Angela Vogt

West Milford Twp. High School

67 Highlander Drive

West Milford, NJ 07480

November 3, 2016

Future President at the White House

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue

Washington, DC 20500

Dear Future President,

Hello, my name is Angela and I am a freshman at West Milford High School, which contains a lot of diversity. I have many friends from many different places. For example I have friends that came from Thailand, Colombia and Guatemala. I have another friend who is born in and still lives in Thailand. Her name is Paschasorn Chinnapong. I never met her in person because she is in Asia, but she is very kind and talented. She has always dreamed of visiting America, but the problem is I am worried about her coming over because of all the stereotypes and racism that goes on around here. And I, a white Catholic, think that treating people because of their background or what they look like are wrong. What I want you to do as the new leader of our glorious country is to make everyone feel proud and comfortable to express themselves because you should never have to hide who you are.                       

  Things were different back then, when whites discriminated against others but in present times, everything is getting better. However the issue is still occurring. Children learn stereotypes from people in their families, their friends, or even at school. The children will start to believe what these people are saying to them and use it against others. Convincing someone that stereotypes are accurate is very easy which is how these beliefs spread so quickly. The Internet is the most powerful source to influence these stereotypes. For example here is a meme about “all the things white people do” Not all white people do these things, yet people are influenced to believe this. Another example is the image above of what an African American is supposed to look like. It’s quite obvious that this is unrealistic and black people do not look like this at all. Anyone from any race, religion, gender, sexuality, or nationality get affected by stereotypes every day. 

  Past experiences lead to putting a certain group of people into “categories” in our brains. For example, “gay people are extremely feminine” or “black people are dangerous and are robbers” People also get fun of for being “different” or “noticeable.” For example, some people would mock someone wearing a hijab in public because they look different. Being different is unique, so why are people getting mocked because of this?

The after effects in this issue are almost all negative. Students sometimes experience Anthropophobia, which is the fear of society. Other effects include social anxiety, suicide, eating disorders, discrimination, lying, or even changing yourself. This decade had a use of stereotypes rise up by 9.47%. Even worse, researchers gathered 1,280 people from the united States to take online surveys about scenarios involving, race, gender, perceptions and feelings. The study found connections between people who felt negatively stereotyped or disrespected at school and their propensity for delinquent behaviors. We have to find a way to stop bullying, and promoting stereotypes in the media and television. This will have a major decrease in the use of stereotypes and make a huge impact on the future society of the United States.

Women are least likely to get a promotion because “they are not as hard working” or “can’t do work like men do.” Many women are scared to walk down the street alone because of cat-calling. However, males also experience sexism. For example, women think that men, can’t cook, clean or take care of children. The stereotypes are everywhere and affect all people with different perspectives.

In conclusion, you as a president would make a huge difference by trying your best to prevent these stereotypes. People are getting hurt every day by this and we have o make peace to the world. Please take some time to help everyone feel welcome and appreciated because America is about freedom.

From,

Angela Vogt