Positive And Negative Stereotypes In Hong Kong

A stereotype is a generalized image or idea about an individual or a particular cultural group (1). Too easily are people judged based on their race, gender, ethnicity and clothing on a day-to-day basis. Even when the word stereotype is heard people usually have negative connotations towards it, but not all stereotypes are bad. They can also be positive. Stereotypes can very easily serve as a barrier to communication, but can go in the other direction and attract people to want to interact with one another too. Just like everything in this world stereotypes have their positives and negatives.

Unfortunately, stereotypes about certain cultural groups encompass everyone in that group and do not keep in mind all the individuals that make up that culture. For me being in Hong Kong and out of the United States for the first time I have experienced more of the negative stereotyping. Before now I have never been faced with being a minority or considered an outsider and sadly most of the people I have been around have not been very welcoming towards me. That is mostly contributed to the knowledge that people were not seeing me as an individual person they were seeing me as everything they think and hate about

Despite a language barrier already being in place between different cultures it does not help the nonverbal communication process when people are unwilling to interact with one another. Stereotypes create unnecessary conflicts. When they do create a barrier for communication it stops people form integrating with one another in turn creating a more closed mindset within cultures. People are limiting themselves from social and cultural advancement when they do this. How are people from the East ever going to learn more about people from the West, and the other way around, if neither side is willing to put the stereotypes they have of one another