, imagine yourself going to a designer store and choosing the fabric of your choice. Most often, we will take concerted efforts to blend the right colours for the right season, including choosing the right fabric which is in fashion, which leads to making a right fashion statement.

 

Do we really take similar, if not more efforts in choosing our fabric of “thoughts”?

 

If this question does not bother you, I am really worried for you. Because you and me together create this society. Expanding this further, our very societies’ form the nations of the world.

1. What is the stereotype image each of us carry in the head about our society? Society can be our immediate vicinity wherein we live, the suburb one belongs to leading right up to the country we live in?
2. Living in a global community with social media growing by leaps and bounds, what is the stereotype image we are building/cultivating in our young minds about people and nations?
3. With increased people travelling and circumnavigating the globe more than ever, how does this “interplay” impact you and me and the larger human race?
4. Can a #Society exist without you and me, the very existence of which is a result of our actions?

Let us take a conscious effort to examine our own fabric of thoughts just for today.

To begin my weekend, I find this quote from the movie Tomorrowland apt to get into introspection.

 

Every day is the opportunity for a better tomorrow.

 

• #SJ