Roundtable talk addresses diversity

Stereotypes have continued throughout the years because leaders in the community continue to… Stereotypes have continued throughout the years because leaders in the community continue to perpetuate them, a Student Government Board member said at a roundtable discussion Monday night. ‘These leaders, maybe a pastor or another person in a high position, sometimes think they’re speaking for a whole race or culture,’ said board member Alexa Jennings. ‘They, and everyone else, have to realize that their ideas don’t represent everyone that they’re leading. Each person has their own beliefs.’ Students came together to discuss generalizations about different cultures, races and sexual orientations at the SGB diversity committee’s second annual stereotype forum. Twenty-one students, representing black, caucasian, Italian and Cuban backgrounds, held a roundtable discussion about the origins and reasons behind stereotypes in today’s world. The group began the discussion by defining the word ‘stereotype.’ The group agreed that a stereotype is ‘putting a certain group in a certain box’ to define it, that it can be positive or negative and that it is based on perceptions and ignorance. Pitt sophomore Kayla Comrie said she believed that most stereotypes are simply exaggerations of the truth or completely false. ‘I think people can see one thing or one person and then let that one person determine their ideas about a whole race or culture,’ said Comrie. ‘One person can blow it for the whole group. That’s unfortunate, but that’s how it is.’ Students also tackled common stereotypes and asked questions about things that they have heard over the years. Diversity committee chair Channing Martin read a list of different stereotypes that targeted black, caucasian, Asian, Jewish and Christian people, as well as immigrants. The group also touched on how stereotypes affected President Obama. Jennings said because we’ are so focused on people’s races, important issues are lost or looked over. ‘People were so focused on Obama’s race and middle name that they lost sight on whether or not he was qualified to do the job,’ said Jennings. ‘The discussion should have focused primarily on his role as the president, not on his ethnicity. That shouldn’t even matter.’ In the end, students agreed that most stereotypes’ are amplified generalizations based on ignorance of different people and cultures. Comrie said she thinks everyone should educate themselves about different groups of people. ‘I think it’s important to strive to defy the negative stereotypes and to educate ourselves instead of settling with the comfort of ignorance,’ said Comrie. Martin agreed. ‘It’s important for us to always defy the stereotypes and to not stereotype ourselves,’ said Martin.