Michael Font

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Ms. Franklin
Enc. 1101 section 38
7/5/15

Outline:
Introduction/first paragraph: my use of certain phrases and common stereotypes; peoples
reactions to them; my reaction to them

Second paragraph: examples while talking to friends; not understanding why they were offended
with what I said; they explain it to me

Third: a phrase means something else that originally meant something else; give examples like
gay, bitch, and fagot

Fourth and fifth paragraph: when talking about sports; racial stereotypes can be made from sports
many times; its as if the majority of people of a certain race or ethnicity in a sport accounts for
the entire race or ethnicity

Sixth paragraph: explain what this means; examples of this like all black people are good at
basketball (give percentage of black people that actually play in the NBA), all people from the
Dominican Republic play baseball (also give percentage), and all female sports are inferior to
mens sports ( give examples of women-played sports compared to mens)

Seventh paragraph: give more examples like that NASCAR is only for rednecks and that only
Canadians are good at hockey

Conclusion/Eighth paragraph: many stereotypes are derived by some sort of observation of a

race; just because something happens a lot of the time doesnt mean it always holds true for the
entirety of the race; its better to think of a scenario like this to be a no more than a coincidence
than an established fact

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Most people dont realize that certain words they say may show how ignorant they may
be by not using the proper words. For example, when someone says that something is gay
when they really mean that it is stupid or ridiculous, it shows their ignorance towards the words
actual meaning. These words, when not used in the proper context, may even be offensive to
others. I too am guilty with saying things that I dont really know what it means. It wasnt until a
few years ago where I found out that my use of words and phrases were incorrect. I remember
talking to one my newer friends one day, who happened to be Jewish, about how my
neighborhood was slightly in the ghetto. After I said that, he got offended and I wasnt sure
why. He saw my look of confusion and told me that a ghetto wasnt what I originally thought it
meant.

He told me that it was a place where Jews were placed before going to concentration
camps during World War II. I was dumbfounded at the true meaning of this. I felt guilty (and
awkard) for using it in the wrong context. After this small incident with my new friend, I feel I
have become much more careful with my choice of words. Now I see that some words may be
offensive to some people. I never tried to be offensive. I have learned more about common
sayings and what they really mean. I have also learned to be more careful with words, for they
may be offensive to someone.

That is only one of the many words that, over the years, have attained different meanings.
The reason certain words are changing in definition is that people keep using them incorrectly.
Because they are being used incorrectly so much, the words new definition has become more
widespread, making it mainstream. Words like gay, fagot, and bitch are examples of words
that, over time, developed a new meaning. According to Dictionary.com, the proper definition of
the word gay is lighthearted and care free, the word fagot actually means a bundle of
sticks or twigs used as fuel, and the word bitch means a female dog. Today, these words are
used derogatorily. Its not just the word ghetto that are commonly misused today.

Words arent the only way that contribute to ones ignorance. A main factor is sportrelated stereotypes. Most of the stereotypes that come from sports usually deal with race. It is as
if the majority of people of a certain race or ethnicity in a sport accounts for the entire race or
ethnicity everywhere. There are several more common misconceptions relating to race and
ethnicities when dealing with sports. Some of the stereotypes are also about the females and
sports.

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For instance, one may have heard that: all basketball players in the NBA are black. Even
though most of the players in the NBA are black (76.3%), there are still several players of other
races that play as well. Another common example is baseball. Have you ever noticed how all the
players in the MBL have a Hispanic background? Think again. Although it doesnt seem like it,
only 27.3% of players have a Hispanic Background. These are just two of the most common
stereotypes.

Two other popular stereotypes have to do with hockey and NASCAR. It is most likely
that youve heard that only rednecks like NASCAR. While that seems to hold true, it isnt. There
are several regular people that like it too. Also with hockey, its not only Canadians that play it
the best. There are some teams such as the Detroit Red Wings, based in Michigan, and the
Boston Bruins, based in Massachusetts that are goo too.

Now lets not forget the sports that arent as popular. Sports such as volleyball,
gymnastics, softball, tennis, and womens basketball are sometimes seen as inferior to mens
sports. This isnt true; just because there are less sports played by women does not mean that the
sport is inferior. Yes there are some males that do participate in sports like tennis or gymnastics,
for instance, but women statistically account for the majority. In my opinion, I think that these
sports are better done by females anyways.

Many people think that if something happens too often, then it will always hold true. This
also hold the same when it comes to stereotypes. Just because something happens very often or
accounts for a majority in something like an event, it doesnt mean that it holds true for everyone
that the observation is being made. It doesnt matter if its in terms of race, ethnicity, or gender.
Dont consider it to always be true. Its better to think of a scenario like this as a coincidence
rather than an established fact.