Stereotyped Society

It is said that in the first three seconds you see someone, you form an opinion of them.  Why is this?  Why is it so instinctive for people to judge people just by how they look?  This is the very basis of stereotyping.  Stereotyping is judging a person based on their appearance and associating them with a certain group because of these appearance.  For example, Asians are often associated with nerds, or African American with jocks.  Stereotyping, as simple and innocent as it sounds, can be very harmful.  For example, in John Smith's story, "The General History of Virginia," he constantly describes the Native Americans as savages, and always describes their ways as primitive or barbaric.  This stereotyping was very negative for since the Explorers and colonists only saw the Natives as savage, barbaric beings, they saw them as nothing more than obstacles in the way of their colonization.  This type of mindset stuck with Americans throughout the ages, allowing them to constantly push the poor Native Americans westward until there was no more land to push them off too.  The stereotyping that the Native Americans were simply barbaric savages led to the taking of their land and the beginning of tough reservation life for the unique and very interesting Native Americans.  When speaker Michael Fowlin visited Troy High School this past week, he revealed the negative effects stereotyping can have on students and their emotions.  For example he talked about the pressures of the Jewish student living in a non-Jewish community.  Being the only Jewish student at his school, Michael portrayed the realistic story of how being the target of stereotyping jokes led him almost to commit suicide.  This type of stereotyping is very bad for society.  After Mr. Fowlin's performance, ever student was thinking about the stereotyping they have done and that are present in everyday society.  Although not all stereotyping is bad, I think almost ever student in that auditorium now sees that there are limits to stereotyping, and I truly hope everyone thinks before he judges.  Everyone deserves more than a three second opinion.

Tricksters Characters in Popular Culture

A trickster is a character who relies on his or her quick wits to get them through obstacles that he or she faces.  These tricksters can be seen almost anywhere: in movies, television shows, and books.  These characters are  my favorite to read or watch and often drive the stories they are in.These tricksters, however, also show us how even if we have the opportunities and attributes to succeed, our flaws can hurt us, no matter who we are.  This is examined by Morning Dove in her story, "Coyote and the Buffalo."  In this story, coyote, the trickster character, narrowly escapes being killed by Buffalo Bull and gains his trust through trickery and quick wits.  Buffalo Bull then gives him a cow which can feed him forever with its fat; however, Coyote's lust for meat foolishly drives him to kill the cow.  Soon his vanity gets the best of him when an old lady tricks him and steals meat from him.  Soon, Coyote has no more meat and Buffalo Bull refuses to give him another cow. The story shows the trickster Coyote as the protagonist who after using his cunning wits, escapes death and receives a lifetime supply of food; however, his own vanity and foolishness costs him greatly as all of the riches he obtained vanished.  Tricksters also appear in popular culture.  One of the greatest examples of a trickster is Bugs Bunny from the Looney Tunes.  In most of the segments he appears in, Bugs must escape characters such as Elmer Fudge or Yosemite Sam who are trying to either kill him or steal from him.  Although most of the episodes show his witty and comedic escapes from these characters, he is often put into harmful situations because of his foolishness, such as being lured by a carrot.

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