OPTION A: ETHNIC FAMILIES

We all have opinions and biases and most of us think stereotypically. In order to become
more objective in our thinking, we must become more aware of these thoughts. Being honest
with yourself, what stereotypes do you have about African Americans; Latinos; Asians
Americans; Native Americans and European Americans? Where did you get these
stereotypes? Are they fair assumptions? What examples do you have that contradict your
stereotypes?

I grew up in a multi-cultural family. My dad is Hawaiian, Filipino, Chinese, and

Tahitian, and my mom is Swedish, Danish, and Dutch. Because of this, I have been
taught to respect other cultures and stereotype people as little as possible.
However, I have built stereotypes within myself about African Americans, Latinos,
Asian Americans, Native Americans, and European Americans.
African Americans tend to be poor, involved in gang activity, and are the best
at sports.
Asian Americans are incredible musicians, eat a lot of rice, work at nail
salons, and are good at math.
Latinos all work at McDonalds (or just any fast food in general), work in
construction or out on the farms, and have large families.
Native Americans keep to themselves.
European Americans live mostly on the east coast and have a great sense of
style.
While these assumptions and stereotypes are my own, they have definitely
been tailored by social media, the news, and my own interactions with them. I
believe stereotypes are always negative because they are never fair to assumed
race. After reading in the book, I discovered some facts that were interesting or
surprising to me.
Compared to the general population, African Americans are less likely to
have completed college (18 percent vs. 28 percent. Among blacks, women are
slightly more likely than men to have completed college (20.1 percent vs. 16
percent.) (Strong & Cohen, 2014, p. 97) This statistic surprised me because while
attending the University of Arkansas, it seemed like many of the students there
were of African American descent. After doing a bit of research, I discovered that
according to Forbes, 4.87% were either Black or African American. Also, in contrast,
my boyfriend, who happens to be African American, is currently enrolled for his
Senior year at Saint Louis University. Not only does he have the opportunity to
attend a prestigious university, but his parents set a path for him. Both his parents
received PhDs while attending college.

Asian Americans are less likely than the societal population to be

unemployed or to fall beneath the poverty level. Given these economic
characteristics, it is perhaps unsurprising that Asians are more likely to be married,
less likely to be divorced, and less likely to bear children outside of marriage
(Strong & Cohen, 2014, p. 102) Since I am characterized into the Asian American
group, I found these facts to be interesting because they definitely resonate with
me. Within my Hawaiian, Filipino, Chinese, Tahitian family, there has only been 1
divorce and 2 pregnancies out of wedlock. Even though these facts are not cohesive
with every family situation, its the majority that is talked about.
Its no surprise that Hispanics are not the largest ethnic group in the United
States (Strong & Cohen, 2014, p. 100). As mentioned above when stereotyping
Hispanics, I stated that they have large families. To my surprise, that stereotype was
very true. In addition, though, La familia is based on the nuclear family, but it also
includes the extended family of grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. All tend
to live close by, often on the same block or in the same neighborhood (Strong &
Cohen, 2014, p. 101). When I read this section of the book, it was very special to
me. Because my family is so important to me, I love how the Hispanic culture has
that same sense of love and bond-ship between their family members.
One of the reasons I believe that Native Americans keep to themselves is
because a lot of them live on the reservations. Before my senior year of high school,
I attended a multicultural camp at BYU called SOAR. Many of the kids were or
Hispanic and Polynesian descent, however, to my surprise, there were many who
were Native American. Learning about their cultures was one of my favorite parts of
the entire week. Not only did we learn about their cultures, but we learned about life
on the reservations and their family dynamics. After camp, I soon learned that every
person who was Native American was admitted into BYU. I hope those kids graduate
and increase the 13.4 percent (Strong & Cohen, 2014, p. 104) who have
completed college.
After reading the facts about each different ethnicity, I feel as though I gained
a better understanding about the background of these people. Not only that, but my
stereotypes were broken down; and even though they are still there, I will be slower
to stereotype.

Works Cited

"University of Arkansas." Forbes. Forbes Magazine, n.d. Web. 22 June 2016.

Strong, Bryan, and Cohen, Theodore. The Marriage and Family Experience:
Intimate Relationships in a Changing Society. 12th ed. Belmont, CA:
Wadsworth, 2011. Print.