JADIE KIM

JADIE KIM

"What stereotypes do people have about you? What stereotypes do you have about other people? Are stereotypes beneficial or harmful? Why do you think this?"

The most frequent stereotype people have about me is that I am arrogant. This is so not true! In fact, I am very shy when I meet people for the first time. So I often stay quiet and still. However, other people think that I am being arrogant and they say I have this stuck-up expression. In reality, my face was stiff due to nervousness.

One of the stereotypes I used to have toward the smart people is that they were all geeks. What I mean by geeks is those who study and study 365 days and do things related to academics only. However, by coming to TCIS, my stereotypes were all shattered because people here were intelligent and also active in sports, drama, and fine arts. Besides studying, these people had interests in other areas and were equally competent. This came as a geat shock to me... I sort of thought, "God, it's not fair." =)

I think most of the streotypes tend to be negative and therefore, harmful, I should say. The reason stereotypes tend to be negative is because they rely on the first impression, rumors, or imagined conclusions to judge another person. Then that person is confined to the false image already created before him. For instance, most Americans believe that all Koreans are good at math. Well... I am a Korean but I am terrible at math! Whenever I couldn't solve a math problem, I felt like I was letting down my country and myself.