Breaking Stereotypes

{Stereotyping_is_an_insidious_process.;But_categorizing_is_dangerous,_too.;To_break_out_of_a_rooted_stereotype_is_not_easy.;When_can_we_approach_the_challenge_of_breaking_out_of_a_stereotype?}
We need categories and labels to cope with the world around us. Without stereotypes we would have to learn again and again what fire-fighters do, how to behave at a certain event, etc.

{But_categorizing_is_dangerous,_too.;To_break_out_of_a_rooted_stereotype_is_not_easy.;When_can_we_approach_the_challenge_of_breaking_out_of_a_stereotype?;Stereotyping_is_an_insidious_process.}
Stereotypes can quickly become too rigid and the label becomes stifling, both for the individuals, who are labelled, and for the category itself. The challenge is to keep an open mind when using them.

{To_break_out_of_a_rooted_stereotype_is_not_easy.;But_categorizing_is_dangerous,_too.;When_can_we_approach_the_challenge_of_breaking_out_of_a_stereotype?;Stereotyping_is_an_insidious_process.}
Part of it involves knowing or researching what others believed us to be in the past, what they believe now, and what they see for the future. Then, we must ask ourselves: What are/were the specific properties of the "old" stereotype? Were they accurate then? Are they accurate now?

{When_can_we_approach_the_challenge_of_breaking_out_of_a_stereotype?;To_break_out_of_a_rooted_stereotype_is_not_easy.;But_categorizing_is_dangerous,_too.;Stereotyping_is_an_insidious_process.}
It is only when we can identify this mix of old and new characteristics. It is only when we can articulate who we are (or are becoming), what we want to be known for, and who the people are we want to inform about us.