Blog Post

Stereotypes happen all over the world. They also appear in all sorts of forms from movies to children’s novels. There are also many types of stereotypes ranging from racial to gender. From an article read a few weeks ago, Allie Bruce said it best. “The problem with stereotypes is that they are reductive, not that they are categorically false,” (Bruce, paragraph 6). The meaning of reductive means to present a subject or a problem in simplified form. I believe in this 100%. As we all know, stereotypes don’t apply to every person in that category. But what people try and do is generalize that stereotype to the whole category, whether it being a good or bad stereotype.

A question that Gene Yang brings to light is “Does Acknowledging a Stereotype Perpetuate It?” I believe it does especially for children. Children’s minds aren’t as evolved as older peoples are and they believe what they see. If you keep bringing something up to them, they will constantly think of it as true. For example, there are many Asian stereotypes in children’s literature. The problem isn’t Asian characters not being represented in children’s literature. The problem is the way Asian characters are depicted within a story. Literature is a way for children to create a positive self-image. They begin to define their self-worth. This can be bad for children of other races. In “Asian Characters in Literature,” the author says “… it’s a shame Asian children don’t often see themselves, their cultures and their worldview depicted realistically, and readers don’t get to experience Asian Children living in a shared environment solving problems and overcoming obstacles.” (Shevah, paragraph 4). Asian children read these children’s novels and only see how they are depicted. Most of the time they are depicted through a stereotype, sometimes good and sometimes bad. But once Asian Children see these stereotypes over and over, it could be detrimental to their self-worth. They begin to think they must be like what they see in these children’s novels. They begin to become these stereotypes instead of being who they are. This isn’t just for Asian children. Its for every child. Every race, gender, etc. are stereotyped in certain ways. Kids see these stereotypes and think it is the normal to be like that and will become the stereotype that they read in these novels. Again, not all stereotypes are bad, but stereotypes can become bad for children who see it in what they read.

Works cited

Bruce, Allie Jane. “Awards Discussion Fodder: Thoughts on Stereotypes.” Reading While White, 18 Oct. 2016, readingwhilewhite.blogspot.com/2016/10/awards-discussion-fodder-thoughts-on.html.

Yang, Gene Luen. American Born Chinese. Macmillan Publishing Group: New York. 2006.

Shevah, Emma. “Asian Characters in Literature.” The Bookseller, 12 Aug. 2015, www.thebookseller.com/feature/asian-characters-literature-339446.