Today, I have decided upon writing about stereotypes. I've been thinking about how much we use stereotypes and labels, even when we don't realize it. Especially when we don't realize it. Because here's the thing. When we (I) are not making a conscience effort to stop labeling people based on their looks or voice or a slight peak at their personality (more on that later), we (I) constantly are boxing people into these labels based on certain parts of their personality, or what they look like, or what clothes they wear.
I don't think that stereotypes really exist. I mean, they exist, of course, but only in our minds. I believe that they are a fabrication of the human race (of course they are, pretty much everything is.) and they give us a reason to dislike people we want to hate, based on their talents, ect., that we wish were our own. Jealousy, basically. Though I put stereotypes and labels to use quite often (especially when I first meet someone or I don't quite like the sight of someone. Again, more on that later.), I don't think they exist (as previously stated). Somewhere in the 'philosophical' or some such room in my mind palace, I decided, for the entire human race, of course, that we all defy stereotypes. All stereotypes.
Think about it in terms of yourself. You fit into many stereotypes, don't you? All the things you like, your guilty pleasures, who you befriend, where you go in the world, and how you choose to make your legacy makes you fit into so many different stereotypes that you defy them all. This is exactly the same as everyone else. Even if a person were to pretend to be completely part of one stereotype/category, what makes that person different are the things that he/she likes in private. People tend to hide the qualities that don't fit, especially when they're not around people with whom they're comfortable. Everybody does it, to a certain degree. It's human nature. I do it, I know my friends do it, people who are confident and loud and don't seem to hide anything do it. What makes a person whole are the little things that nobody knows about, that you wouldn't tell anyone, except maybe your mom.
Characters in books tend to fit one stereotype and one only. This annoys me because people are so complex. There are bad siddes and good sides and awful sides and delightful sides. People are three dimensional and complicated, not two dimensional and simple. (Saying that people are complicated and not simple, though, implies that we are not capable of being simple. Actually, before we consider any of this, we have to ask what complicated and simple are, which is not something I want to do right now.) I often find that characters (at least on Wattpad) only fit into one stereotype, which is probably because writing complex characters is so much harder (it's also a lot more fun to write different sides to you character.) than writing about the same character as everyone else.
Anyway, this is short for something so complicated, but I felt like I needed to get this out before I drive myself crazy with contradictions.
Leave a comment? Tell me if you think I'm completely wrong or maybe slightly right? I don't know.
Have a nice day, I love you :)
-Frankie
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Historia Corta"Hello. We need each other." In which I rant and tell stories about my life.
