Opinion

By: Brandy Alba

“I just walked away.” Englewood High School Freshman Brianna Cervantes say that’s what she does when people judge her. Cervantes says she has been stereotyped because of the way she looks, “People called me emo because of my clothes.” Cervantes hasn’t actually thought about how you define stereotyping but tried when pressed she says, “Stereotyping is when people who judge other people

for their looks.” She knows for sure it doesn’t feel good.I spent a lot of time talking to students at EHS and many of them think it’s a problem that needs to be addressed. Like Brianna, some don’t know how to keep other kids from making fun or commenting on something that they think is different. Many will see this issue as a bad thing but will not do anything, and others feel the need to do something about it.

Here is what it looks like in Merriam-Webster on-line dictionary:
Stereotype
transitive verb ste·reo·typ \ˈster-ē-ə-ˌtīp, ˈstir-\: to believe unfairly that all people or things with a particular characteristic are the same.

Stereotyping or treating people unfairly, is everywhere, not just in schools, it could be the type of clothes you wear, the food you eat, the type of music you listen to, a language you speak, what type of friends you have, or the color of your skin.

Judging others unfairly doesn’t just happen with students, this happens with teachers.

Matthew Palermo, the dean of students for Englewood Middle School thinks of it this way, “Stereotyping is making assumptions about people of a certain way.” He says he has been treated unfairly, “Yes, I was working in Florida, and since it was hot, I got a tan, because of my tan I looked hispanic, and I was called names.”

According to school records there have been 8 cases of bullying and stereotyping, outside during lunch, and in classrooms is where bullying and stereotyping happens most of the time.

Stereotyping and bullying are not the same, stereotyping is when someone puts someone in a group of something, and bullying is when the person makes fun of someone based on their individuality, for example, if someone is struggling with a subject or a sport.

All in all, stereotyping and bullying is just a thing that many students deal with in their everyday lives. Many students take it in different ways, some will be really sad, some will laugh along, and some will completely ignore it.

EMS 8th grader Cayden Hubbard says judging is part of school life, “Yes, I was called names some by my friends.” He says the worst part is being made fun of for things that make you unique, “I think stereotyping is people who judge people for being themselves.” Hubbard has advice for any student who feels judged, “All I did was laugh along and I kind of ignored it.”

It’s too bad there isn’t a solution.