Stereotypes

"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?"

I am very introverted. I am not good at talking to strangers or making new friends. I don't feel comfortable staying around people I don't know well. Because of such characteristics, I am often mistaken to be cold and careless. Some people, who've become friends with me sometimes say that I was even scary to approach at first. However, once people get to know me, they find out that I am quite different than what they had expected. On the other hand, talking about the stereotypes I have about other people, I steretype people by a lot of different reasons. Some of the examples include the person's clothes, people he/she hangs around with, and first impression. However, I have mitaken a few times by stereotyping people in a wrong way. Therefore, I think stereotypes are more harmful than benefitial. Most of the times, when we stereotype people, we only look at the appearances; only the things we can see directly. Nevertheless, appearances are not everything. There is more to people than just the outside looks. I think often times, we are held back from knowing someone more and having a deeper relationship because of the biases and preconceptions set by stereotyping. You can't know a person without actually talking with them, hanging out, spending some time. Thus, we should do our best to get rid of the stereotypes.