Right Place Wrong Face Stereotypes Essay

721 Words3 Pages

Stereotypes are something people hear all the time no matter where they are. When I was ten, I went to McDonalds with my family and when we were going to order, the cashier took one glance at us and told his Mexican coworker to take his place because he did not speak Spanish. The cashier figured that we did not speak English due to the darker color of our skin tone. Language barrier is one of the many stereotypes people assume about Mexicans because of their skin tone, as well as them being uneducated and people inferring them to be criminals. The effects of these stereotypes are disgraceful and ruthless. A stereotype is an assumption that is made on a specific ethnicity or culture. The common stereotypes that Mexicans can only speak Spanish, …show more content…

For example, once a Mexican commits a crime and it is seen on the media, the whole image of the Mexican race is spoiled. This leads to society to see every Mexican as a criminal even though they do not know a single thing about the person they are making the assumption about. It could cause people to not associate themselves with any person of the Mexican race. Alton Fitzgerald White, the author of Right Place, Wrong Face, conveys “I had received a standing ovation after portraying the starring role… in the Broadway musical Ragtime. It is a role that requires talent…morals and lessons I learned as a child…The officers told me that they knew exactly who I was, knew I was in Ragtime, and that in fact they already had the men they wanted”. White states that he had morals and lessons that he was taught when he was younger, this implies that he already knew the difference of what was right and what was wrong. This exemplifies that, despite of his innocence he was still kept in jail because of his ethnicity. This the same situation for Mexicans, no matter if they have done nothing wrong, people will be quick to assume they are crooks. This creates an image that Mexicans break the laws, are causing harm to the community, and are dangerous people to be