Ziad's speech on stereotypes

My 11-year-old son, Ziad, spoke about stereotypes in the regional Multicultural Public Speaking competition. I'm very thankful to have a boy who is able to think for himself and come to his own conclusions about people:

I’d like to talk to you today about stereotypes. 

There are stereotypes all over the world.  For example, all boys are messy and all girls are fussy about their hair.  These are both common gender stereotypes.  But what is a stereotype exactly?

A stereotype is an oversimplified image of a particular type of person.  It’s a commonly held view about a group of people, such as a nationality, a social group, or a religion.  Stereotypes are often incorrect or offensive.  They can be positive or negative.

For example:

·       All Italians are good cooks.

·       All Muslims are terrorists.

·       All black people are great basketball players.

·       All French people are romantic.

·       All men like cars.

·       All policemen eat donuts - which I know is not true, because my dad works with the police and he doesn’t eat donuts. Well, not that I know of.

People who believe in stereotypes tend to believe what the internet or the media tells them, or what other people tell them based on their experience, which is often wrong or twisted. For example, if I have a Chinese friend who is fantastic at maths, I might think that ALL Chinese people are fantastic at maths.

Stereotypes are wrong because they make a judgement based on appearance, not on what a person is really like inside. For example, maybe you meet an American at some point in your life.  And you don’t want to be friends with them because you have heard that all Americans are loud and annoying. You may have met the person who could have been your best friend or partner for life.  But because you judged them by a stereotype, you missed that chance. 

Stereotyping is not only hurtful, it is also wrong.  It can cause bullying from a young age. It can also lead people to live lives driven by hate.  And it can cause the victims of stereotypes to be driven by fear.

One way we can stop stereotyping is to help people realize that deep down we are all the same.  And, at the same time, we are all different.

Stereotyping puts people from a particular group under one label that doesn’t apply to all of them.  And probably not even most of them. Stereotypes are based on misconceptions. They come from a gap in knowledge or a fear of something that is not properly understood. 

They leave no room for individuality. The problem with stereotypes is they assume that groups of people are naturally likely to behave in a certain way.  They pigeonhole all people into one personality trait.

Going back to the examples, I would like to make some points about why people should not stereotype. 

The first stereotype:  All Italians are good cooks.  I’m sure they are not ALL good cooks.  They have many other talents.  For starters, Leonardo da Vinci was a famous Italian painter and Christopher Columbus was a great explorer.  They were both Italian.

The second stereotype:  All Muslims are terrorists.  Well, obviously not ALL, because I am Muslim and do I look like a terrorist?  Come on – I don’t even have a beard!

The third stereotype:  All black people are great basketball players.  Here are some examples to prove this is not true.  Nelson Mandela, a famous freedom activist.  Usain Bolt, the fastest man in the world. Martin Luther King Junior, a great example of a man who fought for the rights of people who happened to have dark skin.

To wrap it up it, I believe that stereotypes are wrong.  Everyone should try to do all they can to stop stereotypes forever.  We all have our part to play in making this happen, starting with ourselves. We should respect our own minds and think for ourselves. We should judge people only on their personality, how they act and how they treat us.