Stereotyping: The Dangers Of Stereotyping In Society

Does the world around us force one to form opinions about others that may be unjust and harmful? The danger of stereotyping many times leads to individuals falling prey to believing that they may fit in a certain category or group thus forcing the individual to acclimate to negative stereotyping. “The stereotype hanging over the individual then becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. He begins to see himself no longer as an individual and clings to the negative aspects of the group in which society has categorized him” (Duczeminski). By society not adapting to a disabled person and their exceptionality, it causes the disabled individual to succumb to said stereotypes. “A person’s disability defines who they are as an individual” (Draper). All too often, people with disabilities are placed in categories or groups due to their physical or mental capabilities. “I often think of what his life would be like if we hadn’t been able to put aside our stereotyped impressions of severe mental retardation—the hopelessness, the life-long dependency for his most basic needs, the inability to even communicate those needs to others” (Rabalais 43). If society does not give individuals a chance to actually show their capabilities, how would one ever know what their true capabilities are? “People tend to feel that a person with impairment is “still one of us” as long as the impairment is perceived to be minor and/or temporary” (Green 204). Every day we hear comments about those with disabilities